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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / July 2007Fear of cats (and childhood memories)
I received an e-mail message from a friend. This was her description of one of her houseguests: "I had some houseguests. The husband was terrified of cats. He was sitting in the TV room watching TV. He called my name out…I went in to see what he wanted. One of my cats was standing in front of him. His arms were folded across his chest. He said “What does that cat want?”. I told him that the cat probably only wanted him to pet him. He said “I don’t touch cats.” Can you believe it? While they were here I had to keep my dogs kenneled. Animals, as far as he was concerned were aliens from space. They raised 7 children…and can you imagine no pets for the kids?" I thought that was such a sad commentary...sad about the houseguest, sad for those children who never had pets, and sad for him because he doesn't know what he is missing. I have never understood why so many people are afraid of cats--not just dislike them, literally afraid of them. I understand it more with regard to dogs because of their size. I realize that a cat can do great damage, but a cat is much less likely to attack than a dog. We had all sorts of animals when I was growing up, and we loved them all. We had several collies (one at a time), and the first two were *both* named Lassie. How original can you get??! We had ponies and then the most wonderful horse ever. My sister even had a one-legged rooster. She was very small, and the rooster was very large, but she would carry him all around the place. I wish I had a picture of that. *Both* of them loved each other, and I guarantee that was one rooster that was destined to live to his natural old age. We had cats, but my mother never believed in having cats indoors, so the relationship was not the same as what I have now. We lived in a rural area (although we were not farmers), and one year *13* cats were dropped off/abandoned at our house. One of the cats apparently had an infection of some sort because, one by one, all of the 13 died and then we were left with the one cat that we had started with (and which had been vetted and innoculated). Finally, we had an array of pigs, lambs, turkeys, and tropical fish...only a *few* of each because, as I said, we were not actually farmers. Oh, yes, my sister brought 3 baby mallard ducks home from college. They were part of a biology experiment where the lab had hatched a number of them. These were "extras," so she adopted them. She kept them in her dorm room for the few days that remained before the end of that semester. Of course, pets of all sorts were prohibited in the dorms at that time, so she hid them in her closet when she was out of the room to make sure the dorm mother would not find them. By the time she brought them home, they had bonded and treated her like she was their mother. She discovered that they didn't even know how to swim! So, when they were old enough, she left them on one side of our small pond and she ran around to the other side. They couldn't run fast enough to follow her, and so she stood on the other side and called them. One by one, they entered the water. The first time in, they looked like little yellow motorboats heading for her--they were almost on top of the water as they churned as fast as their little legs would move. After that, they swam in a normal way, but that first time was priceless. MaryL Photos of Duffy and Holly: >'o'< Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e On Jul 26, 11:45 am, "MaryL" <stanco...@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote: >message snipped< Those were some nice stories. Like you, I can understand people fearing dogs, but not cats. Dislike, yes, fear, no. I used to take animals from the Humane Society to local nursing homes. I could never understand the young ladies, usually nurses aides, that would walk as far away from me as they could when I came in carrying a puppy wrapped in a blanket. A dog on a leash I could understand, but these were puppies! One time some friends and I went to Pennsylvania to march against puppy mills. We had 2 of our dogs with us. In the hotel the first night we called down to the front desk and asked for another pillow. When the maid knocked on our door, the dogs barked. I opened the door and only saw an arm holding out the pillow. The maid was as far away from the door as she could get, pressed against the wall. Purrs, Theresa > On Jul 26, 11:45 am, "MaryL" <stanco...@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Purrs, > Theresa I had an acquaintance years ago whose 9 month old baby boy was terrified of anything furry. He would scream if a furry toy was put near him. His mother had no idea why this reaction started. MLB > On Jul 26, 11:45 am, "MaryL" <stanco...@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Purrs, > Theresa My brother was attacked by a German shepherd when he was a toddler. We were visiting my grandmother's grave, and he ran a few feet in front of us. Suddenly, this large dog pounced on him. Fortuantely, there was a tree branch that had fallen in that area. My father grabbed it and used it to start battering the dog. The dog turned and ran, and my brother only had a few minor scratches. We learned that the dog belonged to the caretaker of the cemetery, and the dog had its rabies vaccination--so my brother did not have to undergo rabies shots. My point in all this is, my brother loves dogs and is not afraid of them. It was shortly after that incident that my parents got our first dog--a collie puppy, and that dog was gentle from the first day we got her. That was a smart move on my parents' part. Instead of leaving my brother with a fear of dogs, he soon learned that dogs were for loving. The collies we had were sable and white, the type that today is called a rough collie and the type popularized in books by Albert Payson Terhune. They were *wonderful* dogs for children. MaryL >My brother was attacked by a German shepherd when he was a toddler. We were >visiting my grandmother's grave, and he ran a few feet in front of us. