Overcoming Felinophobia: A Guide to Desensitization Tra

When desensitizing your cat, keep the following points in mind for effective and compassionate results:

1. Begin by pinpointing the exact source of your cat's fear.

2. During the training process, avoid exposing your cat to the fearinducing stimulus all at once.

3. You should be able to control the fearinducing stimulus, presenting it at lower, gradually increasing exposure levels. For instance, if your cat is predominantly scared of strangers, you can introduce a stranger who triggers fear at various distances to help alleviate the fear.

4. Test the fearinducing stimulus to ensure it indeed elicits a fear response. Wait a few days before starting the desensitization process.

5. Present offensive stimuli at a low intensity to minimize stress.

6. Gradually increase the challenge by reducing the distance between your cat and the feared stimulus, increasing the volume of noise, or introducing new dimensions to the fearinducing situation.

7. Do not rush through the desensitization process. Instead, proceed in a random, stepbystep manner. For example, if your cat remains calm in the presence of noise, adjust the distance to 20 feet, then to 12 feet, and so on, gradually shortening the distance.

8. If any issues arise during the desensitization training, return to an earlier stage of the process. Stay positive and ensure you end each training session on a high note. The next day, you can restart the desensitization program at a low exposure level, gradually increasing the challenge, and ultimately completing the training.

9. While daily training is ideal, training twice or thrice a week may suffice.

Global Fear

The most challenging cats to treat are those with "global" fears, meaning they are afraid of multiple things, including both living and nonliving objects, and specific situations. These felines are the "nervous nellies" of the feline world. The best approach might be to mitigate the impact of negative experiences that permeate their lives. Of course, proper antianxiety medications can also be used, which may yield some effect over time. The medication process must be strictly supervised by a veterinarian, and a veterinary behaviorist may be involved.

Medication

Many antianxiety and antidepressant medications can be used to aid in desensitization training, with varying degrees of success. The best medications, in order, are as follows:

1. Buspirone (BuSpar®)

2. Alprazolam (Xanax®)

3. Fluoxetine (Prozac®)

4. Clomipramine (Clomicalm®)

5. Amitriptyline (Amitriptyline HCl®)

6. Propranolol (Inderal®)

If anything that scares your cat can be consistently presented in a weakened, nonthreatening manner, the fear will gradually diminish. This principle is similar to homeopathy, where a small, carefully measured amount of a substance that can cause symptoms is used to treat the disease. Behavioral medications can help improve the ratio of deeply rooted fears and global fears. Ultimately, cats with excessive fear have a good chance of recovery, especially if the fear can be clearly identified and controlled.