Ailurophobia or fear of cats: causes and treatment

The cat is one of the first animals that was domesticated by humans in ancient times. Graceful and fluffy on the one hand, but at the same time mysterious and independent, these animals have been living next to humans for several thousand years, responding to his care with warmth and love.

“Whoever has a cat need not be afraid of loneliness”

Daniel Defoe.

However, nature has endowed this outwardly pretty animal with fangs and sharp claws. The skills of a predator, the ability to attack and aggressively defend, can instill fear in a person, which over time turns into a persistent phobic disorder. A strong and uncontrollable fear of cats is called ailurophobia (from ancient Greek αἴλουρος - cat + phobia - fear), and it is one of the rare human phobias. According to some reports, about 0.2% of the world's population suffers from it to one degree or another. The name of the phobia was given by the ancient Greek goddess Eiluros, who, according to legend, turned into a cat at night. This fear is considered one of the varieties of zoophobia (fear of animals).

History has shown that ailurophobia is a fear that appeared a long time ago. Such world-famous personalities as Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler suffered from it.

Ailurophobia can occur and develop at any age: both in young children and adults, even in older people. Children, impressionable people, perfectionists and hypochondriacs are most susceptible to this fear . But it happens that a trauma experienced in childhood can transform into a phobia in adulthood, i.e. be delayed.

The symptoms of ailurophobia are very similar to those of other phobias. They can be divided into psychological and somatic.

Causes

The fear of cats, or the name “ailurophobia,” is quite rare. Nevertheless, this is a common phobia among the modern population, occurring mainly in childhood. Experts agreed and identified a number of reasons contributing to the development of a violation of a person’s psychological state.

These include:

Aggressiveness of the animal

The fear of cats appears due to the fact that the animal is able to fight back the offender. A striking example is the fact when a child takes a cat by the tail. Of course, the animal will not like this much and will give change. This way the baby will get unpleasant pain and scratches. There have been cases when a cat caused very significant harm to a child. However, according to psychologists, all it takes for a phobia to arise is a small scratch.

Parental warnings

Ailurophobia is a fear that can be imposed by parents. Many mothers are so worried about their child that they see mortal danger in everything. From an early age, a child is taught that cats are an irreparable evil. Often parents themselves, without knowing it, suffer from a phobia of fear of cats, having heard stories about how an animal scratched a child’s face or infected it with all kinds of viruses.

Impression after watching the film

In some films, cats are shown as vicious and aggressive animals capable of causing irreparable harm to human health and crippling him. If a child watches such videos, he or she increases the risk of developing ailurophobia in all its manifestations. Some impressionable children developed this phobia even after watching a banal children's cartoon about cats.

Excessive superstition

As soon as a black cat crosses the road, some cross themselves, others grab a button and spit over their left shoulder. Of course, after such a reaction, the child develops a fear of this animal.

Mysterious behavior

In some beliefs, a cat is considered a mystical animal, which is a particular cause for concern for impressionable individuals.

Large breeds

For some people, the fear of cats manifests itself in animals - large predators and is subconsciously transferred to small breeds.

Fear of diseases

Ailurophobia is a fear that arises from the fear of contracting toxoplasmosis. The disease is transmitted through scratches. It poses the main danger to pregnant women, as it causes a serious mutation in the fetus.

Allergy

Ailurophobia or fear of cats also occurs if a person suffers from allergic reactions. Indeed, for the purposes of self-preservation and to avoid unpleasant symptoms, allergy sufferers try to reduce contact with this animal to a minimum.

Increased emotional sensitivity

A phobia of cats can develop in a person who may not have even met this animal in person, but has heard many scary stories.

Fear of unpleasant consequences

Ailurophobe, knowing that an animal is capable of scratching him, begins to fear him, thereby generating unreasonable fear in his psyche.

Parting with your beloved pet

This very unusual reason can provoke the development of ailorophobia, especially if such a tragic moment occurred in childhood.

Basically, the problem of fear of cats is far-fetched and is a psychosomatic disorder that can lead to serious consequences. In order not to make your life worse and to recognize the disease in time, you need to clearly know the clinical picture of ailurophobia.

Symptoms of fear of cats

Symptoms of a fear of cats are similar to those of other phobias. There are two options for the development of symptoms:

• they appear only when confronted with an object of fear;
• the person is constantly afraid, feels unwell and is very irritable.

