by Lisa Mcafee

Created on: March 18, 2009

I am surprised at how many people have a cat phobia. My aunt is terrified of them. Since I was a little girl I knew that seeing a cat cross her path would send her into a state of terror. I was always amazed since I adore them. Her fear is so bad that she cannot even bear to look at one on a televison commercial or show.

She doesn't know why she feels the way she does. She feels they are sneaky and associates them with evil. Everyone in our family has tried to remember if anything bad happened to her as a child that would cause her to feel such panic. Her phobia is so bad that she will not visit any relatives that has a cat.

What I did not realize is that her sister also fears cats, just not to quite the same degree. None of my dad's family is fond of pets, and cats especially. But I found out that my cousin, my first aunt's niece, has the same phobia of cats that she does.

My own dad and late husband also disliked cats and I have had several friends who say the feel a certain revulsion for cats and so I have always had to put my cats in another room when they would visit. In fact I did not ever have a cat until after my husband passed away.

So why do so many people feel this way concerning a very popular housepet? Perhaps folktales and superstions play a role in it. Cat's have long been known as the witch's familar. And black cats are sometimes belived to bring bad luck. There are also old wives tales of cat's sucking the breath out of babies mouth. Where did these notions come from?

Some cats cry's are strange and if they awaken you or startle you, it can make you feel apprehensive. Some cats only bond with one person and so it makes it difficult for someone to understand their personality. Most people either love them or hate them.

A full blown phobia though can be debilitating and so if you do have this fear, you might want to explore what caused it in the first place and get to know the personality of cat's through books or other people to learn more about their nature and understand them. It is sad to live an entire life avoiding going to friends and families homes because of this fear. Most cats are very loving and gentle and so the first step is to realize this phobia is irrational. Depending on the severity of your fear, you may need to seek professional help to help you overcome it. You may never love them, but at least you will be more at peace inside of yourself if you do encounter one.

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