Obsessions + Sensory Problems = ??? (Caution: Cat Talk)

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Callista this is the web address for the place that does exercises for neuro developmental delay for people with asperger's, PDD-NOS, ADHD etc. I think they have clinics world wide. I am by no means advertising them I have just found their work very interesting and of some benefit especially with regards to anxiety and balance problems, sensory integration. The site is useful for information anyway, best of luck!

http://www.visualdyslexia.com/recognising.html


http://www.irlen.com/index_sss.html

The first website covers problems with bright lights and visual dyslexia which is when you have difficulty reading because of the glare of the white page etc and words tend to move. The other website has info on Irlen lenses, this uses coloured lenses to correct problems with artificial lighting etc reducing symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, eye strain and fatigue.

Both sites are quite informative, I'm not advertising them but there might be some info on there of some help.
In the meantime try buying some cheap sunglasses with blueish tint lenses to cut down the glare from the lighting. Best of luck working with cats must be great so I hope you can find something to reduce the irritation of the sensory integration stuff.

All right--I've got my baseball cap and my mint gum... let's see how this goes.

The mint-gum idea worked wonderfully!! Certainly I could still smell the strong cleaner and cat-pee aroma, but for some reason the addition of mint made it not quite so overwhelming. I think it's the olfactory equivalent of switching on a fan to drown out the annoying high-pitched giggling coming from upstairs housemates. (They're nice housemates. They're just loud.)

I tried a cap; but I was reminded of the reason I don't wear caps: They're uncomfortable!! So I didn't wear one. But, as it turned out, I didn't need one! Last time I was there, I spent most of my time in the hallways; and those are lit by flourescents. But this time, I was in the rooms--which are lit by windows and a sun roof, and don't need to have the lights turned on! So that turned out fine.

I'm the newbie volunteer there... so naturally I got the room in which a cat refused to use a litter box; so there were three piles of cat poo on the floor. Thankfully, despite my odor-sensitivity, I'm not psychologically repelled by poo. It's weird--NTs will be grossed out at the mention of the idea; but I don't get nauseated until I actually smell it. Of course, I'm affected more by the smell than NTs are; so it all evens out.

But here's a question: The other volunteers had mentioned last time that there was one room in which a cat wouldn't use the litter box--then they gave me that room (out of seven sets of rooms!). Hazing, y'think? Or else just that everyone else had already picked rooms in which they wouldn't have to wipe up cat poo?

So there were sixty cats; so I didn't have any time to really get to know them all, but I did get to sit there and pet them, if they wanted it. There was this really long-haired black-and-white cat with the softest fur in the world, who loved to sit on my shoulders; and two cats, a black and a white, who shared my lap looking for all the world like a yin-yang symbol. They all have names, the cats; but to learn sixty names is going to be quite a task.

And the most special thing in the world happened: When I cleaned one room, a big tiger tom kept on hissing at me, crouching and scared. I guessed he must be a feral, or very shy; so I didn't push anything and just ignored him. Then afterwards I made a point to sit near him while I played with his roommates, making sure I never made eye contact (which scared him); and just before I left, I extended a hand to him, and he sniffed it!!

Sure, a lot of other volunteers have probably been working with him; but to have the big guy reach out to me felt so wonderful...

Hi, I'm glad the mint gum worked, its great you can work in daylit rooms thats better than working under artificial lighting, the natural light must be better for the cats too, I bet they are'nt keen on fluorescent light! I'm not keen on caps either make head feel hot and uncomfortable, someone once advised me to wear a blue viser like tennis players used to wear to keep the sun out, its a good idea if you can wear hats, but I find them a bit itchy.

It falls under the category of nudity, I think.