Belling the cat

Ailurophobia

“A morbid, irrational fear of cats”

This is how standard dictionaries define the phobia for cats. There are several other names for this phobia - Ailurophobia, Elurophobia, Felinophobia, Galeophobia, Gatophobia.

So much for the definition of the word. It so happens that I am blessed with this pretty weird problem. Despite reassurance from people around and despite knowing myself that cats are harmless creatures of God, I have been unable to overcome this fear.

“Are you scared of Cats?? Oh come on, they are such cute and friendly things!” has been the typical reaction of almost everyone who has witnessed me panic at the sight of this animal. But it’s just beyond me. Phobia, by definition, is an irrational fear…So I simply can’t reason it out.

The only place where I can stand a cat is perhaps in the “Tom and Jerry” show! My earliest recollections of encounter with cats is when, as a child, I was taken inside a room full of pet cats. That presumably had a deep impact on my pysche. A mere sight of even a picture of a cat makes me squeal, shriek and what not?!! And it doesn’t stop there…It really gives me nightmares.

Hopefully, I will get over this morbid fear some day. Or perhaps live with it like Napoleon Bonaparte and Julius Caesar did!