What are some of the reasons why people are afraid of cats?

[Flower7]

I never been able to understand what’s scary about a cat.

[Lliam]

Shortly after my wife and I got married, I rescued a 5 week old kitten. Some time later, a neighbor girl came to our apartment for some reason, and as soon as she saw the kitten she freaked out and ran out the door. Some to find out, her mom was scared of cats and the girl had internalized that phobia.
I was shocked.

I guess some people think cats are sneaky, unpredictable, and can spring at any moment. As if.
I never heard of a cat attacking someone for no reason. But, like any creature, they are capable of defending themselves. They are much less capable of causing serious harm than dogs, and dogs are more unpredictable.

I once saw a viral video from a porch camera in which a cat came around the yard fence and would make the dog bark like crazy. The women went out to shoo the cat away. She was following it and kicking snow at it. The cat was indignant. At some point, it had enough, leapt at the woman, literally latched onto her head with all four paws, and scratched and bit the shit out of her. She had to tear it away. I had never seen such a thing other than in a comedy film like the killer rabbit on Monte Python's Holy Grail. But I guess you can push some cats too far.

We had one cat named Sofi who was very territorial. She stayed in our front yard and would fight our other cat, Kiri, if she came around. So sweet Kiri, the bane of all mice and voles, stayed in the back yard.
One time, I was in my office that has corner windows looking out at the front and side our our house. There were three young bucks lounging on the edge of the slope maybe 15' from the window. I noticed one getting nervous. Then I saw Sofi stalking them from the corner of the house. Once she got around 8' away, she screamed and charged at them threateningly. They leapt up and one lowered his head to defend himself with his small points. Sofi stood her ground and growled at them until they moved nervously away. It as one of the funniest things I've ever seen. They were bothering her by being in "her" yard.

I love cats. They're cute, endlessly entertaining, affectionate, soft, warm and cuddly.
My wife and I have had several cats in our time together, and each one was wonderful in its own way. Every cat has a different personality.

[Flower7]

I’ve seen dramatic reactions like the little girl also! It’s very odd to watch.

[Lliam]

@Flower7. Actually, she was in her late teens. But yeah, I was blown away. Phobias are usually irrational. They can be overcome by knowledge, though.

I like snakes, but my wife did know anything about them and was afraid. We've lived on acreage in a rural area for the past 20 years. We run across snakes from time to time. Shortly after we moved here, I saw a snake stretched across a road near our house. I stopped my car, hoping that it hadn't been run over. Come to find out, the large gopher snake was just warming itself. I picked it up and brought it back to release in our garden. I called my wife out, showed her how calm it was, and had her touch it. She discovered that snakes aren't cold and slimy. Then I held it up and let it give her a little flickering snakey kiss on the cheek with it's tongue. She cringed, but realized that the snake was harmless.
From then on, she's cool with snakes, although she still doesn't love them like I do.

Now she can recognize different snakes, including rattlers. She'll calmly call me when she sees one. I have a stick with jaws for catching venomous snakes. Thank goodness, the only ones we have here in California are rattlers. The species in our region aren't very large or aggressive. The last thing they want to is bite someone, but they will if threatened. If we run across one in our yard, I catch it, put it in a box, and relocate it to another part of our property far from our house. They aren't bad guys. They are part of the ecosystem and do good work keeping the rodent population under control.

[Flower7]

That was a great way of helping your wife with her phobia!

[Lliam]

She wasn't exactly phobic but, like many people, snakes scared her. They creeped her out. If she was phobic, I wouldn't have been able to get near her with that snake. It also helped that she trusted me. I forgot to say that when I held that snake up and it kissed her cheek, I said "Awww, honey, he loves you!" That broke the ice. 🤣🤣🤣
But yeah, the point is, the more you learn about something, the less you fear it.

Now she can easily recognize rattlers on the rare occasion than one accidentally makes its way into our garden. And the thing is to have respect for them, not fear. They won't chase you. They're not mean. The reason they rattle is to say that they're scared. And they will move away if given half a chance.

It hurts my heart that a lot of people will kill any snake they see, let alone rattle snakes. For some reason people think you are supposed to kill rattle snakes.

When we first moved here and started meeting neighbors, one of their first questions would be how many rattle snakes we had run across. Then they would proceed to say how many they had killed last summer. I was horrified and vowed not to kill any.
A lady who lives next door recently called me to say there was one napping next to her raised bed and wondered if I could move it. I went right over, rescued it and thanked her for not butchering the poor kid.

[The_Shadow_Dweller]

Their super unpredictably behaviour is what is scary about cats.
We have two cats. One of them is beautiful, you can see it on my profile wall while the other is on the normal side.

So I am petting the beautiful one in our kitchen. The cat out of nowhere becomes super angry, meows in anger, tries to bite my fingers, I slap back, and runs away.
This was one case.

Another one, with the same cat. Feeding warm milk in winter, I go to just roll my hand over his back and he attacks me with his nails fully visible. I even wrote a question about it. Threw the cat over 4 meters or something. At night on the same day, snuggles up to me like nothing happened. Like wth?