The main symptoms of fear of cats:

• trembling in the limbs;
• dizziness or pain in the temples;
• heavy sweating;
• heart rhythm disturbance;
• dyspnea;
• pale skin.

Such manifestations cause changes in the psyche. A person has obsessive thoughts. This leads to sleep disturbances and lack of appetite.

Symptoms of the disease

Due to the fact that people suffering from ailurophobia seek help extremely rarely and in advanced forms, it is possible to protect yourself from such an unpleasant situation. Most often, a person suffering from this phobia experiences dramatic changes in their behavior.

• Deterioration in general health. Ailurophobia is a fear that causes an increase or decrease in blood pressure, causing the skin on the sufferer's face to turn red or pale. At the same time, with a change in the color of the skin, an increased heart rate begins, breathing becomes more frequent and sweating increases.
• Fear of going outside. People suffering from this disorder are terrified to go outside. This is due to the fact that there are thousands of stray cats in open space, ready to approach a person at any moment. Psychologists have observed that cats tend to approach precisely those who are most afraid of it.
• Fear of visiting certain places. Ailurophobes avoid places where the risk of a collision with a cat is maximized. For example, they do not go to the market, and buy food exclusively in supermarkets.
• Reluctance to visit certain friends. Ailurophobia is a fear that can even destroy friendships. A person with a phobia of cats will never cross the threshold of his best friend’s home if there is even a small kitten there.
• Toys. A true ailurophobe is afraid of even toy cats. One type of such product can provoke a panic attack and a feeling of rejection.

In addition to the above symptoms, a person suffering from ailorophobia may also experience:

• Severe headache;
• Dizziness;
• Suffocation;
• Trembling of limbs;
• Sharp chest pain;
• Darkening in the eyes;
• Loss of balance;
• Increased urge to urinate;
• Hot flashes or severe chills.

Overcoming your fear of cats

The big news for most animal phobias, including fear of cats, is that they are easily treatable. Most mild cases of ailurophobia can be eliminated after several meetings with a doctor:

• Gradual interaction with cats is important to overcome gatophobia. This can be done in stages: see the cat from afar, look at her photographs, say her name, and so on. These limited forms of exposure play an important role in breaking down cats' fear.
• For gradual desensitization to be effective, it is important that phobia elimination situations are practiced many times. This may be helpful in reducing the use of feline avoidance strategies and other overly protective behaviors.
• It is important to enlist the help of friends or family members when undergoing exposure therapy. A trained therapist can also help achieve positive results.
• It is also necessary to relearn how to think differently about cats. There are many ways to do this: you need to identify anxious thoughts, beliefs and predictions and replace them with more realistic ones. These strategies can be used in conjunction with exposure therapy to overcome fear of cats.

If you suffer from Gatophobia, or Ailurophobia, you must take steps to identify and understand the nature of your fear of cats, so you can prepare yourself and overcome your phobia once and for all.

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How does ailurophobia occur?

Fear of cats, or galeophobia as it is called, develops not only in childhood, but also in adulthood. Even if a person has loved cats since childhood, this does not mean that in later life he will not develop such an unpleasant phobia, especially if psychological trauma has previously been inflicted.

Ailurophobia most often occurs in three forms:

• When an animal approaches, a person experiences unpleasant sensations, resulting in severe fear.
• Attacks of severe uncontrollable panic occur, even if the animal is simply in the field of view of the sufferer.
• Constant and obsessive thoughts that there is an animal everywhere that is preparing to attack the sufferer. The patient constantly looks around and is in a nervous and hysterical state.

Absolutely any irritant associated with the presence of cats can provoke such reactions. Most often, ailurophobia is frightened by:

• Direct physical contact with the animal;
• Directly directed gaze of a cat;
• Abdominal movement directed towards a person;
• Touching the body or seeing cat hair;
• Live or audio recorded meowing and purring of an animal;
• Opportunity to meet a cat in the dark.

In addition, if you ask the patient directly the reason why he is so afraid of cats, the answer you will hear is:

• The ability of an animal to scratch or bite, thereby causing irreparable injury to it;
• Infect with worms or other infections;
• Abnormal fear. The person does not know why he is afraid, but he is unable to control the phobia.

Consequences of cat phobia

Phobia fear of cats is highly treatable. But the prognosis depends on the stage of development of the phobia:

1. A person experiences fear when approaching a cat.
2. A person experiences fear as soon as an animal comes into view.
3. Fear seizes at the mere mention of an animal, a person is in constant anticipation. It seems to him that the animal is about to jump out from somewhere and cause harm. This is a stage close to hysteria and delirium.

