For example, a child who has been scratched once can hold onto that anxiety, and therefore develop a phobia or fear. For example, you may think “My friend’s cat scratched me two years ago therefore all cats are vicious.”. Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. – Realize that there is nothing to be embarrassed about. You may want to hang the collage in an area where you will frequently see it. Use the tips in the article, and remember that black cats are just the same as any other cat. If the cat gets no reaction from you, it will stop headbutting or trying to play with you … eventually. Exposure therapy doesn’t mean locking yourself in a room with a hundred cats! How should I get over my fears? Get specific about what exactly you’re afraid of. Cats, of course, aren’t going to hurt us. Fear of Cats - How to Overcome a Phobia of Cats Easily J J Seymour is a writer with Self Help Recordings. For example, you may think “This cat is going to scratch me” even though you’ve never had any interaction with that cat before. In the following, we will look at some possible reasons for the emergence of such a condition. Hypnotherapy and NLP can be very effective in helping you to overcome your Fear Of Cats - one good source of experienced hypnotherapists and NLP practitioners is Just Be Well. Although it is likely that you’ll experience some discomfort, if you feel overwhelmed, discontinue what you are doing. Also, prove you are responsible enough to look after a cat by doing things like looking after others' cats or helping with cat-related tasks whenever you can. However, many people report an extreme and even irrational fear of the feline. Overcoming the fear of cats phobia Prolonged exposure to cats gradually is important to overcome Gatophobia. When this becomes bearable, a friend or family member might help the subject spend time with a cat. She received her Masters of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Missouri in 2014. You may also be able to throw a treat or a bit of lunch meat out the door to coax the cat back out. For example, they would first practice looking at pictures of cats, then watching videos and movies with cats, touching cat-like material, playing with a toy cat, and finally holding the real thing. Let us know in the comments. Make sure to select a friend who has a friendly cat. When cats are scared, most will flee from anything that could pose a potential threat, or find a hidey-hole until it’s gone, and reassess it from a distance rather than stay and face their fear. Sometimes an anti-anxiety medication may help. While it's not guaranteed they will never scratch or bite, the chances are pretty low. Although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition (DSM-V) does not identify a specific name for a phobia of cats, it does recognize that individuals can experience a “Specific Phobia” which can include a fear of cats. Going to a pet store when you don’t have access to cats otherwise is a good alternative. ", "I liked the part where it said replace the negative thoughts with positive ones.". Something either type of therapist may want to know is when the fear of cats started. Getting over fears and phobias takes time, so don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t happen as quickly as you think it should. my brother just got a new cat and while he seems confident me and the cat both are scared of each other.kitty doesnt come to me and i get scared to pick it up i can stroke it but coming close scares me can any one help me to make a bond with kitty and overcome my fear ? This will help avoid any unexpected situations that may cause a setback. make sense, and I convinced my sister, who is afraid of cats, to let me try it. 5  With small steps, a person can become accustomed to cats. Let's look at why this might be important, and how you might go about beating ailurophobia: the fear of cats. And some people are unfortunate enough to suffer from a fear of cats or – slightly more unusual – a fear of cats … For example, you could replace the thought “This cat is going to scratch me” with a statement like “Many people interact with cats every day and do not get scratched.”. Cats are usually very gentle and docile animals. It is a fact that many people have to live with such pathological fear. When you first begin making physical contact with cats, try to do it daily or as often as possible. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a2\/Stop-Being-Afraid-of-Cats-Step-4-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Stop-Being-Afraid-of-Cats-Step-4-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a2\/Stop-Being-Afraid-of-Cats-Step-4-Version-2.jpg\/aid878034-v4-728px-Stop-Being-Afraid-of-Cats-Step-4-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"