Fear of cats and the manifestation of such an unusual phobia. The article will describe the reasons for the formation of aylurophobia with specific advice on the destruction of this disease. Ailurophobia is a mental pathology in which people are terrified of cats. This animal causes them either dislike or outright horror. It is possible to live with such a problem, but there are quite a large number of stray animals on the street, which causes significant discomfort for ailurophobes. A well-known expression says that a cat has nine lives, and a person has one, so it is inappropriate to have a phobia of this kind.
Causes of ailurophobia
For some people, their furry pet sometimes replaces a family if it did not work out. The famous Brigitte Bardot does not consider herself a lonely woman, because she is surrounded not only by cats, but also by other representatives of the animal world. According to experts, the sounded pathology arises in childhood and has the following origins of its formation:
- Aggressive animal behavior … Fear of cats very often appears due to their ability to give a worthy rebuff to the offender. If a small child tries to take this animal by the tail, then in return he will receive a maximum of unpleasant sensations. In rare cases, a cat can cause significant harm to children, because she perceives them as unreasonable human cubs. However, the slightest painful scratch or hiss from an angry kitty is enough for the child to have a rejection of the further described animal.
- Parental warnings … Many dads and mothers are so shaking over their child that in every little thing they seem to be a mortal danger to their offspring. From an early stage of his development, the kid is taught that everything around him is evil, and cats are one of his main incarnations. The sharp claws of this animal are equated by similar parents to a time bomb. It is possible that parents themselves suffer from ailurophobia, having heard enough of terrible stories about how cats can infect a child with all kinds of viruses, scratch their eyes even while playing, etc.
- Dislike of animals … Not all people love our smaller brothers for various reasons. Many eccentric people will not even allow a pigeon to sit on the balcony of their home, because they literally take information about bird flu. In the case of cats, such persons simply do not perceive them in a positive way, because they simply do not like all animals.
- Cat Movies Watched … Not all films carry the foundations of everything pure and light, to which humanity so strives. In some films such as "Two evil looks" (the adaptation of a masterpiece by Edgar Allan Poe about a cat-misfortune picked up from the street), "Pet Sematary" (the return of an animal from the realm of the dead), "Sleepwalkers" (cats against the fiends of hell in the form of a mother and son) and "The Curse" (one of the main characters is the ominous four-legged companion of the harbinger of death), these animals are capable of shivering even a person with iron nerves. If a child watches such famous films, then he may become an ailurophobe in the future. Even an emotionally harmless animated film "A cat that walks by itself" can cause a feeling of mistrust in some overly impressionable individuals to the described animal.
- Belief in certain signs … The black cat has become a classic in the intimidation genre. At the same time, experts advise to spit over the left shoulder, hold on to a button or tie a hand with a silk thread if this animal is encountered on the way. Even a woman with an empty bucket who crossed the road does not cause as much excitement as an innocent black purr.
- The mysteriousness of cat behavior … Such animals are credited with mystical power, which they still possess to some extent. In Egypt, they were considered the highest creatures in the animal kingdom, which affected the attitude of the local population towards them. Cats are nocturnal animals, they can clearly see in the dark, therefore they cause bewilderment in some fearful natures this way of life.
- Fear of large breeds … Some individuals who are afraid of large predators transfer this fear to their younger brothers. Fearing tigers, lions and panthers, they mechanically perceive ordinary cats as their dangerous little counterpart.
- Fear of certain diseases … Toxoplasmosis is a disease that is most dangerous for pregnant women, because it can cause a serious mutation in the fetus. Fear of cats can also arise from the fact that when these animals scratch human skin, there is the possibility of contracting chlamydia.
- Allergy to wool … Not every person will react with enthusiasm to the animal that causes an aggressive reaction in his body to such forced communication. When the problem is voiced, people become ailurophobes simply because of a sense of self-preservation, which is automatically triggered for them.
The overwhelming majority of reasons for the emergence of fear of cats have a far-fetched nature of its formation. Artificially creating fear in your mind, you can seriously further suffer from unnecessary phobias and aggravate your life.
