Unbreakable bond between an autistic little girl and her cat: Six-year-old who didn't talk paints.

Unbreakable bond between an autistic little girl and her cat: Six-year-old who didn't talk paints, cycles and SWIMS with the feline who helped her find her voice. A moving video showing the remarkable bond between an autistic girl and the cat that brought her out of her shell has been touching the hearts of thousands of people online. Six-year-old Iris Grace Halmshaw of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, was once afraid of water but can now be seen swimming alongside her feline friend who helped her overcome her fears. Not only do the inseparable pair practise their skills together in a swimming pool, they also share a soak at bath time - an everyday event that once filled Iris's mother with dread as just one drop of water could leave her daughter terrified. As can be seen in the video, they do everything together with the cat sitting beside her in the garden as she looks at books and joining the family on canal boat trips, bike rides and walks on a lead. And since Iris's parents bought the Maine coon cat for their daughter two years ago she has started to speak - something doctors warned may never happen. Before her parents brought the moggy home, Iris was already an internationally acclaimed artist so talented that her work can sell for as much as £1,500 and had a huge following. The home-educated youngster has been producing astonishing Monet-style landscapes since she was three, when mother Arabella Carter-Johnson devised art sessions to help her with her daughter's concentration and speech. It was her fans online - mainly in America - who encouraged Arabella to look into getting a Maine coon cat to keep Iris company and help her to open up further, after equine therapy failed to help. And as well as keeping a lookout for her masterpieces, the young artist's online followers now love to hear about her adventures with Thula, who has become a big influence in her artwork. She was severely autistic and they said she may never talk. She may never be able to develop the relationships that other children can have. 'And then we got Thula and everything changed, there was a remarkable difference. She was able to communicate with us about what she wanted, it started with "more cat" and "sick cat" - she was giving her instructions. 'We've got this saying that different is brilliant and I really mean it - autism to me now is brilliant. 'It doesn't have to be this grim diagnosis. It can be challenging - very, very challenging at times - but I feel that if you work with the child and work with their interests you will see a progression, you'll see changes.'