Cats

[Dingusmcgoo]

My wife and I live in a block of flats to which there is a communal door. The problem is that my wife is terrified of cats and one of the residents has a cat which sits outside the door and attracts other cats. This means that when the cat is there my wife can,t get in or out of the flats. The resident is aware of the problem, but other than get rid of the cat which I don,t think is an option,what can we do. I don,t know the policy of pets in the leasehold agreement and we don,t wish to fall out with the neighbours. Thank you.

[wolf63]

Please don't take this the wrong way - but the solution is probably for your wife to have treatment for her fear of cats.

I imagine that this situation is making her feel very stressed out and anxious. It is almost impossible to go through life avoiding cats - or any other common cause of fear.

Get her to go to her doctor and talk it over - maybe some psychological treatment to lessen her fear.

A few years ago I had an intense fear of the wind, it ruled my life and made me ill. I knew that the fear was illogical and laughed but as soon as I heard or felt the wind I went into complete panic mode and hyperventilated.

I was lucky that after just over a year the panic subsided and now I am more relaxed about it - but not cured.

If the cat starts to come near your wife tell her to stare at it - it will probably spook the cat away.

Best wishes to both of you.

[Houdi]

The fact that one cat is attracting others suggests that it is un-neutered. If this is the case, perhaps you could suggest to your neighbour that they have the cat neutered. It's better for the cat anyway because there's less chance of it fighting with other cats/roaming great distances to mark its territory (male) or being bullied and romanced by other cats (female). This probably won't stop it hanging about at the door though.
Cats are generally harmless so it might be difficult for your neighbour to understand your plight. The only alternative I can think of is that your wife seeks some advice about her fear of cats. If a cat is keeping her from her home the situation is pretty serious. Even if the cat in question is removed from the doorway it doesn't fix the underlying issue which will follow your wife wherever she goes. Working on reducing your wife's fear of cats might prove to be a better long-term fix.

[echokilo]

I would agree with treatment for this fear - even if there were not cats at your building I am sure you wife comes across them from time to time, in the street, at other peoples houses, on TV etc?

I would strongly recommend hypnosis .... it might sound strange and I know many people are sceptical .... however, I did a self hypnosis courses some time ago and find it very powerful. It doesn't need to be SELF hypnosis though, any good, registered hypnotherapist can help.

The National Register of Hypnotherapists website can help you find someone in your area:

http://www.nrhp.co.uk

Good luck - give it a go.

EK

[Dingusmcgoo]

Thanks all, but I don,t think she will take your advice ! You never know .

[Kleiber]

I absolutely adore cats, but I can understand people having all sorts of phobias. The funny thing is, cats always seem to be attracted to folk who either don't like them or are scared of them!!?? I agree with the others, though, your wife should try & get treatment for her fear - it will be better all round if she does. Have you asked her why she's scared of them? Has she always had this fear, or was it perhaps triggered by a bad experience? Perhaps her mother was afraid of them, too, and transmitted her fear to her daughter (your wife). I'd be interested to know. Good luck, anyway! K x