The love for animals is something that is increasingly widespread in our society, and the number of people who choose to have a dog or cat as a pet is increasing. In psychology, we refer to the concept of philia as the fondness or attraction towards certain realities or situations; Applied to animals, we speak of ailurophilia when there is a great fascination for cats, something that a priori can generate sympathies but which, however, can become pathological if the attraction becomes uncontrollable.
In this Psychology-Online article we explain in more detail What is ailurophilia, what are its main symptoms, its possible causes and treatment indicated in the most serious cases.
What is ailurophilia?
To define the word ailurophilia, first of all, it is important to know its etymology. He term ailurophilia comes from the Greek words “ailuro”what does it mean catand “philos”which translates as love or attraction towards something. This passion for cats, which can sometimes become excessive and, therefore, pathological, causes the person feelings of affection, admiration, fascination and even sexual pleasure. In cases in which the latter occurs (and the person feels physical attraction towards these animals) we would be talking about a paraphilia, a pattern of behavior that implies the existence of a sexual interest and approach towards the feline.
Paraphilias with animals can be truly disabling in the most serious cases and become a mental disorder; In that case, the person can’t help but think constantly and obsessively about the animal and presents great difficulties in curbing his sexual impulses, in addition to a variety of symptoms that we describe below.
Symptoms of ailurophilia
People can present different degrees of ailurophilia, and we can talk about three conditions or large groups of symptoms:
1. Ailurophilia or love for cats
The love for animals and, especially, the love that many people feel towards their pets is something natural and completely normal. Having interest and fascination for these animals can be a source of positive stimuli that provides great well-being and this does not have to lead to excessive attraction. In fact, the great availability of images of cats that we have, both on television and on the Internet, means that attraction towards these felines develops more quickly than that which can occur towards other animals.
2. Ailurophilia as a paraphilic disorder
A small percentage of people who develop a great passion for cats may end up becoming obsessed with these animals and end up suffering from a mental disorder: a paraphilia, inappropriate and uncontrollable attraction towards the animal that ends up causing great discomfort to the person.
3. Ailurophilia as a hoarding disorder
This disorder, also known by the name “”, is a mental disorder that consists of accumulating a large number of animals, in this case cats, without providing them with minimal care. Animals often end up malnourished, sick and with serious socialization problems. People with this disorder are usually not aware of the problem and this makes its treatment more complicated.
Causes of ailurophilia
Currently, it is unknown what causes ailurophilia, especially in its pathological version. It has been suggested that multiple factors can influence, as occurs in the appearance of the rest of paraphilias: from genetic factors that predispose people to become obsessed and “hooked” more easily on certain animals and situations; traumatic experiences with these animals in periods of childhood that later emerge in adulthood; or even factors that have to do with vicarious learning (by observation) or , as occurs in phobias.
Some research also suggests that there may be factors related to Personality traits and with certain underlying diseases, such as one or some types of . People who live with cats also seem to be more likely to develop ailurophobia and typical symptoms of this paraphilia.
Treatment of ailurophilia
People who simply feel a great love for cats (the mildest cases of ailurophilia) do not require any particular treatment, logically. However, in the most serious cases in which there is a paraphilic disorder or Noah’s syndromeit is important that the person receives psychological help.
Normally, the usual thing is to perform , which may or may not be combined with medication (generally, anxiolytics and/or antidepressants), depending on the severity and intensity of the symptoms. The goal of psychological treatment is to help the person reduce your obsession with cats and to regain control over their behavior, so that they can once again lead a life that is as autonomous and functional as possible.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Johnson, B. M. (2008). Animal hoarding: beyond the crazy cat lady. Journal of Agricultural & Food Information, 9(4), 374-381.
- McManus, M.A., Hargreaves, P., Rainbow, L., & Alison, L.J. (2013). Paraphilias: definition, diagnosis and treatment. F1000prime reports, 5.