Fear of cats (ailurophobia): possible causes and how to treat it

Mysterious, intelligent, vigilant, agile and always wrapped in that eternal aura between elegance and enigma. Felines have been protagonists of legends and even terrifying stories, such as the now classic story by Edgar Allan Poe, The black cat. Either way, The fear of cats is for some something justified and real, a very limiting type of phobia. in a world that generally adores these creatures.

Talking about phobias is entering a world that is as everyday as it is singular at the same time.. We are facing one of the most common psychiatric disorders, because everyone has their own irrational fear, which may or may not make it difficult to carry out their daily lives. Now, if there is one aspect that defines this condition, it is the clear difficulty in finding the origin of said fears.

In 1914, the American psychologist G. Stanley Hall published his now famous genetic study of fear in the American Journal of Psychology. In it, he identified 136 phobias, a list that today is much more extensive. For its part, the reference of the study of ailurophobia or fear of cats was the American neurologist Silas Weir Mitchellwho in 1902 began to collect all possible information to better understand this type of phobia.

His research has greatly contextualized what we know about this type of disorder today. We analyze it.

Fear of cats or ailurophobia: what does it consist of? What is the cause?

In 1791, in a small town in Plymouth, a jury ruled that a cat was responsible for the death of a baby. The animal, it was ruled, had “absorbed” the child’s breath at the command of a witch. It was, as we well suppose, times of obscurantism and fanaticism in which the figures of felines were associated with evil designs.

There are those who point out that irrational fears are often nourished by those atavistic fears that, on occasions, have accompanied man since ancient times. Perhaps ailurophobia or fear of cats has that origin, it is not clear. However, something that neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell explained is that this type of condition has various peculiarities.

For a start, Cat phobics do not show the same reaction to other types of felines.. That is, they do not have an aversion to lynxes, tigers, lions, etc… They can go to zoos and even show attraction for them. However, they are unable to enter a room where there is a cat.

Sometimes, they can even show panic attacks even though the animal is not there and they have hidden it so that it does not encounter the phobic person. Let’s get more information.

How does this type of phobia manifest?

Phobias can manifest themselves in multiple ways and with varying intensity. That is, not everyone who is afraid of cats will show it in the same way. However, on average we can see the following characteristics:

emotional reactions

Aversion and disgust towards cats. Fear can make you avoid visiting friends or family who have this animal. Fear is intense and often capable of blocking people. It is also common for them to feel anger when they perceive that cats Others do not understand their anguish and fear.

Cognitive reactions (thoughts)

Inability to think about anything else when a cat is in front of them. They can only focus on the animal. Thoughts can become paranoid by imagining a thousand everyday situations in which a cat may appear. Walking down the street or entering certain houses is somewhat distressing. Sometimes, just hearing a meow from the street is enough to think that they may come after them.

Physiological symptoms

Tachycardia, dizziness, sweating… Chest pain, feeling of suffocation. Stomach pain.

Panic attacks are also a reaction that can appear with fear of cats.

What are the causes?

The origin of phobias can be nonspecific. That is, it is not always easy to define what motivates him or what fuels him. However, in the case of ailurophobia we can consider the following triggers.

Past negative experiences with cats. Having been scratched or bitten by these animals at some point in childhood can trigger a traumatic memory. Sometimes, Fear of an animal can be transmitted from parents to children. It is enough for a parent to show this repulsion towards cats for children to end up developing a phobia. In most cases, the fear of cats It can arise without a specific trigger.

How is fear of cats treated?

Every phobia, whatever it may be, has its origins in anxiety. In this condition, irrational fears, distorted thoughts, uncontrolled emotions and behaviors that escape one’s control are mixed. Therefore, if the person with ailurophobia sees their daily life limited by this type of fear, it is advisable to seek specialized help.

The coping strategy usually starts from the following techniques:

Exposure therapy. In this case, it would involve bringing the person closer to those anxious stimuli (cats), to mediate cognitive and emotional reactions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most suitable to enable the person to properly manage phobias. Thanks to it, we can detect maladaptive thoughts, regulate emotions and incorporate more adjusted behaviors.Relaxation and breathing techniques are very appropriate also in these situations.

In conclusion, Although this phobia is not as common as the fear of dogs, it can also be very exhausting. After all, cats are common tenants in many homes and on many of our streets. Treating this psychological condition will allow us to live much better.

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