Cats are one of the favorite pets of humans; however, while some individuals love these small creatures, others feel an intense fear of them .

It seems hard to believe that there are people who are terrified by the presence of these animals, especially since many scientific investigations have shown that these small cats bring many benefits to humans. For example, they help prevent allergies in children, improve self-esteem and mood, or prevent respiratory infections.However, the world of phobias is diverse and to some extent independent of rationality.

Cat Phobia: What it is

Although cats are often known to be somewhat selfish and self-serving, especially when food is involved, a scientific study has shown that they love humans more than we used to think (you can read about this study here). But regardless of whether we like cats more or less, some people experience an irrational fear of these animals , a fear that causes them great anxiety and makes them try to avoid their presence at all costs.

This disorder is known as amyurophobia or cat phobia .

A phobia is an extreme, irrational and persistent fear of a particular object, activity or situation. It belongs to the group of anxiety disorders, in which exposure to the feared stimulus can cause different symptoms such as nervousness, anxiety, sweating, tremors, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, etc. Cat phobia is totally irrational, and although a cat may not represent a real danger to these people, its mere presence can trigger this strong involuntary reaction.

What causes this phobia

Experts say that phobias have different causes, although the most frequent is the occurrence of a traumatic event from the past .

For example, when a child is bitten by a cat, he may generalize and see all animals of this species as potential attackers, regardless of whether they are aggressive or tame. This occurs because of a type of associative learning called classical conditioning , which was originally discovered by Ivan Pavlov and later popularized by John Watson.

Classical conditioning is also called stimulus-response learning or E-R. If you want to know more about how this learning happens, you can read this article: “Classical conditioning and its most important experiments”

False beliefs can also cause this phobia , because cats are often associated with black magic, witchcraft, sadism and evil, especially black cats, thanks to Halloween legends, superstitions and countless literary works.

Furthermore, some researchers believe that the genetic origin may or may not favour the appearance of phobias, that is, that some people are more likely to suffer from this type of fear than others. Other experts believe that personality plays an important role in phobias, as people with anxious personality traits would be more likely to suffer from this irrational fear.

What are the characteristics of this pathology

Phobias are a far cry from the fear a person may have of a cat that may show an aggressive attitude. Normally cats don’t threaten human beings , but they feel very comfortable in their presence, especially domestic cats. Some of them, in fact, look for constant signs of affection when they are surrounded by people.

For fear of cats to be considered a phobia, it must be irrational and not be associated with coherent thoughts, provoke great discomfort in the presence of any cat, be persistent, be uncontrollable and, therefore, provoke the avoidance of the phobic stimulus, in this case, cats.

Symptoms of Aryurophobia

The most common symptoms of ailurophobia in people are

  • Extreme and irrational fear (can also be triggered by a thought or image of a cat)
  • Fleeing fight response in the presence of a cat, idea or thought of it, that is, trying to avoid the situation that the person considers threatening.
  • Also avoid places where cats are or may be found. For example, do not accept an invitation to a friend’s house because he has a feline.
  • A great discomfort and anxiety in the presence of a cat, thought or idea.
  • Realizing that fear is irrational but not being able to control it.
  • Hypervigilance and extreme nervousness at the thought of meeting a cat.
  • Panic attacks with signs such as agitation, shortness of breath, sweating and clammy hands, rapid pulse, etc.
  • Dizziness, nausea and intestinal distress.

Treatment

The treatment of this phobia is no different from that of other phobias and, since it is usually given by classical conditioning, cognitive behavioural therapy is usually one of the preferred treatments because of its great effectiveness.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on modifying the thoughts and behavior of a person who is considered maladjusted and is the cause of the discomfort. The therapist, from the outset, usually helps the patient understand why a phobia has developed, and usually provides a range of tools to help the patient overcome the phobia .

The idea is that the subject replaces the negative and irrational thoughts he has towards cats with more realistic and adaptive ones. The therapy sessions also help to release the stress and tension that one has been having due to the phobia.

Techniques used

Some of the most commonly used techniques in cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of phobias are expository techniques and relaxation techniques. Therefore, the therapist guides the person through regular exposures that include the presence of the cats.

This is usually done gradually, and usually starts with, for example, pictures of cats, videos, stuffed animals and finally real cats. In addition, the aim of one of these expository techniques, called systematic desensitization , is to encourage more useful coping skills when the patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus .

In psychotherapy sessions, different forms of relaxation are also taught including breathing control and mental visualizations , and other therapeutic methods such as Mindfulness or Clinical Hypnosis can be used.

Medications, usually anti-anxiety (but also antidepressants), may be used in more severe cases, those in which the patient has panic attacks.

New technologies applied to the treatment of phobias

New technologies are also beginning to be used for the treatment of these pathologies, as they have proved to be very useful. Virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality improve the therapeutic experience of the patient .

There are also different “apps” for mobiles that can be used to treat phobias and are useful for this purpose.