You probably know that ailurophobia is the fear of cats. It is a cat phobia and the cure, as far as I’m aware, is like any other phobia; to desensitize the person. The cure is straightforward enough, therefore, but it will be a difficult time for the person suffering from from this condition.
It requires a patient, series of step-by-step familiarization “lessons”. It might begin with something which is remotely feline being presented to the sufferer. This might be a toy cat or a photograph of a cat. Once the patient has got used to this and accepts it he or she can move onto the next step.
This might be placing a kitten in a small secure cage at the other side of a room in which the patient is sitting. The phobic person is gently reassured that the cat cannot get near him.
Day by day the kitten in the cage is moved nearer to the phobic person who should gradually become desensitized to the presence of the cat. The objective is to get to the point where the patient can actually hold the kitten.
Thereafter, the patient should spend as much time as possible in the company of cats in order to cement progress. The whole process should take several months perhaps depending on the severity of the phobia. It is usual for even the most intense forms of ailurophobia to be ameliorated and disappear provided the process is carried out properly and after, I’d suggest, a doctor’s consultation.
Remember, I am not a doctor or a veterinarian. I am simply reciting in outline what I believe to be the method commonly used to deal with phobias. In short, the phobic person has to get used to what they’re frightened of and the only way to do that is to confront the fear but it must be done in a controlled and patient manner in small progressive steps.
Apparently, many sufferers believe that there is no cure and they suffer a lifelong fear of encountering a cat. It can become so bad that they refuse to go outside. The condition can be totally irrational but it is not incurable.
Source: Dr Desmond Morris, myself and common sense.
