When referring to fears or phobias, we must give special mention to the phobia of cats o ailurophobia, that it is the irrational fear of a person towards felines. Normally it is linked to the ignorance of the species and of all the legends that are known about them. But how does this impact our cat? Can it affect you?

In we want to expand the information on Do cats perceive our fear? Many people do not want to approach them and, when trying to approach them, it is with so much fear, that in many occasions it is not as expected and the recoil in overcoming fear is greater. Let’s see some techniques so that both species are comfortable in the relationship.

What does ailurophobia mean?

Is extreme and irrational fear of cats. The word comes from the Greek ailouros (cat and phobos (fear or fear). It is very common among people who do not know the species or are not very close to animals, so in the latter case, in general, they fear more than one species.

Since most phobias are emitted by the subconscious as a protection, it is not as simple to control as it is a psychological problem. We have different roots or causes why these people may suffer from this problem:

• Bad experiences in childhood and these memories are anchored in the subconscious appearing before the presence of the animal. It can also be due to observing the parents’ fear of the species and adopting the behavior as their own.
• Not having an interest in meeting cats, what is visualized as a slight fear or contempt since they never had a cat and prefer to ignore them.
• Bad press as they bring bad luck, related to witchcraft or the devil.

Symptoms in humans

When there is this phobia or fear of cats we have a series of actions that we do, sometimes without noticing, but that cats will not overlook. We have different degrees of fear, some very mild, people who neither touch nor caress, simply “pass from them” to those who say “please enclose your cat, I am very afraid”.

In the case of suffering a lot of fear towards cats We will have a series of symptoms due to the anxiety contained by their presence such as:

• palpitations
• Tremor or agitation
• Nasal allergy or cough
• nausea and / or dizziness
• suffocation

They may be some of the most visible reactions in people in the presence of a cat, it is somewhat similar to the panic attack. They should be treated with psychologists to overcome the phobia. But interestingly, in the mildest cases of fear, it is usual to observe that the feline comes closer to them. What leads them to look for the person who fears them or does not want them near?

Cats smell the fear

We have all heard that cats and dogs can smell fear. Myth or Reality? Is about a reality, especially considering they are predators and must get their food to survive.

When we are afraid of something we always notice that we perspire and in general the sweat is cold. The hands and nape sweat and, accompanying this strange sweat, we release the famous adrenalina, that our “hunters” can recognize miles away. It is something that we can not control, the same as a mouse in the presence of a cat or a deer in the presence of a lion.

But it’s not exactly the adrenaline that smells but, the pheromones that gives off the body in a situation of stress. Here we must highlight something else, pheromones are detected by individuals of the same species, so it is not what our cat smells when we are afraid. So, what makes the cat detect fear in people?

Its the actitudes those that give us away When we have full confidence in the animal we will try to make eye contact to touch or play it, but in cases where we fear it, we lower our eyes, as if ignoring it. When the cat does not make eye contact with us, it will take it as a friendly signal and will approach. So we explain why they approach people who do not love them or fear them. It is part of feline body language, we do it without realizing it and the cat interprets it in a positive way.

The look in cats is part of body language, both with their own species and with other species. Cats when facing another cat usually maintain a visual contact about their interest or, when they are about to catch a prey. In the documentaries we see that the lion keeps his gaze fixed on his “future prey” and crouching reaches it.

When as people we establish a very strong visual contact with a cat, especially if he does not know us, he is likely to hide or ignore us, as it is threatening to them. Instead, if we try to ignore it, more will come since we do not represent danger to them.

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