喵星人治癒系:流浪貓幫自閉男孩走出孤獨
Even simple tasks used to be fraught with difficulty for Fraser Booth. The four-year-old, who is autistic, easily became overwhelmed by everyday events, resulting in tears and temper tantrums.
對弗雷哲-佈施來說，就算是簡單的事情也很困難。四歲的弗雷哲患有自閉症，常常因爲一點點小事大哭大鬧。Then Billy the stray cat came along. Abandoned by his previous owner and rescued from a boarded-up council house by a charity, he had not had the easiest start to life. But since their first meeting, Fraser and Billy have been inseparable – and the moggy has helped bring the little boy out of his shell.
接着流浪小貓比利出現了。比利的命運並不幸運，曾遭前任主人拋棄。後被慈善組織從一間木製廉租房中救出。從他們第一次見面開始，弗雷哲和比利就再也沒有分開過。有了這隻小貓，這個小男孩才得以走出自己的世界。Now, whether it's playtime, storytime or bedtime, Billy is there to offer a reassuring paw. And he is the first to sense when Fraser is getting frustrated, calming him down with a cuddle or comforting purr.
現在，不管是玩耍、聽故事還是睡覺，比利總是陪伴在弗雷哲的身邊。比利總是第一個發現弗雷哲的沮喪情緒，並用自己的擁抱與溫柔的喵喵聲安撫弗雷哲。
Fraser's mother Louise said: "If Fraser is around or playing in the garden, Billy is never far away. It is like he is watching Fraser and calming his behaviour. He always appears when Fraser is getting upset and offers his head close to Fraser's to reassure him and recently, when Fraser was poorly, Billy sat on his lap all day."
弗雷哲的母親露易絲說：“ 弗雷哲在花園裏玩或是邊上的時候，比利總是在一旁守着，好像在看着安撫他的樣子。弗雷哲鬧騰的時候，他都會在，用頭去靠近他安撫她。最近弗雷哲的病情比較嚴重，他就每天坐在他的大腿上。”"They say animals can sense things, but Billy seems to know before anybody else if Fraser is going to get upset."
“人們說動物是有感受力的。但是比利似乎比任何人更能感受到弗雷哲的壞情緒。”Mrs Booth, who is a full-time mother to Fraser and his 15-month-old sister Pippa, added: "It sounds crackers, but it is like Billy is Fraser's guardian. Their relationship is something really special."
佈施女士現在是全職母親。弗雷哲15歲的姐姐補充道：“雖然這聽起來很瘋狂，但是比利就好像弗雷哲的守護天使。他們的關係真的很特別。”Fraser was diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old after Mrs Booth, 38, and her electrician husband, Chris, 43, noticed he was not developing as quickly as other children his age.
弗雷哲在18個月大的時候就診斷出患有自閉症。在那之前，佈施太太（38歲）和她的電工丈夫克里斯（43歲）就發現他要比同齡的小孩發育得慢。"It was glaringly obvious to me early on that something was wrong," Mrs Booth said. "Fraser would cry all the time and wouldn't respond to me or any toys we put in front of him."
“很早的時候我就知道肯定有哪裏不對。佈施女士說：“弗雷哲經常哭，對我或者我們放在他面前的玩具都毫無反應。”佈施女士說。Since his diagnosis, Fraser has been undergoing therapy. While he is able to talk to his parents and run around like other children of his age, he still struggles to cope with routine tasks, resulting in temper tantrums and tears.
自從診斷出患有自閉症後，弗雷哲就一直在接受治療。當他可以和父母交談或是向其他同齡小朋友一樣四處跑的時候，日常的事務對他來說還是充滿困難，常常又哭又鬧。"Every day life can be a challenge for Fraser because ordinary tasks can be extremely difficult for him," added Mrs Booth, who lives on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire. "He is not trapped in his own little world–as most people assume with people with autism – he is a happy little boy, but he can become frustrated or upset easily at the drop of a switch."
“對於弗雷哲來說，每一天都是挑戰，因爲普通的事情對他來說都極其的艱難，” 佈施女士補充道。他們現在居住在阿伯丁的拜爾馬洛莊園。“他不像大部分人想象中的自閉症小孩那樣生活在自己的世界當中—他是個快樂的小男孩，只是容易因爲一點點的小事沮喪、發怒。”But the arrival of Billy from a Cats Protection shelter 12 months ago has changed Fraser's behaviour.
但是12月前從貓咪收容所來的比利卻改變了弗雷哲的行爲。"The first time we took Fraser to see Billy, the cat went straight to him," Mrs Booth added. "Fraser sat down on the floor and Billy laid across him with his paws on his legs and just started purring. Fraser said "This is our cat, he can come live with us," and that was that."
“第一次帶弗雷哲去看比利的時候，這隻貓就直接撲向了弗雷哲。弗雷哲坐在地板上的手，比利就一邊橫躺在他身上，爪子放在他腿上，一邊還喵喵叫。弗雷哲說：這是我們的貓，他可以和我們住一起。”佈施女士說到。事情就是這樣子的。"Billy has made a complete difference to our family life, he's taken away the stress, he's added happiness and an air of calm, he's just been amazing."
“比利給我們家帶來了翻天覆地的變化。他爲我們帶走了壓力，帶來了快樂與平靜。他太了不起了！”
