Ailurophobia

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Ailurophobia is a type of specific phobia. It is a persistent, irrational fear of cats.^[1] It comes from the Greek ailouros (cat) and phobos (fear). A synonym is galeophobia, from the Greek galeos, derived from galee, meaning polecat or weasel.

However, as galeophobia can also mean a fear of sharks (from the Greek galeos, meaning a shark which had markings resembling those of a weasel),^[2] the term ailurophobia creates less potential for confusion.

People who suffer from ailurophobia may fear physical contact, such as bites and scratches, and may also fear the perceived supernatural nature of cats as well as those depicted in the literary works as Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat."^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 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: the sight of a real life cat, the thought of a cat that might attack oneself when he or she is outside, the thought of meeting a cat in the dark, cats in picture and on television, and cat-like toys and cat-like fur. ^[3]

[edit] Treatment

There are many ways to treat ailurophobia. The most effective way is to consult psychiatrists or other therapy specialist. According to Dr. H. L. Freeman of Littlemore Hospital, Oxford, and Dr. D. C. Kendrick lecturer in psychology at the university of London's institute of Psychiatry, ailurophobia can be cured by forcing oneself to handle velvet until one gets used to it. ^[4]

[edit] Famous people with Ailurophobia

A noted sufferer was Napoleon Bonaparte.^[5] Other sufferers may have included Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Mussolini, Hitler^[6] and La Toya Jackson.^[7] The fictional character Ranma Saotome, from the Ranma 1/2 manga and anime is also famous for his fear of cats. Jodie Foster recently revealed that she has ailurophobia.

[edit] References