For Iris Grace, the world used to be a lonely place. The autistic (自闭症的) five-year-old girl seldom spoke and she often got nervous while being with other children.

Iris has been taught art since she was three years old. She spends most of her time painting. She paints so well that her works sell for at least 1,500 pounds each. However, nothing could stop her loneliness until a cat called Thula came to live with the family last February. After Thula arrived, Iris's parents have noticed Iris adding images like a cat's eyes or nose to her paintings. At first, they thought Iris drew them by accident, but now they believe Iris is expressing her love to Thula in her paintings.

While Iris is painting, Thula always sits at her side and watches her with great interest. And when the family go out in the car, Iris always takes Thula with her.

Thula is having an influence on Iris's relationships with others, too, and her parents find it easier to encourage her to speak when Thula is around. Iris's mother said, "Thanks to Thula, Iris is a lot happier than ever before. "