Off to school, the autistic boy whose life was transformed by Billy the Balmoral stray cat
WHEN Fraser Booth was diagnosed with autism as a toddler, his parents were devastated to be told he would never go to an ordinary school with other children.
But that was before the family gave a home to a stray cat named Billy – who formed an unlikely bond with the boy and helped transform his life.
Soon Chris and Louise Booth were describing the cat as their son’s guardian and the story of how Billy helped Fraser overcome his problems touched the hearts of millions when reported in the Scottish Daily Mail in 2012.
Now the couple have spoken of their delight that Fraser has defied the experts by starting mainstream school alongside his peers.
Last night, Mrs Booth, 40, a full-time mother who lives with her family on the Balmoral estate on Royal Deeside, said: ‘We are really pleased. We were told when Fraser was diagnosed that he would never attend a mainstream school and that he would need to go to a developmental nursery.
‘That news was devastating. We were worried that he would never have a proper peer group or make friends, or
‘Billy is always there for him’
that going to a special school with children of much more serious disabilities would hold him back.
‘Also, the nearest special school was an hour-and-a-half drive away. But Billy was massively instrumental in Fraser being able to start school and he continues to help him with his development.’
Fraser was 18 months old when diagnosed with autism and hypotonia – a muscle-tone condition that affects his ability to walk and use his hands –after Mrs Booth and her electrician husband Chris, 44, noticed he was not developing as quickly as other children his age.
Everyday tasks were a struggle and often resulted in temper tantrums and tears. But two years ago the arrival of Billy, who had been rescued by the Cats Protection charity after being abandoned by his owners, transformed Fraser’s behaviour and family life.
The cat immediately took a shine to Fraser and would cuddle up to him and reassure him when he started to get upset.
Mrs Booth said Billy helped Fraser pass the milestones to start attending Crathie Primary School in Aberdeenshire at the start of this school year.
‘Billy had helped us already to conquer potty training, which can be difficult with autistic children, but was obviously vital if Fraser was going to go to a mainstream school,’ she said.
‘The main problem was getting Fraser to sit still for long enough but Billy would come and sit next to him in the bathroom, which helped enormously.’
Mrs Booth said Billy had also encouraged Fraser to read, by sitting next to the youngster and ‘listening’ to his stories: ‘Before Fraser could read, Billy used to sit next to him and watch as he pointed to pictures in a book. Now he is a captive audience for Fraser and will sit there forever as he reads stories to him. Fraser’s reading is fantastic – he is really, really good at it – and I’m sure Billy has had something to do with that.
‘The overwhelming thing is Billy’s calming influence on Fraser. He is always there for him and instinctively knows, long before Chris and I, if there is something Fraser’s unhappy about.’
Now Mrs Booth has written a book, When Fraser Met Billy, which is due to be published next week.
She said: ‘I was inspired to write the book because I thought there would be other mums out there, perhaps with a tiny baby that wasn’t responding, and I wanted them to know that there is hope and it is not their fault.’
To make a donation or to adopt a cat, visit the Cats Protection website at cats.org.uk or your local branch.