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Many, especially convinced cat lovers, smile incredulously. Are cautious creatures that shy away from any sharp sound capable of scaring someone? For example, you can treat them indifferently or simply not love them. But to be afraid? Imagine this happens.
As you know, cats rarely attack people first. The cat can rush to the attack, heroically defending offspring. Or the owners, mostly children, harass the pet with obsessive caresses to such an extent that he is simply forced to use his claws and teeth. But these animals are loners by nature. That is why there is no information about packs of stray cats that tore apart a helpless passerby.
Nevertheless, there are people who, at the sight of cats, are seized by real horror. This phenomenon has several names: gatophobia, felinophobia, galleophobia, but it is often called ailurophobia (obsessive fear of cats).
HOW AYLUROPHOBIA MANIFESTS
For example, if you were bitten or scratched by a cat, it is quite natural to be afraid of all representatives of the cat family. You can just not love them. In a word, you prefer to stay away from them, but this is hardly a particular inconvenience. But ailurophobia is more than being “afraid” or “not loving.” A person with this specific disorder is constantly preoccupied with how not to run into a cat.
Main symptoms
The hallmark of ailurophobia is an unfeigned panic fear at the sight of cats and the sounds they make. Even drawings, photos and videos can become a trigger, not to mention direct contact.
Typical symptoms are physical:
pain and tightness in the chest;
increased sweating;
cardiopalmus;
labored breathing;
dizziness and nausea;
excitement and trembling;
indigestion – especially before an event where there will definitely be a cat.
And psychological:
panic at the thought of cats;
severe anxiety in front of unfamiliar places where cats may be;
constant thinking about likely encounters with cats and ways to avoid them;
anxiety attacks with meowing, purring, hissing and other cat sounds.
All of the above does not necessarily manifest itself simultaneously, but necessarily affects everyday life. Ailurophobe will probably stop coming to a friend who has got a cat. Or he will begin to shun colleagues who talk about the antics of pets.
Finally, those who suffer from any phobias usually realize that their fears are unfounded and look ridiculous from the outside. And this leads to additional distress and feelings of shame, which makes it difficult to seek help.
WHERE COMES FEAR
The origins are not entirely clear. With ailurophobia, everything is completely confused. One hypothesis claims that the reason lies in archaic horror. So, in the Middle Ages, cats were considered devilish offspring, servants of witches, they were afraid and destroyed. So this is an old religious phobia, or simply … a cognitive distortion.
Another version suggests that the main role is played by heredity, upbringing or environment. Yet the most convincing suggestion is that of childhood trauma: probably at an early age a person was attacked by a cat or he saw how it happened to someone else.
For example, members of the Facebook cat-loving community told incredible stories about familiar ailurophobes. An adult man broke out in a cold sweat, seeing the good-natured cat of his girlfriend. As it turned out, in childhood he was taught that a cat scratch is blood poisoning and inevitable death. A certain girl turned pale and tried to jump up when a local cat approached her in a cafe. And it wasn’t a sham. It turns out that at the age of three, a cat clutched at her face, desperately protecting her kittens. But most are not able to remember the “anchor” event: I’m afraid that’s all!
WHAT THE EXPERTS THINK
In 1906, the American neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell published an adaptation of an article previously written for the medical journal Transactions of the Association of American Physicians in the popular Ladies Home Journal under the title “Fear of Cats”.
He sent out questionnaires, exploring the forms and potential causes of fear of cats. He was especially interested in the statements of a number of patients that they allegedly “smell” the cat, even if they do not see it. Mitchell conscientiously collected evidence from “independent observers” who set up practical experiments. The cats were lured with cream and locked in a buffet, then invited into the room unsuspecting test subjects to make sure they were able to sense the presence of an invisible “enemy”.
At first, the doctor was skeptical: the hysterical girl, who declared that she “always knows that a cat is nearby,” guessed only a third of the time. But he later admitted that many test subjects actually discover hidden cats, even if they do not give themselves away.
Trying to understand the nature of the phenomenon, Mitchell ruled out asthma and evolutionarily inherited fears, since usually ailurophobes behave quite normally when they see lions. He soon suggested that feline fluids “affect the nervous system through the nasal membrane, although they are not recognized as odors.” However, the unreasonable fear of cats still could not be explained. As a result, his own observations led him to the idea that the victims are most frightened by “the strange habit of cats to sit next to, jump on their knees or walk behind.”
Alas, Mitchell did not have the Internet, and he had to collect data bit by bit. Otherwise, numerous experts would have answered one of the most frequent questions of cat lovers: “Why do cats go to people who cannot stand them?” Everything is explained in an elementary way: an independent and wayward animal suffers when it is grabbed, hugged and squeezed. After all, this is how most cat lovers behave! A person who is indifferent, and even more so frightened, will not bother with caresses. Therefore, he is not a threat and one can show favor to him.
DO I NEED TO GET RID OF AYLUROPHOBIA
Coercion, ridicule and reasonable arguments do not help to cope with phobias. These are irrational, unconscious fears that are not controlled by willpower and are not amenable to medical treatment. Let’s put it this way: if ailurophobia does not interfere with life, then there is no need to treat it. It is much easier not to communicate with cats: in the end, they themselves do not impose themselves on anyone as friends.
But sometimes a generally harmless disorder causes serious trouble. For example, conflicts with neighbors or family quarrels. Or has everything gone so far that you have become afraid to go out into the street: what if a bloodthirsty predator is waiting there? In this case, you should look for a specialist: he will help you find the roots of fear, sort it out and overcome the phobia.
One of the most effective methods is exposure therapy, which teaches you how to manage fears. The therapist might start by looking at pictures, then moving on to videos, touching material that feels like cat fur, holding a toy cat, and eventually petting a real one.
In addition, such a gentle approach helps to restructure thinking and gradually rationalize fear. One fine day, the former ailurophobe will find that he has ceased to perceive these animals as a source of stress and anxiety, or even decide to take a live, warm and cozy cat on his knees.
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