Ailurophobia (galeophobia, gatophobia) is a type of zoophobia, an obsessive fear of cats. Softness, gracefulness and affection are the qualities that cats most often find. However, the outwardly pretty animal is naturally endowed with sharp claws and fangs. A cat's predatory skills, ability to attack and ability to aggressively defend itself can instill fear in a person, which over time turns into a persistent phobic disorder. An intense and uncontrollable fear of cats is called ailurophobia, galeophobia or gatophobia.
Ailurophobia - fear from childhood
ciation. In this case, the irrational fear is not associated with the cat, but with memories of the unpleasant consequences of communicating with this animal. For example, the child was very strongly scolded by his parents or there was a need to see a doctor, where the child had to endure frightening and painful procedures.
Incorrect actions by parents can also perpetuate children’s fear. When warning their children, mothers often focus their child’s attention only on the fact that the animal may unexpectedly bite or scratch. As a result, the baby develops a false idea about cat habits. The child sees only a threat in the animal, although in reality it is not the cat itself that is dangerous, but the improper handling of it.
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.
Ailurophobia and superstitious fear
Fear of cats is not always associated with a reluctance to get physically injured. Superstitious fear may be hidden under an anxiety disorder. Since ancient times, many cultures have had an ambiguous attitude towards cats. They were both revered and feared. There are many legends and signs associated with this animal.
The ancient Egyptians considered the cat one of the hypostases of the Sun God - Ra . The Japanese saw cats as patrons of trade; animals were kept under the emperors and were endowed with the same rights as courtiers. At the same time, cats were credited with a tendency toward vampirism and the ability to contact otherworldly forces. The Slavs also believed that animals were capable of communicating with incorporeal entities. To this day, people believe that the cat is able to determine the geopathogenic zone and feeds on negative energy. You can often hear that an animal can treat its owner for various diseases.
The physical structure of a cat is such that the animal is able to land on its limbs and avoid serious injury when falling from a height. Cats see well in the dark and can move silently .
The animal is freedom-loving and does not need a strong emotional connection with a person. Everything
How to get rid of ailurophobia
Constant tension and anticipation of an attack leads to psychophysiological exhaustion. Therefore, it is important to control the fear of cats independently and with the help of a specialist.
Self-treatment of ailurophobia
To combat ailurophobia on your own, follow this plan:
- Admit the problem. There is no need to be ashamed or hide the problem.
- At the time of an attack, look for rational arguments, for example, remind that vaccinated pets are safe. They are smaller than humans and protected from disease. If the animal is not angry, it will not attack. Attack is defense. This is how animals behave in situations of stress, when they themselves are frightened.
- Read a number of scientific studies about how cats help treat diseases and the psychotherapeutic effect they have. In psychology, therapy with pets is called pet therapy. This method is used in child and developmental psychology.
- Read stories about how cats predicted natural disasters or how they looked after small children. If a person treats an animal well, then the animal responds with warmth and love.
- Start approaching your fear: photos, cats of friends, cats in a shelter, your pet.
It is important! If you are allergic to cats, you should always have medicine prescribed by your doctor on hand. In this case, you really shouldn’t have a pet, but you shouldn’t be afraid of meeting an irritant.
Treatment of ailurophobia by a psychologist
Treatment uses psychotherapy and, if necessary, medication. Antipsychotics and sedatives may be prescribed. They regulate the functioning of the psyche, as a result of which anxiety is reduced and panic attacks are stopped.
In psychotherapy, it is important to take an individual approach. During the conversation, the psychologist determines the individual prerequisites for the development of a phobia and selects the optimal treatment methods. Hypnosis and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy have a positive effect in treating fears. During treatment, destructive attitudes and behavior patterns are identified and replaced with constructive patterns.
It is important! For healing, it is necessary to find the root cause of fear and work with this attitude, memories, sensations. This is the only way to qualitatively and permanently part with the phobia.
Manifestation of ailurophobia
Ailurophobia can vary in severity and manifest itself in different ways. People suffering from the disorder can be divided into several groups.