Manifestations of ailurophobia in humans
People with a similar mental illness are not so easy, but it is possible to calculate by the following behavior in real life:
- Deterioration of the general condition … At the sight of cats, alarmists with a fear of these animals begin to either blush or turn pale, depending on their initial blood pressure. Simultaneously with the change in the color of the skin, the heart rate of the aylurophobes increases and the sweat glands begin to work actively. The pulse during an attack of panic begins to literally tap dance, and the legs tremble and give way.
- Fear of going outside … Open spaces, if not Antarctica, are teeming with a large number of stray cats. All of them are ready for contact with people, because in this way they beg for food. Psychologists noted the fact that the described animals try most of all to flirt with the ailurophobes, which makes them want to barricade themselves within four walls.
- Fear of visiting certain places … Many people choose to buy food exclusively from the markets. On the territory of the sounded trading establishments, there are points where you can buy an animal you like. People who are afraid of cats will bypass such places on the tenth road, because purrs are the main living commodity there.
- Reluctance to visit some acquaintances … Even with the most devoted friendship, the ailurophobe will never cross the threshold of the dwelling where the cat lives. He will try his best to lure a person dear to his heart or arrange a meeting with him on neutral territory.
- Fear of cat toys … The mere sight of such products made of any material can cause a feeling of rejection in people with a complex of fear of the described animals. When contemplating such objects, their pulse quickens and there is a desire to tear the toy cat to shreds.
It is not so easy to identify a phobia in front of an animal, since some, in principle, do not like cats, while others may be allergic to wool. Their behavior is quite similar when they see a cat.
Top ten famous ailurophobic people
Even well-known persons are subject to some kind of internal phobias. The same Keanu Reeves, the fearless hero from The Matrix, does not hide his dislike of darkness. Among the famous personalities who could not stand cats, the following very colorful historical characters can be distinguished:
- Napoleon Bonaparte … The reason for this phobia is rooted in the childhood of the future great commander, whom many heads of state in Europe feared. When he was still a baby, a cat jumped into his cradle, scaring the child on a subconscious level for life.
- Alexander the Great … A fearless warrior could be stunned by a single purr of a tiny kitten. The reason for such a phobia has not been fully voiced, because not even all of Alexander's inner circle knew about his tendency to ailurophobia.
- Julius Caesar … The great master of performing several manipulations at the same time was wary of cats. He considered this animal a mystical creature that is able to read human thoughts.
- Genghis Khan … Thunderstorm of many peoples was afraid not only of cats, but also of dogs. Psychologists can explain the fear of Buryat-Mongolian wolfhounds, but they cannot explain the legendary warrior's rejection of cats.
- Benito Mussolini … The head of the Nazi movement in Italy did not lag behind the great minds and commanders and was also afraid of cats. His gatophobia was so obvious that it interested many psychologists. The hissing animal could put Mussolini into a state of deep shock, from which he did not come out for a long time.
- Stephen King … For all his craving for mysticism, the king of dark and sinister thrillers was afraid of black cats, darkness and ants. He could not sleep peacefully if the night light was not on in the house, and there was no faithful dog next to him.
- Adolf Gitler … Besides the fear of germs and dentists, the great evil genius of his century was horrified at the sight of cats. He could not bear the gaze of this animal and considered it the main carrier of infection, while having very bad teeth and a disgusting breath.
- Paul Joseph Goebbels … Hitler's companion feared that the German nation expected victory in the war too soon. With this phobia, he was as much an ailurophobia as his idol in the person of Adolf.
- Lavrenty Beria … Executed for crimes committed, the former arbiter of human destinies has always treated cats with heightened dislike. In this phobia, he did not admit to anyone, but his close circle saw how Beria tenses up when the described animal appears on the horizon.
- Sophia Tolstaya … In the list of male destroyers, this lady and the wife of the legendary husband in the person of Lev Nikolaevich looks rather strange. She was afraid not only to be left alone, but was a pronounced ailurophobic.
It should be noted that the people who sometimes ruled the destinies of entire nations suffered from a rather strange phobia. Cats cannot pose any serious threat unless they are sick animals. Moreover, most of their diseases are completely safe for humans.