Vegetative symptoms also worsen. The physical consequences of a phobia include gastrointestinal diseases, heart disease, breathing problems, etc. From a psychological point of view, consequences include disorientation and desocialization.

How to get rid of ailurophobia

Despite the apparent simplicity of this disease, ailurophobia can cause significant harm to a person not only in relationships with people close to him, but also lead to nervous exhaustion. Therefore, recognizing the presence of a problem, in order to avoid negative consequences, you must urgently begin to deal with it yourself or with the help of a specialist.

Self-treatment of ailurophobia

Ailurophobia is a fear that society does not take seriously. In order to become a full-fledged member of society, it is very important to overcome your fear of cats. Otherwise, a person with such a phobia will definitely not be considered adequate.

A way out of this situation can be found by following this action plan:

1. Awareness of the problem itself. Only by accepting the fact of the presence of the disease can one begin to search for ways to cure it. You shouldn’t hide from everyone and be completely alone. This will not lead to anything good, but will only worsen your mental state.
2. Return of reality. With every panic attack, you need to remember that cats are small predators and they are absolutely neutral towards humans. Their interest is solely in the home, and not in its owner.
3. Get a kitten. Psychologists call this method “knocking out wedges with wedges” and in some cases it is effective. If you are not allergic, you can purchase or adopt a pet from the street. In addition, it has been repeatedly proven that cats are able to calm and bring positive emotions to their owners.
4. See only the positive aspects. Cats on a subconscious level feel their owner’s sore spots, so very often they like to kiss them. In addition, cats are excellent nannies and are able to lull a child and even an adult to sleep with their purring.
5. Watching an extremely positive video. It is better to avoid watching films and stories that show how wild animals attack humans. Today you can find many works showing cats from a completely different side, unfamiliar to the ailurophobe.
6. Get pictures of cats. People with a true phobia are afraid even of a photograph of a cat. Therefore, ideally, various posters depicting such a harmless animal will help overcome fear.

If you cannot overcome ailurophobia on your own, you should definitely seek help from an experienced psychologist.

Treatment of ailurophobia by a psychologist

Fear of cats in ailurophobia is the main cause of severe psycho-emotional disorders, which can only be stopped with the help of a specialist. Most often, he can offer the following treatment methods:

• Cognitive - behavioral method of treatment. This method helps sufferers identify the cause of their phobias thanks to well-posed questions from a psychologist. As a result, a person understands that cats do not pose any danger to him and all his fears are simply far-fetched.
• Hypnosis. Used in complex therapy with the above method. The specialist frees consciousness at a subconscious level, after which, in further therapy, he thinks through how best to help his client.
• Drug treatment. Under the supervision of a doctor, medications are often prescribed to alleviate the symptoms of ailurophobia. Most often these are sedatives, antidepressants, tranquilizers and antipsychotics.
• Phytotherapy. It is considered a non-standard, but very effective method in reducing symptoms and treating this disease. The essence of herbal medicine is to take drugs exclusively of plant origin. It is not recommended to carry out such treatment on your own.

How to overcome your fear of cats

At the first symptoms, consider visiting a doctor. Treatment is carried out by a psychotherapist. He determines the cause of the phobia, assesses the severity of the patient’s condition and prescribes a course of therapy. The doctor helps the patient learn to regulate reactions to a frightening object. Relaxation techniques and neutralizing negative thoughts about the object help with this.

In most cases, such psychotherapeutic correction is sufficient; sedatives are prescribed less often. Doctors tell stories about patients who not only forgot about their fears, but also got cats at home. A psychotherapeutic course will help you get rid of fear and live calmly.

Some interesting facts about ailurophobia

History has shown that ailurophobia is a fear that has been around for a long time. Such famous personalities as suffered from it:

• Mussolini;
• Napoleon Bonaparte;
• Adolf Gitler;
• Genghis Khan;
• Julius Caesar;
• Alexander the Great.

Despite their fame, these people did not hide their fear of such a cute animal. Therefore, there is no need to be ashamed of your phobias. They need to be recognized and, if necessary, seek help from specialists. After all, this is the first step on the path to recovery.