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >the cemetery, and the dog had its rabies vaccination--so my brother did not >have to undergo rabies shots. Thank goodness your father acted quickly. A dog that is prone to attack should always be kept contained or on a leash. It breaks my heart every time I hear another story on the news about someone getting attacked or killed by a dog. -bonbon >>My brother was attacked by a German shepherd when he was a toddler. We >>were [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > -bonbon Yes, we always blamed the caretaker and not the dog. We learned some time later that the dog had previously attacked a man who was visiting his mother's grave--so, the dog was known to have this propensity and the area was a public area (not someone trespassing on private property). The dog should have been in a properly enclosed area. Instead, the caretaker seems to have treated the dog as a "security" dog--but that was an area that was open to the public at all times. We were *very* fortunate! MaryL >> My brother was attacked by a German shepherd when he was a toddler. >> We were visiting my grandmother's grave, and he ran a few feet in [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > leash. It breaks my heart every time I hear another story on the news > about someone getting attacked or killed by a dog. When I was 6 years old I was in the hospital having my tonsils out. The girl in the next bed, maybe 3 years old, had been badly bitten by a German Shepherd. (It literally had her head in its mouth and bit down, hard.) 41 years later I can still hear the poor girl whimpering from the pain. Jill On the feline diabetes group, there is a gal whose cat is used to help people who work with this counselor to get over their fear of cats. The woman this cat helped was literally terrified of them but wanted to get over it because she couldn't visit friends etc. and it was impeding her life. They had all kinds of sessions and she even got to the point where she offered to babysit the kitty if it was needed. It can be overcome with hardwork but I suppose, like anything, you have to WANT to; to recognize that it is inhibiting to your life. > I have never understood why so many people are afraid of cats--not > just dislike them, literally afraid of them. I understand it more > with regard to dogs because of their size. I realize that a cat can > do great damage, but a cat is much less likely to attack than a dog. From what I understand about people who are afraid of cats, it's not a fear that the cat will attack them. It's more that creeped-out, shuddery kind of fear that a lot of people feel toward rodents or snakes, or bugs. In most cases, people who have a terror of rodents aren't really worrying about rational things like diseases the rat or mouse might carry. And people with a phobia of snakes usually don't care whether the snake is poisonous or not. I have a friend who can barely even look at a *photo* of a snake, and there's no danger in that. Imagine a spider crawling on your back. I think that's how people with a phobia about cats feel about being near to or touching a cat. It's hard for us ailurophiles to imagine this, but cat-phobes probably feel the same way about us. :) Joyce > > I have never understood why so many people are afraid of cats--not > > just dislike them, literally afraid of them. I understand it more [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Joyce Interesting message...gives one "something to think about." Thanks! MaryL >> > I have never understood why so many people are afraid of cats--not >> > just dislike them, literally afraid of them. I understand it more [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> >> Joyce Yes, I think you have something there. The thing is, you can't reason with a phobia, because phobias aren't reasonable. They just *are*. Sometimes a reason for them can be found; sometimes it can't. Some people's phobias are much stronger than others, and they can take interesting twists. Many pilots have a fear of heights. I learned that when I became a private pilot. I do, too. That is, I love being up high, as long as I have something to hold onto or something (like an airplane) around me. However, I really have to work up my courage to stand on a chair to change a lightbulb. I can do it, but it's hard. I used to know a woman whose fear of heights was extreme. She was once given a hotel room on a high floor. The room had floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall. She literally had to crawl across the floor and close the drapes before she could stand up in the room. Another friend of mine has claustrophobia (which I also have, in a mild form). She is afraid to fly, not because of the height, but because she knows she can't get out, once the plane is in the air. There is no use trying to talk a person out of a phobia. All you can do is accept it, sympathize, and work around it. Joy >>> > I have never understood why so many people are afraid of cats--not >>> > just dislike them, literally afraid of them. I understand it more [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > Joy My sister did not even really know she was claustrophobic until she was on her dream trip to Ireland and went in to one of those mounds that is like a maze to the middle. I mean, she was really excited to go and do this. She got in to the part where the light was lost and *could not* proceed. It was a real disappointment to her, but she simply couldn't. Phobias are wierd. > Many > pilots have a fear of heights. I learned that when I became a private > pilot. I do, too. That is, I love being up high, as long as I have > something to hold onto or something (like an airplane) around me. However, > I really have to work up my courage to stand on a chair to change a > lightbulb. I can do it, but it's hard. But didn't you go sky-diving for your birthday?? Knowing you have to work up your courage to stand on a chair really puts this into perspective! Joyce >>> > I have never understood why so many people are afraid of cats--not >>> > just dislike them, literally afraid of them. I understand it more [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > Joy Weird little story... I was always afraid of driving over bridges. I would have nightmares of driving over a bridge and the bridge would grow higher and higher and become