- 1. For some, the phobia manifests itself only when an animal approaches.
- 2. Others are overcome with panic when a cat appears in their field of vision.
- 3. In serious forms of phobia, the patient is in constant tension, every minute expecting a collision with an animal.
In some cases, a panic attack may be triggered by a toy cat, a picture of an animal, meowing, purring, or contact with cat hair.
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.
Consequences of ailurophobia
This type of disorder can seriously limit the life of a modern person. The patient is not always able to eliminate the object of his fear from life. Even if an ailurophobe avoids houses where a cat is kept, when moving along the street it is almost impossible to avoid meeting a frightening animal.
For some fear-prone people, it is stray cats that cause the greatest fear; people mistakenly believe that a stray animal will definitely attack. The fear is aggravated by the fact that an unkempt cat is perceived as a carrier of various diseases and parasites.
Causes
As a rule, previously experienced unpleasant personal experiences associated with cats give rise to ailurophobia. The trigger for the formation of an illogical fear of cats can be any everyday situation that causes negative feelings when interacting with little “fluffies”.
The following are typical causes of ailurophobia.
Often, the fear of cats, ailurophobia, occurs as a result of them causing injury to a person, for example, scratching or biting. The basis for the formation of pathological fear is pain caused by the treatment or disinfection of wounds.
The intense horror experienced by a person upon sudden contact with a feline animal also often becomes a factor provoking the formation of a phobia. At the same time, the menacing roar of a lion from a zoo cage or a collision with cats on the street can overtake fear.
An unusual trigger is considered to be unpleasant memories generated by parting with a dear pet. The human subconscious misinterprets and distorts information, developing a program whose meaning is the suggestion that contact with tailed animals is fraught with pain and fear.
Excessive suspiciousness, sensitivity and receptivity of people can also give rise to ailurophobia. The disorder can affect anxious and vulnerable individuals after they have first-hand knowledge of the problems that arise as a result of injuries caused by cats (for example, infection).
Expectant or young parents also often become victims of this phobia. Having heard many unpleasant stories about possible harm to cats, toxoplasmosis, and potential injury to children, inexperienced ladies strive to protect themselves and their offspring from any interaction with cats, which, in their understanding, are unclean and hostile animals that carry infection. Therefore, they direct their own groundless anxiety for the health of the future baby or the existing one to the mustachioed animals.
Among Slavic peoples, there are signs and superstitions, the negative characters of which are cats. Such religious prejudices and ephemeral harbingers often become a factor responsible for the emergence of such a phobia as ailurophobia (fear of cats). After all, many particularly superstitious individuals are convinced that any meeting with these cute furry creatures will definitely promise huge troubles. Initially, targeted distancing from cats gradually transforms into fear of any of their representatives.
Allergic reactions to them often force you to avoid these cute creatures. Since any interaction with cats is fraught with a runny nose, redness of the dermis, continuous sneezing, swelling, and coughing.
Treatment of ailurophobia
Treatment of ailurophobia is aimed at finding out the cause of the disorder, making the fear conscious and rid the patient of negative attitudes about the animal. The most effective treatment method is cognitive behavioral therapy. In addition to psychotherapeutic treatment, medications may also be prescribed. Preference is given to sedative medications.
Most often, ailurophobia responds well to treatment, but the first thing the specialist has to do is find out what exactly the patient is afraid of: the cat’s physical aggression or its supernatural powers. In the second case, the phobia is more difficult to treat and may be a sign of a mental illness such as bipolar disorder.
Manifestation of aylurophobiaoads/2018/02/aylurofobia.jpg" alt="aylurophobia" width="660″ height="396″ srcset="https://psymost.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/aylurofobia.jpg 660w, https://psymost.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/aylurofobia-300×180.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px"> Despite the fact that after treatment, the patient ceases to be terribly afraid of cats, and a wary attitude towards the animal most often remains.
Psychological attitude in the fight against fear
A person may avoid felines or only black cats. Fear of cats is a phobia that needs to be treated.