Cats are weird and scary too. They can attack you and even kill you if they feel it.

[Gigi2019]

Old wive's tales about cat's stealing a baby's breath... Most people having an experience with a cat biting them, scratching them, or attempting to do so... Cat's hearing and seeing things that humans do not and freaking said humans out... Cat's having a very independent, eff you nature which lots of dog people dislike... Cat's hissing at people which is unnerving... Cat's attacking individuals out of the blue for no particular reason... Cat's destroying furniture and home decor... The presence of funky kitty litter in boxes in a cat owner's home and the disgusting daily duty of having to remove it and put out clean kitty litter... Cat's killing and then delivering dead animals to their freaked out masters... Cat's coughing up disgusting balls of fur... Cat's disrespecting your personal space... What else?

[Flower7]

A very long list of possibilities…thanks!

[sage2021]

There was a social worker at my apartment one day doing paperwork. All of a sudden she started screaming and running all over the place. She even fell back and landed on her butt. Finally she started screaming "The cat, 😺 the cat, get the cat away!" I have never whitness someone that was that afraid of anything, and she was a grown woman. It was quite an experience. 😺 meow

[Flower7]

Yes, I’ve seen reactions like that a few times. That’s what led me to ask this question. Those behaviors seem so irrational to me.

[sage2021]

@Flower7 I didn't answer the question. Sorry. I just don't have any idea why they have such a terrifying reaction to a cat 😺 that is clearly not harming them or even wants to.🤷🏼‍♀️

[Flower7]

No problem, your story was just as good as an answer!

[Sonorous]

Because they're weirdos that don't deserve to be graced by our presence

[Bricealan]

I agree with you. They have got to be losers to not like cats!

[Sonorous]

you can say that again!

[Wraith_Cemetery]

It's dependent on culture and experiences when the person was younger. Some cultures honor cats and have a lot of respect for them. Others do not. In many Arab cultures, the people are terrified of dogs because they're taught from a young age to be scared of them. It's learned behavior. So I assume, it can be the same for cats. The fear is a learned behavior that cannot be undone unless the individual goes through therapy for it.

[mostlyitalian]

well, I've seen cats viciously attack their owners out of literally nowhere and its also happened to me very recently, i wasn't afraid but my cat went batshit and started attacking me my sister and my dog, and he is one of the most friendly cats I've met. you just never really know with cats.

[Flower7]

I feel like that issue is exactly the same with dogs. But some people seem to focus on cats specifically. That is a very scary story though!

[ahmetakkaya]

People can be afraid of cats for a variety of reasons. Some people may be afraid of the way a cat looks, some may be afraid of how a cat smells, and others may be afraid of how a cat moves. Additionally, some people may be afraid of cats because they have been bitten or scratched by a cat in the past.

[Guccigabbana18]

I think cats are misunderstood. They don’t appear as friendly or open as dogs, they can give you nasty scratches and some of them hiss/growl more than dogs. Also they’re more likely to have RBF than dogs. I love cats though they’re my fave

[Flower7]

RBF…lol! I never thought about it that way. 😊

[MORPHEUS_12]

Honestly, I don't know. In my neighborhood we have 6 ferel cats and people have been complaining to our HOA about them. One resident went as far to say that she felt a cat was stalking her and she could not leave her home. Observationally, speaking African American women are the most fearful of cats. Their claims are unfounded and I have never seen a cat attack a person. My only conclusion is that it has been ingrained or taught that cats are bad. I personally would fear a dog more than a cat.

[Crazycookie23]

Lol I guess because of their movements and certain behaviors they display. In some cultures, they literally warn you to never look a cat in the eyes.
Cats are absolutely beautiful and I love them just as much as every other animal💖

[Flower7]

Very interesting about some cultures not looking them in the eyes. I hadn’t heard that before!

[talka20]

Not everyone is used to it... and doesn't mean it has to do anything w cats... regardless the cat bsing all friendly, still people be scared cuz they are just like that w animals n have fear of getting hit by cat paw or maybe jump attack... its just the person how they grow up n with wjat type of surroundings

[WhatTheHeckkkk]

I heard that cats will eat their owners body if they have been dead for a week. I don't know, but that’s scary and the fact that some cats will scratch the hell out of you for whatever reason. I don’t mind most cats though.

[Razp_Sorbet]

Never heard of people being afraid of cats. But a lot of people dislike them because they scratch, but in reality the person just doesn't understand boundaries and cats give no fucks about telling you when you've crossed their boundary

[dustybiker]

Cats require respect, you have to earn their trust. Then the floodgates of love open.
People who are rough with cats usually get scratched and or attacked and then wonder why..

[Bricealan]

No truer words were ever spoken.

[DonkeyDan]

I'd say mostly people who don't truly understand cats are the ones who are scared of them. I mean what can be scary about a 10 pound fluff ball?

