Ailurophobia - Fear of Cats

Phobia of certain types of creatures is common among some people. Just like any other type of phobias, we just have to respect that behaviour, and not make fun of the person who is having it. Some people just let that fear remain in them, while some try to overcome it - either due to some circumstances, or as a personal achievement. For me, I am afraid of rats and cockroaches. It is mainly because they are filthy. I will only touch them only when they are lifeless, and even then there has to be a protective layer between them and my hands ie tissue paper, plastic bag.

I have met people whose phobia of animals extend to the level of what I can describe as irrational fear. I had a female friend who actually shrieked and jumped sideways when a cat walked on its side of the pavement toward her from the opposite direction. Then there was this neighbour whose mother and children screamed when my friendly dog approached them. Well, it was my fault of not leashing him when I moved my car out, resulting in him running out.

However, there is one incident which overwhelms both these examples in terms of irrational fear. When you view the videos below, you will say it is a pampered girl crying for attention. I did not manage to capture a video of what actually initiated this behaviour, because the source of it had already walked away. Walked away? Let me explain:

I was at a Muslim restaurant in my neighbourhood having my lunch. I noticed a family had just arrived and got their table. I also noticed a kitten walking around. It was in between my table and theirs. It was more than 10 feet from behind their table.For no reason, the mother got up from her chair and chased away the kitten. I have been told that stray cats carry disease, so that was the first thought which came across my mind of why this woman was shooing the kitten away. What annoyed me was how persistent she was in chasing it while the kitten was already walking away. I quickly got ready my cellphone to record this incident, but just as the kitten disappeared, the daughter started crying. I mean really crying. Not one of crocodile tears. She had noticed the kitten. Ahhh...so the mother wanted to scare it away before the daughter saw it.

The rest of the story is described in the video. Nearly ten minutes later when I left the restaurant, the girl was still clinging to her mother.