How to Say Goodbye to Your Fear of Cats

Reports show that nearly a quarter of the population in the United States has an extreme fear of certain animals. Specifically, cats are often recognized as creatures that trigger intense fear in many individuals. Some might wonder how anyone could fear cats, but it is believed that this fear can be irrational and overwhelming. While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition (DSM-V) does not provide a specific name for the phobia of cats, it does point out that many people experience 'Specific Phobia Syndrome,' a fear of particular objects, phenomena, or situations, including the dread of cats. So, if you're afraid of cats, you are not alone.

Look for a variety of cat images online. Make sure to save each image you find to your computer. Try to find cats of different sizes, colors, and fur types. Additionally, be sure to include close-up images as well as pictures showing cats engaged in everyday activities like walking, eating, and playing with people.

• Don’t limit your search to online images. You can also find similar pictures in magazines and brochures.

Choose an image and print it out, preferably one with beautiful colors. Look at the image and assess the level of fear you feel. Rate your fear on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means no fear and 10 means extreme fear.

Look at the image of the cat for a few minutes every day. While doing this, try to stay calm. Also, make an effort to stop yourself from looking away. If you catch yourself looking away, immediately refocus on the image. Keep practicing every day until you only feel a slight fear when looking at the image.

• Decide in advance how long you will look at the image each day. 10 to 15 minutes is a reasonable amount of time for this exercise.
• If you start to feel afraid, try taking deep breaths to calm yourself. Sit in a chair that supports your back. Inhale so the air moves from your stomach to your chest. Count to 4 as you breathe in. Then exhale, feeling the air move from your chest out of your body. Count to 7 as you breathe out. Repeat this process if necessary. Try using this relaxation method when looking at the cat image.
• After a few days of doing this exercise, the fear you feel will decrease. Make sure to track your level of fear on a scale from 1 to 10. Remember, the goal is to reach 1 or 2 on the scale.

Print out the remaining cat images saved on your computer. Use these images to create a collage by pasting them onto a poster board. Once you no longer feel afraid of looking at a cat image, it's time to start looking at images of multiple cats. This method helps you gradually build confidence. Make sure to spend a few minutes every day actively looking at the collage. Continue until the images no longer frighten you.

• You are gradually increasing your exposure by starting with one cat image and moving towards images of many cats. The goal is to reduce your sensitivity to cats. However, starting with many cats might be overwhelming, and you could give up before it works. Therefore, it is important to start with what you can handle.
• You might want to hang the collage where you will frequently see it. This will help speed up the process of reducing your sensitivity. However, continue to dedicate 10-15 minutes each day for this activity.
• Remember, the goal is to reach a 1 or 2 on the fear scale when looking at the cat collage.

Watch cat videos. Look for short cat videos on YouTube that you find comfortable watching and repeatedly watch them for a few days. In the beginning, it may cause discomfort or fear, but continue watching until they no longer scare you.

• Watching videos is a great way to prepare yourself for the transition from looking at images of cats to actually interacting with them.
• It might be a good idea to have friends preview the videos on YouTube before you watch them. This will help avoid any random videos of dangerous cats that could worsen your cat phobia.
• Continue to track your fear level. When you reach a 1 or 2 on the scale, you can move on to the next stage of interacting with cats.

Call a friend who has a cat and share your fear with them. Explain that you want to learn how to feel more comfortable around cats and ask for their help. Inquire if it would be possible for you to visit them regularly over the next few weeks to get more familiar with their cat.

• Visiting your friend's house daily may seem challenging, but it’s important to do so in order to spend as much time as possible around cats. Plan your schedule and make a commitment. Gradually exposing yourself to what you fear allows your body to adjust and ultimately reduces the release of stress hormones. The more time you spend with cats, the quicker you’ll overcome your fear.
• Make sure your friend has a friendly, well-behaved cat. They can inform you if their pet is suitable for this process. It's also a good idea to ask them if the cat is comfortable before starting the visits.

Observe the cat from a distance. When you first interact with a cat, ensure that it’s from a comfortable distance. Ask your friend to keep the cat in a separate room where you can see it, but it cannot directly approach you. Alternatively, you can ask your friend to hold the cat while standing in a room across from you. Stay there for 10-15 minutes before leaving. Continue this practice until you no longer feel anxious or scared.

Sit close to the cat. A great starting point is using a pet carrier. Ask your friend to place the cat in the carrier and sit it beside you. Keeping a distance of about 70-90 cm is ideal. Stay close to the cat for 10-15 minutes before leaving. Repeat this exercise until you no longer feel fearful.

Ask your friend to sit near you while they hold the cat in their lap. This method allows you to be close to a free-roaming cat, but since your friend is holding it, the situation feels more controlled. Stay in this position for 10-15 minutes before leaving. Continue practicing until the fear subsides.

• Remember, you don't need to touch the cat at this stage. The goal is to become accustomed to being near a cat without it being inside a carrier.
• While this might cause some discomfort, if you start feeling overwhelmed, you can stop at any time.
• Always aim to end on a positive note. If you start feeling overwhelmed and decide to stop, ask your friend to place the cat back into the carrier and check if they can step away for a bit. Try waiting until you no longer feel pressured before leaving. This can help ease anxiety without escalating fear.

