Ailurophobia

Ailurophobia . It is defined as a persistent, abnormal and unwarranted fear of cats .

Summary

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• 1 Etymology
• 2 Roots of phobia
• 3 Ailurophobia
• 4 Superstition
• 5 Causes
• 6 Symptoms
• 7 Treatment
• 8 Famous people
• 9 See also
• 10 Sources

Etymology

The word Ailouros is a Greek term that means cat and by Phobos whose meaning is fear or terror.

Roots of phobia

Usually the fear of the cat usually has two roots :

• A less serious one that translates to little more than trying to stay away from cats and pass them by. This slight fear (or even contempt) is often experienced by people who have never known a cat well, or who have various superstitions such as the famous bad luck of the black cat that so many fear. Ignoring the cat when they enter a house is sometimes useless. But anyway, this rejection of the cat is usually easy to carry.
• The problem lies with the other root, which is suffered by people who are genuinely afraid of cats. Just by approaching a cat, these people can have anything from panic attacks , to breathing difficulties, sweating and rapid heartbeat . The reason for this reaction to cats is the so-called ailurophobia.

Ailurophobia

It is a very common phobia . Many people suffer from this type of phobia and feel misunderstood, since cats are normally harmless animals and many people enjoy their company.

Superstition

During the Middle Ages , cats were associated with the supernatural, witches, and the devil . There is a belief that cats can predict the weather , giving the cat a supernatural appearance. In some cases, the phobia is limited to black cats (who were believed to be transformed witches).

Causes

The fear can be traced to a bad experience with a cat in early childhood , an impressionable age where a small scratch from an animal that was trying to defend itself from the child’s restless hands leaves it markedly marked.

There are also many people who express fear of cats without ever having had a bad experience, but it is a fear that has been transmitted from generation to generation.

Symptoms

A person suffering from Ailurophobia cannot bear having a cat around, and may experience rapid heartbeat, breathing difficulties, sweating and even panic attacks. Fear can also be activated when viewing images , videos or movies with cats, depending on the degree of severity of the disorder in the affected person.

Treatment

There is treatment for Ailurophobia, it is usually done with a psychological therapy to identify the root of the fear, and use of a sensitization therapy or with neurolonguistic programming or hypnosis sessions . It should be mentioned that in the most extreme cases, where there may be delusions and hallucinations, a visit to a psychiatrist may be necessary , since it could be related to some other mental illness and require a medical prescription.

Famous characters

• Napoleon Bonaparte
  His phobia was well known. In fact, for a time the military was concerned about the harassment of rats , and his advisers suggested that he use cats to end the plague . Napoleon flatly refused out of absolute fear of cats. Finally he had to succumb to the cats helping him.
• Julius Caesar
• Adolfo Hitler
• Genghis Khan
• Benito Mussolini

It is curious that most famous people who suffered from this phobia are not exactly the most affable and good people in the world. Maybe running away from cats makes you more ambitious and ruthless.