Rescued street cat finds a buddy with autistic child in his forever home

Tyson with his human brother in his forever home

Cats have a reputation for being aloof, but in Tyson’s case that reputation is unwarranted. Before Tyson was adopted in January, he was surviving injury and illness on Regina’s streets. So it was great news for Tyson when he found his forever home – but it’s also been great news for his human ‘brother’ too!

His human brother is Jasper – a three-year-old boy with nonverbal autism. He’s a happy, bouncy child – and sometimes that energy can frighten cats. But not Tyson! When the two met, Jasper’s mom, Vanessa, was impressed with Tyson’s approach to her son.

“In his foster home, Tyson was very calm and watched Jasper from a short distance. Jasper settled down and started to play with the cats’ fountain water bowl. Tyson watched him play with it for a little while and then started to come closer to him,” said Vanessa. “We knew then that Tyson’s calm demeanour would fit in well with our entire family.”

So they brought Tyson home where he settled in with their other cat, Pete, and older human 'brother,’ Garnet. In fact, Tyson has blended in perfectly to their home and adapted well to everyone’s needs.

Tyson upon rescue (left) and Tyson after some TLC (right)

“Tyson has brought cat-filled fun into our lives. Pete seems to have become more kitten-like and enjoys playing more these days. Garnet is so happy to have another furry friend to play with. Jasper is getting quite curious about Tyson, and will even pet him gently. Tyson knows how to treat each kid and adjusts accordingly – it's amazing to see,” explained Vanessa. “With Garnet, he gets more feisty and playful. But with Jasper, he lays down and waits for him to come closer. If Jasper gets too excited or overwhelmed, Tyson will back away and watch and wait. When Jasper is calmer he’ll come closer to let Jasper try again. It’s so sweet!”

It’s stories like these that bring so much joy to Regina Cat Rescue volunteers. Seeing abandoned animals not only embraced into loving homes but also changing those homes for the better!

“My family highly recommends adopting an animal, both of our boys love the cats so much, they have brought so much warmth, love, and joy into our home,” said Vanessa.

And we couldn’t agree more!

Jasper and Tyson chilling out together