An Act of Faith
When Samuel’s doctor suggested he might need an animal to provide some therapeutic services, I knew a dog was out of the question. Samuel had Asperger’s Syndrome and functioned on the high end of the Autism Spectrum. Things that didn’t bother most people would not only bother him but would often be a source of distress, distraction, and sometimes conflict. Loud noises, bright lights, most foods, and even most clothing overloaded him.
It wasn’t just the barking and my fear that a dog might over stimulate Samuel on an hourly basis that produced my uncertainty. Samuel loved cats. He wasn’t just passionate about them, he was obsessed. Big cats, little cats, it didn’t matter. He didn’t really hate dogs, he just loved cats. Dogs didn’t exist in his world and, as any parent of a child with Asperger’s knows, they do have their own unique world. For Samuel, a dog would be useless. I had never heard of a service cat, and, like most people, I thought “service” was reserved for dogs. Besides, I was a firm believer that cats couldn’t be trained. A little grey and white speck of a kitten named Faith would prove me wrong. 
Just shy of six weeks, Faith Elizabeth had been kept exclusively in the garage with the rest of her family and wasn’t even box trained when we she arrived at our house. She had been the last kitten in her litter to go because everyone else had labeled her “too high strung”. She was active in a “Tigger” sort of way, and never seemed to sit still much like her new owner.
I had doubts about her at first. I believed that the most useful type of cat for Samuel would be one that could just sit still long enough to help Samuel switch to a lower gear when needed. Although she was doctor prescribed, she was going to be used mostly to provide comfort and be used as a means of distraction when Samuel began to get frustrated. She learned her name and was litter boxed trained on day one, but it wasn’t until she adapted well to a lifestyle of leashes that I began to wonder to what extent a cat really could be trained. When she learned to stay still if Samuel needed her to, I was impressed. However, when she learned to sit and fetch for pancakes, I became a believer. Faith had become a service dog.
Faith opened the door to a whole new world of possibilities for Samuel and our family. She had to be put to sleep at a young age due to illness and I wondered in agony if Faith had been a cruel fluke. Samuel wasn’t the only member of our family who relied on Faith for services. Many, many times Faith gave us much needed breaks from the strain that a child like Samuel can bring to a household. She was our in-house respite.
Faith’s passing threw Samuel into a full-blown crisis. He would not be consoled. Seeing such painful weeping coming from a kid who showed little emotion except for plastic smiles and sometimes, anger, was almost as heart-breaking as Faith’s sudden death. It was probably the first time in his life he truly understood the emotion of sorrow. I thought it would take a miracle to find a new cat and considered getting Samuel a service dog instead.
Samuel did not want a dog. I was surprised he wanted another cat but torch was passed to Uncle Hub, a beautiful Norwegian Forrest cat, so named for the uncle in the movie Secondhand Lions. We just call him Hub for short but he is as remarkable as his predecessor. We didn’t spend as much time trying to accomplish things like “sit” or “fetch”. When Hub came into our lives, Samuel just needed a cat to comfort him. Like Faith he was high strung and active, the Energizer Bunny of cats. He too learned very quickly to sit still for long periods of time, although now he has made sitting still an art form. He is not Faith Elizabeth but he is Uncle Hub. He is not the first service cat, he’s not the last. He is, however, like Faith before him, one in a million. 
The New Kids on the Block
After finding two abandoned kittens on the road, which coincided with a school assignment, Samuel decided to see if he could train the two kittens to be service cats. Both of the kittens were very small and sickly, but the little grey one, affectionately dubbed Naif (Faith's nickname), barely survived the first night. Almost as if in response to the love and care he received, Naif has been doing very well in training and is eager to meet new people and challenges. Samuel considers Naif a lucky sign because he looks so much like Faith, right down to the white stripe on his nose. Little Guy, Naif’s bigger brother, remains a little cautious around people. It is unlikely he will be suitable for placement although he has now been trained for a few service-related tasks.
Encouraged by the success of Faith Elizabeth, Hub, and Naif, Samuel has decided to develop a training shelter and placement center for unwanted cats that need a second chance. While I have always considered the possibilities, Samuel is the main reason this project is actually taking shape. Samuel has a unique ability to “whisper” to cats in a way that leaves even me baffled. They understand each other.
Tenere Kingdom is a just-starting-work-in-progress. Our current housing arrangement simply will not meet the needs of Samuel’s growing project. He has done everything from collecting cans to collecting soda top tabs to selling his video games to pay for the growing cost of Tenere Kingdom. I have often asked him to reassess his goals and the project itself due to the ever changing needs of the kittens and kids he has come into contact with. I have seen the frustrations he has experienced because the little money he has saved to file the paperwork necessary to make his project legal and non-profit has had to go to pay for PO Boxes, emergency vet bills, or extra food and litter. He has learned that there are extra, and, often unexpected expenses. His financial plan is in a state of almost constant change. I have now stepped in fully to help him meet his goals as it is clear to me that he will not give up. He says it's for Faith.