Topic: Mental health, Overcoming fears

Treatment

Despite its high prevalence, it is quite difficult to cure zoophobia. First of all, this is due to the fact that few people can muster the strength to come to a psychotherapist with such a problem, especially for men, since it is generally accepted in society that an adult man cannot experience simple fears. However, in reality, many adults, particularly men, suffer from cynophobia (fear of dogs) or ailurophobia (fear of cats). As a result, a person walks around with dog repellers, shockers and gas canisters, is constantly exposed to stress, but does not fight the problem in truly effective ways.

As a rule, it is very difficult to overcome an advanced phobia on your own. Self-medication is effective only if the person only has a dislike for animals, for example, insects

However, many people prefer not to pay attention to this form of phobia, triggering a disorder.

Only a psychotherapist can help you cope with a mental disorder quickly and effectively, so it is recommended not to delay and consult a doctor if you notice that the fear of animals is acquiring really serious symptoms.

Drug treatment

You can take the drug up to three times a day.

Pills cannot cure fear, but it is quite possible to reduce symptoms. The drugs are prescribed to relieve tension in the nervous system and eliminate anxious thoughts associated with animals. For this purpose, tranquilizers (Adaptol, Gidazepam, Phenazepam) and sedatives (Sedistress, Novopassit, etc.) are prescribed. Such medications are taken in a short course, usually no more than two weeks, and then the fight against fear continues in the doctor’s office.

Psychotherapy

Isolated phobias are treated by gradually approaching the object of fear. First, a course of conversations is conducted, during which a person learns to accept his fear, understands its causes, and changes his attitude towards the object of fear. The patient then has to face the fear head on. To begin with, it can be a toy or a picture of an animal, then an animal in a cage is brought into the office (this applies to small animals). As the patient gets used to the animal isolated from him, he will have to get closer to it - pick it up, treat it, stroke it, walk it on a leash, etc.

This usually takes several months, but such therapy allows you to completely cope with the phobia.

Types of zoophobia and their names

The most common disorder is ailurophobia or fear of cats. Typically, this phobia occurs when contact with a cat is unsuccessful and develops as a result of physical or emotional trauma. Cat phobia is a “classic variant” of the disorder, since cats are considered domestic animals and are found in almost every home.

Ailurophobia is a mental disorder that most often occurs in childhood if the child has negative experiences with the Feline family.

Fear of reptiles or herpetophobia is also quite common. For inexplicable reasons, a person begins to fear or feel anxious about lizards, snakes and other reptiles. Usually the object of fear is individual - panic is caused by a specific type of animal, for example, a person is afraid of frogs.

Some individuals become increasingly panicky at the sight of horses. This is hippophobia. However, horses in our time are quite a rare phenomenon, and the very nature of the animal is peaceful. The animal is capable of biting or kicking if handled roughly.

Hippotophobia was common in the old days, when there was a horse in every household. If the sight of an animal in a picture or a program broadcasting a race causes panic, this is a serious reason to contact a specialist.

What is the fear of wild animals called? This is agrisophobia. People who have only seen animals on TV are afraid of wild nature, and trips outside the city are considered nightmares. Usually this phobia occurs secretly: residents of megacities feel quite comfortable in a familiar, human environment. Agrizophobes do not keep pets because they are wary of them and expect aggression on their part.

Fear of cows and bulls are different phobic disorders. The first is called waccaphobia, the second is the most common and refers to taurophobia. Taurophobia is used broadly as the fear of cattle. This phobia occurs in rural areas. When an animal behaves aggressively and a person flees, this is an instinct of self-preservation. If the sight of a bull in real life, in a picture or in a movie causes panic and horror, you are dealing with a taurophobe.

Fear of ducks sounds funny, but science also knows the fear of birds. The most common fear is of birds from the order Carnivora, whose life is surrounded by myths and legends (ornithophobia). It is easy for a city dweller to avoid communication with mammals, but birds have adapted to life in the “jungle of civilization.” For example, in an ornithophobe, the fear of pigeons is fully manifested.

Most often, fear of birds is an acquired phenomenon and manifests itself in both adults and children. One of the reasons is a disruption of the vestibular apparatus, when any movement of the bird causes nausea, dizziness or restlessness.

There are examples when people experience panic in front of fish (ichthyophobia) or they develop a fear of sharks (selachophobia). There may be an unreasonable fear of becoming infected with parasites (helminthophobia). There is a well-known horror of microorganisms - the culprits of many diseases and inflammatory processes (microphobia).

There is a phobia when a person is terrified of getting scratches or bites when interacting with animals, so he tries to stay as far away from them as possible (emichophobia).