A fear of cats has several different names. The most commonly accepted term for being severely afraid of cats is ailurophobia. The term stems from the Greek words αἴλουρος (ailouros), for cat ‘cat’ and φόβος (phóbos) for ‘fear’.
Other names for a strong fear of cats are: felinophobia, elurophobia, gatophobia, and cat phobia.
Ailurophobia is an anxiety disorder
Ailurophobia is not a mild fear or dislike of cats. People with ailurophobia experience severe reactions to the presence of cats, even if seen remotely on a screen. Exposure to felines causes. someone with ailurophobia to experience excessive sweating, trembling, racing heart, dryness of mouth, and other markers of a panic attack.
A person whose is severely afraid of cats is known as an ailurophobe.
References
London, L. S. (1952). Ailurophobia and ornithophobia. Psychiatric Quarterly.
