an autistic boy, a rescue cat, and the transformative power of animal connections
Louise Booth and her husband, Chris, had always dreamed of having children. When their son, Fraser, was born Louise knew immediately something was wrong. Fraser was an angry child, prone to screaming fits. When her husband was hired as Queen Elizabeth II's electrician at her summer residence, Balmoral in Scotland, Louise became depressed as she dealt with Fraser and his needs as a single parent. Then Fraser met Billy, a gray cat who had been abandoned and left at a shelter. The moment Billy entered their lives he purred and laid his paws across Fraser's lap. The two became inseparable and Billy transformed Fraser's life. Within two years Fraser went from a toddler prone to anxiety, tantrums, and sudden emotional meltdowns, into a much calmer, less moody child with a bright future. The family now lives on the Balmoral estate, and a daughter, Pippa, has joined them.
