Ailurophobia is a type of specific phobia. It is a persistent, irrational fear of cats.[1] It comes from the Greek αἴλουρος (aílouros), "cat" and φόβος (phóbos), "fear".
Other synonyms include felinophobia, elurophobia, and gatophobia.
Causes
Like all fears and phobias, ailurophobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. This phobia could be obtained by a real life scare of some kind that has to do with cats and emotional trauma. Ailurophobia can also be triggered by seeing someone else experiencing trauma. As long as the negative impact on the unconscious mind is strong enough, one will automatically sense negative emotional feelings to act as a reminder of "danger" when one sees a cat again.
The actual phobia manifests itself in different ways. Some sufferers experience it almost all the time, others just in response to direct stimuli. Some possible situations that can trigger the fear of cats are: purr of the cat, the sight of a real life cat, the thought that a cat that might attack one when one is outside, the thought of meeting a cat in the dark, cats in pictures and on television, and cat-like toys and cat-like fur.
Treatment
There are many ways to treat ailurophobia. Advice can be obtained from a psychiatrist or other therapy specialist.
One strongly motivated patient was able to recover by slowly becoming accustomed to cat fur by first touching varying types of velvet, then becoming accustomed to a cat toy and finally a kitten.
Famous people with ailurophobia
Napoleon Bonaparte
La Toya Jackson
Jacobus Johannes Lessing
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