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.
对弗雷哲-布施来说，就算是简单的事情也很困难。四岁的弗雷哲患有自闭症，常常因为一点点小事大哭大闹。
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.
接着流浪小猫比利出现了。比利的命运并不幸运，曾遭前任主人抛弃。后被慈善组织从一间木制廉租房中救出。从他们第一次见面开始，弗雷哲和比利就再也没有分开过。有了这只小猫，这个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.
现在，不管是玩耍、听故事还是睡觉，比利总是陪伴在弗雷哲的身边。比利总是第一个发现弗雷哲的沮丧情绪，并用自己的拥抱与温柔的喵喵声安抚弗雷哲。
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.
弗雷哲的母亲露易丝说：“ 弗雷哲在花园里玩或是边上的时候，比利总是在一旁守着，好像在看着安抚他的样子。弗雷哲闹腾的时候，他都会在，用头去靠近他安抚她。最近弗雷哲的病情比较严重，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.’
“人们说动物是有感受力的。但是比利似乎比任何人更能感受到弗雷哲的坏情绪。”
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.’
布施太太，弗雷哲和她15个月的妹妹的全职母亲，补充道：“虽然这听起来很疯狂，但是比利就好像弗雷哲的守护天使。他们的关系真的很特别。”
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个月大的时候就诊断出患有自闭症。在那之前，布施太太（38岁）和她的电工丈夫克里斯（43岁）就发现他要比同龄的小孩发育得慢。
‘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.’
“很早的时候我就知道肯定有哪里不对。布施女士说：“弗雷哲经常哭，对我或者我们放在他面前的玩具都毫无反应。”布施女士说。
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.
自从诊断出患有自闭症后，弗雷哲就一直在接受治疗。当他可以和父母交谈或是向其他同龄小朋友一样四处跑的时候，日常的事务对他来说还是充满困难，常常又哭又闹。
‘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.
“对于弗雷哲来说，每一天都是挑战，因为普通的事情对他来说都极其的艰难，” 布施女士补充道。他们现在居住在阿伯丁的拜尔马洛庄园。“他不像大部分人想象中的自闭症小孩那样生活在自己的世界当中—他是个快乐的小男孩，只是容易因为一点点的小事沮丧、发怒。”
But the arrival of Billy from a Cats Protection shelter 12 months ago has changed Fraser’s behaviour.
但是12月前从猫咪收容所来的比利却改变了弗雷哲的行为。
‘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.’
“第一次带弗雷哲去看比利的时候，这只猫就直接扑向了弗雷哲。弗雷哲坐在地板上的手，比利就一边横躺在他身上，爪子放在他腿上，一边还喵喵叫。弗雷哲说：这是我们的猫，他可以和我们住一起。”布施女士说到。事情就是这样子的。
‘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.
“比利给我们家带来了翻天覆地的变化。他为我们带走了压力，带来了快乐与平静。他太了不起了！”