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July 21, 2016Ailurophobia: Not everybody loves cats!
For those of us who consider cats as our family members, it is almost inconceivable that some people dislike them or hate them… but some people actually DO!
“Hate” is a strong word to use against any living creature, especially a sentient being, a category which embraces cats in particular.
But there are such people, and they are more kindly known as ‘ailurophobes.’
Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Mussolini and Hitler, all suffered from ‘ailurophobia’ which is a type of specific phobia: the persistent, irrational fear of cats.
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People who have the extreme or irrational fear of cats are not alone.
In the United States, nearly 22.2% of individuals are known to fear animals of different kinds.
For people with Ailurophobia, their fear or dread of cats can greatly impact their daily lives and activities.
Causes
There are a number of possible explanations for fear of cats:
A common trigger for Ailurophobia is watching fearful reactions of other people to cats.
A child might develop this fear by watching his parent or caregiver (or even cartoon characters in a TV show) behave fearfully towards cats.
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Cats are predatory by nature. Often they have been associated with witchcraft, folklore, evil.
Even domesticated cats might snarl, hiss or scratch.
Having observed such cat behavior as a child (or even as an adult) directly or indirectly leads to this phobia.
People with Ailurophobia display panic attacks upon confrontation with a cat.
The great news for most animal phobias including the fear of cats is that these are easily treatable.
Most mild cases of Ailurophobia can be overcome with a few therapy sessions.
Prolonged exposure to cats gradually is important to overcome Ailurophobia.