Ways to treat people for ailurophobia
In especially advanced cases and with the progression of this problem, a person may develop nervous exhaustion. Realizing the full weight of the existing mental ailment, he urgently turns to a psychotherapist for help.
Eliminating ailurophobia on your own
In any case, it is necessary to fight for the right to take a worthy place in society. A person who is afraid of cats will definitely not be considered an adequate person and will not be entrusted with a responsible post. Therefore, you need to look for a way out of the situation that has arisen and act according to the following plan:
- Awareness of the problem … This is the first thing to do. After all, only after accepting the fact that I suffer from ailurophobia, you can start looking for ways to solve the problem. You should not hide from everyone and everything, because this will only lead to a complete detachment from live communication, isolation and, as a result, to lonely vegetation in an empty apartment.
- Return to reality … At the same time, it is worth remembering the wonderful expression that one must be afraid of the living, not the dead. You should not create a problem out of the blue, where it shouldn't have been originally. Cats are just small predators that treat people quite coldly. They are ready to become attached to the home, but not to its owner. Therefore, the cat does not care about the person of the ailurophobe, which he urgently needs to understand for himself.
- Buying a furry pet … In some cases it is necessary to knock out a wedge with a wedge. If you are not allergic to animal hair, you can buy or take a kitten from the street. The process of raising a new four-legged friend is able to minimize ailurophobia. If it is too difficult to decide on this, then first you can try to establish communication simply with street animals or friends' pets.
- Revealing the real positives from living with an animal … It is known that cats on the energy level feel sore spots, so they love to kiss them. They are also able to calm and even lull babies. And from communicating with them, you can get a charge of positive emotions, brighten up loneliness, and recover from depression. And this is not a complete list of the positive characteristics of fluffy beauties.
- Watching positive films … With such a desire, there is no need to watch "Homeless Beasts", where wild animals attacked people in a flock. If you love the same horror movies, you can watch films like "Alien" (a red-haired handsome man who survived with Ripley after the attack of extra-planetary monsters), "Cat's Eye" (a good cat in the nomination of these four-legged screen heroes, which was created by Stephen King) or "Story from the dark side”(a black tailed beast enters into an unequal battle with a maniac).
- Page design on a social network … Do not be afraid of images of cats, which sometimes make people with a similar phobia shiver. Ideally, it is better to decorate the whole house with posters with actually quite harmless animals.
If the problem does not have any already worked out consequences, then a visit to a psychotherapist does not make sense. Everyone can heal themselves, if we are not talking about a serious mental disorder.
Help of a psychologist to eliminate the fear of cats
When people are terrified at the thought of contacting a furry animal or just seeing it, it's time to visit a specialist. In most cases, he can advise his patient on the following methods of dealing with fear of cats:
- Cognitive-behavioral treatment … If you are afraid of your own phobia, then you should not hope for a positive result of getting rid of it. You should immediately forget the expression that the projectile does not fall into one funnel twice. He flies there again and again, because he is released from one center to hit the target. This technique allows a person to understand the essence of their fears by the method of competently posed questions of a psychotherapist.
- Hypnosis treatment … The above-mentioned method of dealing with ailurophobia can be combined with sessions of this kind. If you artificially free your consciousness, then in further therapy the specialist will know how to heal the soul of his ward.
- Prescribing drugs … Under the supervision of a physician, you can somewhat alleviate the pronounced symptoms of fear of cats. In this case, antidepressants and sedatives will help, which the specialist will select according to his own understanding.
How to get rid of the fear of cats - watch the video:
[media = https://www.youtube.com/watch? v = gbAmZUVMk4Q] Ailurophobia is not an adequate human response to the feline genus. Animals of this type are able to reduce the pressure in the patient and even relieve his pain, accurately identifying the focus of the onset of painful sensations. Some thanks to the "milk step" help to establish peace of mind, calm down and go through difficult moments in life. Therefore, it is necessary to treat cats more adequately, which are not carriers of infection, but our friends.
