Cat Phobia
A Guide to Understanding Cat Phobia
A cat phobia, or ailurophobia, may not seem like a very hard fear to live with, but for those who suffer from it—this condition can be a nightmare. There are two main reasons why a person can develop an irrational fear of cats. The first fear is the overwhelming concern of being harmed by a cat. Although this type of fear may have reasonable causes for development, a true cat phobia will control a person’s life around the fear that they may be harmed by a cat. The other irrational fear stems from the ancient, although unfounded, belief that cats are “evil” creatures.
The first thing you must understand about ailurophobia is that it is a true condition. It is so much more than a simple dislike of cats. Most ailurophobes can’t even tolerate the physical presence of a cat anywhere near them and will do whatever they can to stay away from cats. Much in the way that some people fear snakes and spiders, a person who suffers from a cat phobia can produce symptoms of sweating, hyperventilate, or become downright frantic in the presence of a cat. A phobic will go to great lengths to avoid contact with their fear, and an ailurophobe is no different. They may impulsively inquire as to whether their friends have a cat before feeling safe enough to visit them, or they may act absolutely normal save for the constant worry that floods them when they go out.
The causes behind this phobia are hard to point out. Many ailurophobes can’t even tell you what it is they fear about cats; most of them simply state that they have dealt with this fear since being young. In many cases, a person suffering from a fear of cats will have had a traumatic experience with a cat when they were young. This is especially likely to occur with toddlers who are old enough to retain the fear associated with certain experiences. Most children are heavy handed at a young age and are not aware that cats, in particular, need a gentle touch. The result is the child being scratched or bitten by the cat and not understanding why it happened. They can carry this sense of “cats will attack without provocation” all throughout their lives, attaching it not only to that one cat in their childhood, but to all cats they come across—giving the person an intense and largely irrational fear of cats. In a sense, this fear is simply a deep-seated protective maneuver created by the subconscious part of a person’s mind, giving them little or no choice but to avoid cats.
Ailurophobia can affect anyone. In fact, historical records suggest that Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, and Hitler were just a few (albeit notorious) people to suffer from cat phobia. There really isn’t any hard evidence to suggest that this phobia is passed through genetics, although some phobias are shared between parents and their children. In the case of ailurophobia in which the child has not suffered a traumatic incident with a cat, it could also be considered whether one of the parents has a fear of cats. If so, the parent could be unaware that they are projecting this fear to their child, causing the child to carry this same irrational fear. Parents who are aware of their phobia should seek help to ease not only their own symptoms, but to help them ensure that they do not force their child to needlessly live their life around this same fear.
As with any phobia, treating ailurophobia can be a long and difficult process, but it is not impossible. To be successful, the ailurophobe needs to want to overcome their fear and they will need the help of a professional to guide and support them. A professional will be able to discern the level of severity of the phobia and derive a process of steps to desensitize the patient’s fear. This usually involves exposing the patient to pictures and videos of cats until the patient can tolerate the experience well enough to move on to the next step, which may be viewing a live cat through a window such as those at a zoo. Next, the patient may be placed indoors with a caged or leashed cat, and then finally placed into a room in which the cat is not restricted in any way. Throughout these sessions, the professional will also help teach the ailurophobe techniques to combat the signs of fear using deep breathing and reminding oneself that they cannot be harmed by a cat.
While a cat phobia may prove to be a minor inconvenience to people who rarely come into contact with this animal, it can be life-controlling for a person who sees cats on a regular basis (such as having relatives or close friends who have cats). If you suffer from ailurophobia and would like to know more about treatment, speak with your doctor about your condition. He/she may be able to recommend professionals in your area who can help you overcome your fear.