Typically, psychotherapists do not take phobias seriously and simply prescribe the patient a standard course of sedatives. This therapy gives temporary results. After a course of treatment, fear may return.
Treatment with a psychotherapist
People who are driven to nervous exhaustion usually turn to a psychotherapist. If the patient considers cats part of the mystical world and is afraid of them, the doctor will diagnose bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. If fear is not treated, the patient's condition may worsen.
Experts use several methods to combat the fear of cats:
- Hypnosis is the fight against a phobia on an unconscious level. A psychotherapist who knows this technique will help a person cope with fear. The results are usually permanent. During a hypnosis session, the patient is instilled with a positive assessment of the object of fear.
- Reaction burnout is a common method. Subject is instructed to interact with cats as often as possible. This leads to the formation of new protective mechanisms. The subconscious remembers that fear was overcome.
- The cognitive-behavioral method is the preparation of the patient to independently overcome the phobia. The specialist teaches how to recognize the signs of an impending panic or panic attack. They need to be changed to positive thoughts.
- Psychoanalysis is a search for the causes of fear and ways to combat it. This method takes a lot of time, but gives lasting results.
The main thing in treating a phobia is to tune in to a positive outcome. Self-medication can also help. Use reaction burnout technique.
Drug treatment
If work with a psychologist or psychotherapist does not produce results, the patient is prescribed medication. It is based on taking medications that relieve panic attacks and strengthen the nervous system.
Patients with ailurophobia are prescribed:
- beta blockers - relieve psycho-emotional symptoms, reduce the manifestations of physical symptoms during a meeting with an object that causes fear;
- antidepressants - reduce negative reactions to cats, normalize metabolic processes associated with the production of serotonin;
- tranquilizers - relieve severe attacks of panic and hysteria, but can be addictive;
- antipsychotics - help cope with obsessive thoughts about cats and the constant fear of meeting them.
Medicines are prescribed by a doctor. The pharmacy sells drugs by prescription. Drug therapy is used in severe cases.
Tablets to combat fear can only be used as prescribed by a doctor.
Phytotherapy
To relieve anxiety, it is recommended to take herbal medicines. They have fewer side effects and are freely available in pharmacies. You can carry out this treatment yourself, but it is recommended to consult a doctor.
People suffering from phobias can drink a soothing herbal decoction. It is prepared from chamomile flowers, mint, lemon balm, valerian roots and motherwort. Take in small portions before meals. The course of treatment is 1-2 months.
In order to live normally, without fear, try to cope with the phobia yourself or consult a psychotherapist. If parents notice signs of a fear of cats in their child, they should contact a child psychologist.
Ailurophobia is not the most severe phobia that exists. One way to combat it is obvious: avoid contact with cats.
Cats and child
Sometimes a cat is adopted as a pet at the request of a child and for the child. However, due to a lack of understanding of the animal’s character, careless actions and the desire to play with a living “toy”, it is children who become victims of cat aggression. Sometimes unpleasant incidents happen because parents are careless when choosing a domestic cat and the family ends up with a pet that is completely unsuitable for the child.
Hybrids of the jungle cat and domestic cat breeds are also aggressive. Before purchasing an animal, a parent should find out what breed the chosen cat belongs to, what character traits it has, whether the pet will harm the child, and whether children’s games will be a burden to the animal.
Knowledge of information and precautions will help protect your child from negative experiences with cats and from developing a phobic disorder.
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.
Let's get to the bottom of it
Fear of cats has several names: ailurophobia, gatophobia, galerophobia. Some psychiatrists and psychologists consider this phobia to be a type of mental illness, but in fact it can have good reasons.
Manifestations can be varied. For example, a person may be afraid of being bitten or attacked, of contracting some disease transmitted by these animals, or of the mystical powers that cats supposedly possess. But fear can also be completely groundless, unreasonable and incomprehensible. And then the person cannot understand the reasons and essence of fear, or even realizes that there is no serious danger, but still continues to be afraid.