narrower and narrower until it broke and my car would fall from unimaginable heights into the water. However, as soon as we moved to Houston the dreams went away and I no longer had a problem driving over bridges!!! I wrote it off as just having "outgrown" my phobia. After we were in Houston a few months, I heard a story on the news... a bridge in New Orleans (one I drove over every day to work), during rush hour (the time I would normally drive to work), was hit by a barge and part of it collapsed into the Industrial Canal. A pregnant woman's car plunged into the water and she was killed! I often wonder what would have happened if we had not moved to Houston before the collapse of that bridge! Hugs, CatNipped >>>> I have never understood why so many people are afraid of cats--not >>>> just dislike them, literally afraid of them. I understand it more [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > work up my courage to stand on a chair to change a lightbulb. I can > do it, but it's hard. Yes, Dennis is this way. He's a helicopter pilot but he's really afraid of standing on high balconies or looking out of windows in high buildings. He says it makes him all dizzy feeling and the world starts to spin around. But he's perfectly ok flying the helicopter! > I used to know a woman whose fear of heights was extreme. She was > once given a hotel room on a high floor. The room had > floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall. She literally had to crawl > across the floor and close the drapes before she could stand up in > the room. Luckily it isn't quite this bad for Dennis. But we will stand at a high up window and look out and Dennis usually backs away after about a minute or so. That's all he can stand. > Another friend of mine has claustrophobia (which I also have, in a > mild form). She is afraid to fly, not because of the height, but > because she knows she can't get out, once the plane is in the air. > > There is no use trying to talk a person out of a phobia. All you can > do is accept it, sympathize, and work around it. Yes, it is really irrational. I know that about my fear of moths and butterflies. I have no idea why I have this fear but I can't get rid of it!  SignatureBritta Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow. Check out pictures of Vino at: http://picasaweb.google.com/badwilson >Yes, it is really irrational. I know that about my fear of moths and >butterflies. I have no idea why I have this fear but I can't get rid of >it! Phobia's often aren't rational. Mine is lifts. I used lifts for years and occasionally got stuck but didn't think anything of it. Then I got stuck in a very small lift and the engineer thought he could force the doors- (It had literally stopped 8 inches down from the floor it was leaving) but it didn't occur to him to tell me so I am stuck in a small enclosed lift and there's a noise like metal giving and the whole thing starts shaking Since then I don't do lifts. Funnily enough, at first I could do any lift just not that one (or at least not that one on my own) it just felt uncomfortable but after a few weeks it extended to the point where I can only get into a lift if it's big and there's a lot of people in it simply because my sense of dignity prevents me from bursting into tears or wetting myself (which I might do in a lift on my own) but I spend the entire journey with my heart thundering in my ears and I've almost fainted on one occasion It has its good side, I take the stairs, I am fitter and a little slimmer than I have been for years But it has definite cons- I have to consider how many floors up a job is when I apply for it. Only last night a friend from work was telling me about this really good restaurant in the hotel at the top of the road but it's on the 23rd floor so I don't care how good it is (By the same standard, the best place in London for emergency dental treatment is on the 28th floor of Guy's Tower so I'll just suffer). When Dave wants to go out, we have to consider the accesibility issues for both him (being in a wheelchair) and me (are there any lifts?) Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs PS- my brother is worse and for no reason he's always been terrified of lifts, perhaps there's something genetic going on? > Phobia's often aren't rational. Mine is lifts. I used lifts for years and > occasionally got stuck but didn't think anything of it. I used to have a fear of them myself, mostly old and creaky ones. The amusing thing was that I used to see a therapist in a building with an old, creaky elevator, and her office was on the 8th floor. I was in pretty good shape back then and could run without stopping to about the 6th floor. Then I'd get winded and had to walk up the rest of the way. But I always thought it was funny that I was too afraid to use the elevator when going to see my shrink. :) > It has its good side, I take the stairs, I am fitter and a little slimmer > than I have been for years Yeah, I hear you. I, on the other hand, have more or less gotten over my fear, which has resulted in less fitness! > When Dave wants to go out, we have to consider the accesibility issues > for both him (being in a wheelchair) and me (are there any lifts?) LOL - he can't go if there isn't one, and you can only go if there are stairs. (But you're covered there - aren't all buildings required to have stairs?) Joyce >>Yes, it is really irrational. I know that about my fear of >>moths and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > years and > occasionally got stuck but didn't think anything of it. I got over my fear of elevators by going into serious labor in one. Of course it was my first baby, so I didn't know what to expect and was concentrating on the pain rather than the elevator. After that, elevators have been no problem. I'm still a little weirded out by escalators, though. Pam S. who makes herself ride in escalators whenever they are available so she'll (hopefully) get over the weirded out sensation. > I'm still a little weirded out by escalators, though. Well, sure. Escalators require regular human sacrifice. So do those moving walkways at the airport. Deborah who uses them, but is Very Very Careful >> I'm still a little weirded out by escalators, though. > > Well, sure. Escalators