[beebella]

I was attacked by my sister's cat when I was little and I've disliked them ever since.

[Flower7]

Aww that’s so sad! I hate to hear about little kids getting attacked by animals.

[DaveToo]

They're opinionated and some people can't deal with one more breathing entity in their lives that has more pull than you do. People like that need a dog.

[Darine123]

I’m scared of dog and cat because when they tryna play with you it’s really scary, when I was young I walked in the market with my mom then the dog bite my ass after that I get so scared of dog and cat

[skytatoe]

They pack a reaally nasty scratch. They won't injure you but that shit really stings.

Other than that, they're also really creepy creatures in the way they walk around and stuff hhahaahaha

I love cats though they're adorable

[Jimbob08]

I don't get it either. I think they are very nice pets

[midnightmoon05]

I’m not scared of cats. I used to have when I was growing up. I became allergic at 2005 and ran from them since…sad I can touch/play with them.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

I worry about their claws/pooping in the house eww it smells horrible or missing the litter box / some feral cats could be carrying diseases never know?

[petitedollbabee]

I’m not scared of them but I don’t particularly like them because I’m allergic

[SlothySlob]

Negative experiences with them. Maybe some wild cats attacked these people or the like. Personally I just dislike them.

[Astarlessnightsky]

Technically Cats are deadly hunters, and really cruel ones.

Its just humans are too big and cats have a soft fur and purr nicely.

But as a human you don't really need to be afraid of one, unless you are highly allergic.

[spartan55]

Known plenty of people who hate cats, but never known anyone afraid of them.

[AliceW87]

I'm a cat owner and they can be quite vicious if they attack - It's the claws 💯

[cryscrys1]

I’m allergic I get rushes in my chest and sneeze so no cats for me

[Apulu_3]

It must be their phobia. Phobia can happen about anything. It must be scary for them.

[Bricealan]

Not rational. I have a cat not and love the little guy and have had cats AND a dog before

[user1516]

Because they’re bipolar. You never know if they’re happy or angry you can never get near them because you just don’t know how they’ll react regardless if you bother them or not. I’m sticking with dogs.

[Adam1978]

Just look at the tail it will tell you if the cat has any negative emotions. If it is calm so is the cat.

[DizzyDesii]

Cats are unpredictable. Im afraid of dogs too but at least i can see a dog coming. Cats are stuck up and sneak up on you and often scratch for fun and shit. Nah fck that

[DizzyDesii]

I went to pickup a pizza one day and a cat in the parkin lot kept hissin at me. I was creeped out at first but it did it repeatedly. So i hissed back and said mf you the evil one. Then it pounced at the car window lmao

[Better_off_here]

fear can be seen in cats for many reasons anyone fears other animals, maybe it is fear of being attacked or the claws, or that they do bite too.

[kawaiixboba]

personally, i just have bad experiences with cats. i think they’re really cute and all, but with this one cat… let’s say it didn’t go well- honestly i’m afraid of dogs too just cuz half of them jump on me and scratch me- so now i’m afraid of both..

[Richy_Rich]

I hate my cats.
The scream and scratch and puke and poo everywhere. Usually its only if i leave the poo box 2 or more days without scooping it for thair lazy a$$es.

[Flower7]

How many cats do you have?

[DGravez6]

I would say because they are so quiet and fast. I think they tend to startle people more than scare them.

[msc545]

My cat Allister says it's because cats are smarter than people. My poker losses to him tend to prove that.

[Likes2drive]

Probably their claws or if the cat is black they might be superstitious

[Godsvengeance]

I've heard that some don't trust them because they are so independent

[HeartFullOfGlue]

Could've been attacked by a cat when they were younger

[Anonymous]

A cat bit my nipple once while I was sleeping and I haven’t been the same since.

[Massageman]

They tear apart your home.
They hide their crap.
They aren't dogs.

[Desconhecida]

I'm not afraid of cats, I just prefer dogs.

[Flower7]

I’m the same way with dogs.

[Flower7]

I like cats better but don’t have a fear of dogs.

[bowenw]

They've watched horror movies that include cats.

[Lee1995]

I m scared my all my 26 years of my life i feel pain in my heart

[Flower7]

What things about cats are scary to you?

[n4meAL]

I'm afraid of being bitten and scratched

[sheikalana]

I have no idea. I love cats.

[Playboy2424]

I never afraid of you. 😘

[exitseven]

The same reason some people are afraid of mice.

[Iron_Man]

Black cats in scary movies

[jahaims]

I've never met someone afraid of cats

[blondfrog]

Probably got scratched and bitten by too many.

[driven159]

could be old family traditions

[Hellraiser1984]

Pussy with teeth.

[Dinosaursandanime65]

Imagine one with an eye in it

[Dinosaursandanime65]

COUGH, Exousia Kranio

[WonderingManII]

The got claws and nettle teeth.

[michael1469]

Cause they are unshaven?

[Angeliki1996]

Cause they can be mean.

[In_Trance]

Probably the claws

[Twalli]

They're devious