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'''Phobias''' as experienced by animals are fears that do not naturally extinguish with repeated exposure. There is a sudden ‘all or nothing’ response that lacks the grading seen in other fear responses. A lack of variation in the response is apparent. Phobias can develop as a result from a single aversive event as well as from minor aversive experiences for poorly socialised and habituated cats.
'''Phobias''' as experienced by animals are fears that do not naturally extinguish with repeated exposure. There is a sudden ‘all or nothing’ response that lacks the grading seen in other fear responses. A lack of variation in the response is apparent. Phobias can develop as a result from a single aversive event as well as from minor aversive experiences for poorly socialised and habituated cats.
==Signs of Fear==
==Normal Fear Response==
Fear is a normal, adaptive experience that enables an individual to avoid harm.
Fear is a normal, adaptive experience that enables an individual to avoid harm.
Behaviours observed:
'''Normal Fear Response Behaviours observed include:
* Facial and postural expressions of fear, directed at fear eliciting stimulus (ear & tail position, piloerection, facial expression, muscular rigidity, posture)
* Facial and postural expressions of fear, directed at fear eliciting stimulus (ear & tail position, piloerection, facial expression, muscular rigidity, posture)
* Sympathetic arousal (graded to threat)
* Sympathetic arousal (graded to threat)
* Threat/aggression directed towards stimulus
* Threat/aggression directed towards stimulus
The most obvious response to fear is self-defence when there is some prospect of driving the fear-eliciting stimulus away, or when escape is not possible. However, responses to fear are complex and may produce long lasting changes in behaviour. In fearful situations cats can therefore either withdraw from the environment, both social and physical, or show a decreased threshold of reactivity to stimuli leading to reactive behavioural manifestations of the fear.
Withdrawal from the environment can lead to:
* An increase in withdrawn and secretive behaviour including hiding
* Reluctance to go outdoors or to enter open spaces within the home
* A desire to get up high onto inaccessible resting places within the home
* A decrease in desire for interactive behaviour with familiar humans
* A decrease in interest in social and object play
More obviously reactive signs of fear in cats can include:
* [[Indoor Marking - Cat|Indoor marking]] behaviours, such as urine spraying
* [[Housesoiling - Cat|Loss of house training]], due to some fearful association with the latrine location
* Low-threshold flight reaction
* Defensive [[Feline Aggression|aggression]]
* [[Feline Pica|Wool-eating and other pica]]
* [[Feline Grooming Disorders|Over-grooming and even self-mutilation]]
Somatic signs of fear may also be evident, including tachycardia (bradycardia in chronic situations), pupillary dilatation, tachypnoea, piloerection, inappetence and vomiting.
Normal fear and phobia are different from one another both behaviourally and clinically. Normal fear protects the individual without interfering with normal behaviour that is important for survival and self-maintenance. Normal fear only has temporary effects whilst the object of fear is present or perceived to be a threat. A normally fearful animal will naturally habituate to any static stimulus that is presented at relatively low intensity. For example, a cat might initially show fear of a carrier bag, but as the fear subsides then this turns to approach and investigation. Ultimately the bag is accepted as non-threatening. This process of habituation will be slower if the object is moving and slower still if it shows signs of intent [i.e. if it is animate]. Movement delays habituation because the threat posed by the object is constantly changing. Although definitions of phobia are controversial, one definition is that phobic fear limits or interferes with normal behaviour and persists after the object of fear has gone away. Phobic fear does not naturally lessen with the kind of exposure to a stimulus that would otherwise produce habituation. The treatment of phobic fear and normal fear are intrinsically similar, although the duration of treatment of phobia is likely to be longer and there is a greater possibility of the need for psychoactive drug therapy.
==Potential Causes of Problematic Fear==
==Potential Causes of Problematic Fear==
* Old age - loss of competence and an increase in general fearfulness in geriatric cats is well recognised
* Old age - loss of competence and an increase in general fearfulness in geriatric cats is well recognised
* Unintentional owner reinforcement of fearful responses
* Unintentional owner reinforcement of fearful responses
Prevention
Prevention