require regular human sacrifice. > > So do those moving walkways at the airport. When I was a child, escalators were still something of a novelty. They lacked some of the safety features the current ones have. There were some nasty injuries of children who didn't let go of the handrail. Sometimes scarves and things got caught in the treads at the end too. Or those were the stories I heard as a child. I'm still slightly uneasy about them. Particularly the ones in some airports that go up or down several floors to connect with the underground shuttles. Jo Jo > When I was a child, escalators were still something of a novelty. They > lacked some of the safety features the current ones have. There were some > nasty injuries of children who didn't let go of the handrail. Sometimes > scarves and things got caught in the treads at the end too. > Or those were the stories I heard as a child. I'm still slightly uneasy > about them. Particularly the ones in some airports that go up or down > several floors to connect with the underground shuttles. And how about the escalators in some of the Metro stops in DC/Virginia? There's one that seems to be about 4 stories high (or deep). When going down it, you feel like you're decending into the Underworld. I used to think, "If there's ever an air raid, this is where I want to go." Joyce >> When I was a child, escalators were still something of a novelty. They >> lacked some of the safety features the current ones have. There were [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> about them. Particularly the ones in some airports that go up or down >> several floors to connect with the underground shuttles. Many times when I go on one I think about an accident in Moscow a few years ago when the treads gave way on one and fed the passengers into the machinery like meat into a mincer. > And how about the escalators in some of the Metro stops in DC/Virginia? > There's one that seems to be about 4 stories high (or deep). When going > down it, you feel like you're decending into the Underworld. I used to > think, "If there's ever an air raid, this is where I want to go." There's a nice story by Thomas Disch called "Going Down" about that idea - I don't to spoil it by saying what really happens... Anyone know why escalators often have bright green lights under the treads at the ends? ============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 <http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557 >>> When I was a child, escalators were still something of a novelty. They >>> lacked some of the safety features the current ones have. There were [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Anyone know why escalators often have bright green lights under the > treads at the ends? So you will stop daydreaming and step off the end rather than get thrown off. Jo >>> I'm still a little weirded out by escalators, though. >> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > uneasy about them. Particularly the ones in some airports that go up > or down several floors to connect with the underground shuttles. When I lived in Thailand there was a news story about how they had just put in the first escalator in Cambodia. It was in a new shopping centre in Phnom Penh. Nobody had even seen one before so they had to bring some Thai people round to demonstrate how to use it. Lots of people were too afraid to attempt it. I'm sure there's probably been quite a few mishaps since then too! SignatureBritta Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow. Check out pictures of Vino at: http://picasaweb.google.com/badwilson >> I'm still a little weirded out by escalators, though. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Deborah > who uses them, but is Very Very Careful So that's what it is. I knew there was a valid reason to be leery of the things. The only moving walkways I've dealt with were the ones at the Phoenix airport. The only way I made it through was that our flight had been snowed in at Houston and we were dashing to our connection in Phoenix and I didn't have time to think about those teeth below my feet. Pam S. > Pam S. who makes herself ride in escalators whenever they are > available so she'll (hopefully) get over the weirded out > sensation. The one that does me is having to run down a stopped escalator- it feels like it's still moving! Otherwise I am fine as long as I make sure I put all of my foot on the step as I get on and I even hesitate to make sure I do, which makes me a big hit in the rush hour on the tube Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs >>>> I have never understood why so many people are afraid of cats-- >>>> not just dislike them, literally afraid of them. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > There is no use trying to talk a person out of a phobia. All you > can do is accept it, sympathize, and work around it. No - phobias are the most easily treatable mental pathologies there are. With the right kind of counselling they can almost invariably be cured completely in a few weeks. I doubt many people who hate or fear cats are really phobic, though. It's more often a kind of ideology, like racial prejudice. ============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 <http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557 > No - phobias are the most easily treatable mental pathologies there > are. With the right kind of counselling they can almost invariably > be cured completely in a few weeks. > I doubt many people who hate or fear cats are really phobic, though. > It's more often a kind of ideology, like racial prejudice. I agree with your first statement, with reservations. There are types of therapy (cognitive, desensitization) that do seem to work miracles for some people who have specific phobias. But it's not a guarantee. I totally disagree with your second comment. You're talking about people who believe misinformation about cats - you know, they steal babies' breath and all that. That is based on ignorance, and is not the same thing as a person who has a phobia. Those are two separate things, and you can't lump them together just because the two kinds of people might have similar behaviors. Joyce |
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