The next generation of service cats will be ready to go about the end of this year. We are doing our best to ensure that the children who need these special friends will have the chance to get them. If you would like to help out please note that Tenere Kingdom is not yet a tax-exempt organization, ANY contributions, as of today, are NOT tax deductable. We are working on that but it seems we still have a long ways to go. ALL funds do go for the cats and the cats alone. We do not get paid and we do not do this to get paid. Samuel’s cats are free to those who need them. You cannot put a price on the bond these kids and kittens develop. The changes the cats can help facilitate in these children are remarkable. The fact that there is one less homeless and unwanted (and spayed or neutered) cat in the world is incredible and priceless.
How You Can Help
If you live in the Milwaukee area and can save aluminum cans for Samuel and his group of volunteers to pick up every other weekend, please contact us to make arrangements at tenerekingdom@gmail.com. If you do not live in the Milwaukee area and can save soda top tabs for Tenere Kingdom you can send them to Samuel Traineer, PO Box 2814, Douglas, GA 31534. (His sister is still redeeming tabs for him from there.) If you would like to make a monetary donation one can be done so through the Unlocking Autism website at: http://unlockingautismstore.org/Store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=91
Samuel has also written a very short book about training cats, especially for service animal-related activities. It is available as a PDF file only and will be emailed. The cost is $5.50. It can be accessed on the home page. He uses all proceeds to help pay for the costs of the cats but then toward the filing fees.
A Journey Through Hope
Samuel as a toddler was very clumsy. Sometimes it seemed as though he could just be standing still and fall down. His poor forehead was one large black and blue lump. Although he laughed frequently as a baby and toddler, something in him just changed at about 2 – 3 years old. At that time he was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder. His diagnosis changed frequently over the years and his smile became more plastic. He slowed little emotion except anger.
Food and sleep became a battleground and his pediatrician advised me to “pick my battles”. He played with toys differently, matchbox cars meant for race tracks were often lined up on “roads” of toilet paper not to be disturbed under pain of death. Schedules HAD to be followed or the house was in uproar. He didn’t get along with anyone and constantly fought me, his siblings, school, and rules. In addition to cats he became obsessed with war and strategy. He even had plans to build a cat army. 
School was always a challenge to him. His peers thought he was “odd”. He was bullied but always fought back. He sometimes shouldered a persecution complex and always tried to defend the underdogs. About the time we got Faith his smile became more real. Since having Faith and Hub, he has gone from being a Velveteen Rabbit of a boy to a real rabbit. Since beginning this project, he has developed a sense of drive, passion and determination I never thought I’d see. Samuel has never been one to take “no” for an answer. It has gotten him into a good deal of trouble over the years but this time I think it will produce good fruit.
Samuel's Changes Over The Years
Samuel as a toddler on his 2nd birthday. Still smiling real smiles.
School project, age 5. 
The plastic smiles had taken over.
About 5 1/2 years old here as a Pokemon.
Below: Samuel at Garden of the Gods in Colorado. Age about 8.
Samuel again at Garden of the Gods. Age about 6.
When he was about 9, Samuel had an unusual and severe allergic reaction to the Risperdal® he was taking and developed something called neuroleptic malignant syndrome. He had a sudden high fever of over 105. I took him to the nearest hospital and then watched helplessly as they transported him to Children's Hospital packed on ice. This was just another in a string of medications he was allergic to (which is everything!). He hasn't really had any meds since he got Hub although he still has difficulty sleeping at night. He has experienced so many allergic reactions we just try to aviod medication. We thank God so much for Hub.
As he prefers to be, masked to the world.
Always trying to build a better home for the cats...
(That's Hub and Bendi inside)
Samuel and Hub last year just befor his 14th birthday.
Samuel and his brother when he came home on leave at Christmas.
Many positive changes have happened in Samuel over the years. The recent changes are astounding. I give God all the glory for it. For first changing Samuel and us, and also for sending Hub and Faith to us. I hope there are other children and families who God has in mind to work miracles for also using Samuel's cats. Samuel is able to joke around some with his brother. His brother is a ET Nuke for the US Navy. He remains a constant source of encouragement and support in Samuel's life. I thought I would include a few clips from Samuel's time with his brother here.
Above: Samuel at the hospital with his brother to get his finger stitched.