Pet the cat. Allow yourself to make direct contact with the cat. Start by gently touching the cat for a few seconds and gradually increase the duration. Make sure to pet only areas that the cat finds comfortable. Dr. Marty Becker advises that there are a few spots where cats enjoy being petted, and one area you should avoid:

• Cats love being rubbed under their chin, where the jawbone meets the skull, and along the sides of their ears and beneath their fur. The area under their cheeks can also be a favorite spot for many cats.
• Most cats enjoy a gentle stroke along their back, moving toward the base of their tail, as long as the pressure is light and moderate.
• Avoid touching the cat’s belly. While dogs also dislike belly rubs, cats find this area particularly sensitive and may react negatively to it.

Hold the cat in your lap. Once you are comfortable petting the cat, allow it to sit in your lap. Hold it for a few seconds or a few minutes—whatever duration feels right for you—then ask your friend to take the cat to another area. Once you are able to hold the cat without fear, you will have overcome your fear of cats.

Approach the cat regularly. This is crucial because your fear may resurface if you stop practicing. Therefore, it's important to continue spending time around cats regularly to prevent your fear from returning. Try to visit homes with cats regularly so you can become more comfortable being around them.

• Visiting a pet store when you don't have the chance to interact with cats is also a great option. This is especially useful if your friend with the cat isn't available in the neighborhood.

Recognize that your cat-related fear can be worsened by irrational thoughts. Most people who fear cats are aware that cats are generally harmless. However, the fear response triggered in their brain is difficult to control in the moment.

• Cat phobia is often a learned behavior. A person may have had a bad experience with a cat, and subconsciously they associate cats with negative outcomes such as illness, or they may have “inherited” the fear from observing their parents' fearful reactions when cats were nearby during childhood.
• Many regions of the brain are linked to phobias. Therefore, it takes time to retrain your brain to think and react differently to cats.

Create a list of negative and irrational thoughts you experience when near a cat. Once you are able to identify these thoughts, you can begin to assess them. You'll realize that most of these thoughts are rooted in one (or more) of three cognitive distortions:

• Fortune telling occurs when a person assumes they know what will happen without any real evidence to support the prediction. For example, you might think, “This cat is going to scratch me,” even though you’ve never interacted with that cat before.
• Overgeneralization happens when a person takes a single situation and applies it to all similar situations. For example, you might think, “The cat at my friend's house scratched me two years ago, so all cats are mean.”
• Catastrophizing involves predicting a negative outcome and believing that the worst possible consequence will follow. You may think, “If this cat scratches me, I’ll get an infection and die.”

Replace negative thoughts with more helpful ones. You can create replacement statements to counter negative thinking. By doing this, you are effectively retraining your subconscious mind to release unhelpful cognitive distortions and replace them with more positive beliefs.

• Focus on substituting negative thoughts with positive affirmations that emphasize neutral or more optimistic outcomes. For example, replace “This cat is going to scratch me” with “Many people interact with cats daily without getting scratched or injured.”
• You could start by using statements that are less negative than your actual thoughts. For instance, replace “If the cat scratches me, I will get an infection and die” with a less negative statement like “The worst that could happen is the cat scratches me and runs away. I’ve been scratched before, and it wasn’t serious. I’m not at risk of infection.” Eventually, you can replace the negative thought with something even more optimistic and pleasant.
• Try to use this approach whenever negative thoughts arise. As a result, you will begin to think more positively about cats.

• When you first begin to physically interact with cats, try to practice daily or as often as possible. Create a schedule and commit to it.
• The more time you spend around cats, the faster you will overcome your fear. With repeated exposure, you'll start to realize that the worst-case scenarios you imagine are unlikely to occur. However, if a catastrophe does arise, your fear will be triggered.
• Try to identify the specific cause of your fear. Perhaps it’s not the cat itself causing the fear, but rather your thoughts about what might happen when the cat is nearby. Are you afraid that the cat will scratch, attack, bite, or do something else harmful to you? Once you recognize this, it will be easier to change your negative thoughts and beliefs.
• When you begin touching the cat, try to limit your interactions to controlled settings at your friend's home. This will help avoid unexpected situations that could pose risks.
• If you don't have any friends who own cats, an alternative option is to visit a pet store or adoption centers where you can interact with cats.
• If your fear of cats becomes severe, you may want to gradually increase the time you spend with them, reaching 10 to 15 minutes per visit. You could also consider starting with kittens, which might make you less anxious, and then progress to adult cats. Kittens are less likely to cause fear.
• Reading books about cats can also help you overcome your fear. This is particularly useful during the desensitization phase when practicing with images of cats.
• Before each visit to a cat, plan exactly what you’re going to do. This way, the fear of the unknown will be less likely to prevent you from acting.
• Overcoming fear and phobias takes time, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t overcome them as quickly as you expected. Allow yourself to go through the process and take the time you need.

• Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed during this process. Although it’s likely you will encounter discomfort, if you feel pressured, stop what you are doing. If you want a successful outcome, return to the last step you did that didn’t make you anxious. For example, if you feel overwhelmed by taking care of the cat, you can try handing the cat back to its owner.
• Ensure that you are going through this process in a safe environment. The cat should belong to a friend or a trustworthy organization that knows the cat well and can assure you that it is healthy and comfortable.
• If your fear of cats becomes severe, you might want to discuss your phobia with a doctor. Sometimes, anti-anxiety medication can be helpful.