Not only a cruel & thoughtless comment, but stupid to boot. I remember about 12 years ago going through 1 of my worst periods of depression... somebody sent my husband a "thinking of you" card writing, "Get your wife a kitten. She needs somebody." In that case, we all knew it was meant to be a hateful remark, actually. Meant to hurt. I'd rather be a sad Aspie, struggling along, than to be a mean-spirited mocker. As if a pet could take the place of people in anybody's life. I've had my pets & loved them like crazy, but unless you're sincerely 1 of those people who believe animals of the non-human species can take the place of human friends & family, this was simply unkind.