Ailurophobia is an irrational fear of cats that can cause extreme anxiety, sweating, shivering, and nausea. It can be caused by trauma or a sympathetic response to someone else’s trauma. Behavioral therapy is the most common treatment, but medication may also be used in extreme cases.
Ailurophobia is the fear of cats. An ailurophobic differs from someone who is simply not a cat by a deep, persistent, and irrational response to cats that causes the patient to become extremely anxious about felines. Some notable ailurophobia sufferers include Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Genghis Khan.
Like other phobias, ailurophobia has its roots in the unconscious mind and the patient may not even be fully aware of the origins of the phobia. Some people develop ailurophobia in response to a trauma such as being bitten or scratched in childhood, while others have a sympathetic response when exposed to someone else’s trauma, developing ailurophobia. Patients with this condition have a trigger in their subconscious mind that sees cats as dangerous and puts the body on high alert when a cat is seen.
Sweating, shivering, irregular heartbeat, nausea and extreme anxiety can accompany the sight of a cat for patients with this condition. Some people also develop a hatred of cats that is rooted in their ailurophobia and often exacerbated by people making fun of the phobia or failing to understand it. People may react to seeing a cat in person, looking at a picture of a cat, seeing cats on television, or spotting a cat in the distance. Even when a cat clearly cannot harm the patient, it may sense a response.
Some people with ailurophobia also have superstitious or supernatural associations with cats. In addition to fearing the possibility of being bitten or scratched, these patients may think cats are unlucky or believe in urban legends about cats and their activities.
This condition can be debilitating and embarrassing, since cats are a pretty common sight and many people keep cats as pets or working animals. For ailurophobia sufferers, even a casual walk around the neighborhood can turn into a nightmare, and visits to other people’s homes can be a source of anxiety and discomfort due to concerns that a cat may be present. Like other zoophobias, ailurophobia is sometimes laughed at by people who don’t share the phobia, and this can make patients nervous and anxious.
Treatments for ailurophobia usually focus on behavioral therapy which is designed to desensitize the patient so they don’t feel a crippling fear when they encounter a cat. This therapy can be approached in various ways and sometimes patients have to work with several therapists before finding a good solution. Some former ailurophobes actually turn into cat lovers with patient work, while others simply reach a level of comfort with cats that allows them to function in society. In extreme cases, medications may also be used to manage the physiological responses involved in the phobia to keep the patient calm while therapeutic techniques are used.
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