Is anyone as afraid of animals as much as they love them?

[Julesbiscuits]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I'm posting it here; introducing our new cat has brought some fears to the surface that I didn't realize I had!

It turns out, I'm terrified of animals but I also love them!

Which is strange for me, I grew up with animals and always loved them. I'm definitely less afraid of dogs than cats --- probably because when I was very young I had the most gentle dog in the world. But later we got a new dog after she died and he was a resource guarder and I ended up taking him with me when I moved out and he was the most stressful animal I've had to date.

When I was 2 my mom brought home a semiferal kitten for Halloween; she scratched me BAD many times, once in the face and I've been scared of cats ever since (we had her for almost 20 years so I got to see her mellow out but still!), but somehow I've ended up with now 3 cats total and once worked at a cat rescue!

How do you manage your fear if you've had scary experiences with animals before? My blood still runs cold when Misfit gets the zoomies and the crazy eyes even though I trust him and he would probably never hurt me. I am very nervous around new animals no matter what kind, but I don't want to teach my daughter to fear animals at all and I know she's soaking up everything I do like a sponge!! I'm always afraid they'll hurt her or me, I'm even like this about my parents' dog and he's lovely! It's like if I don't live with them and know them super well I'm on edge.

 

[Antonio65]

I got bitten by dogs a couple of time when I was a very young kid, but I have never feared them despite the two bad experiences. We never had dogs, they were other people's dogs.
I got scratched and bitten (even in a very dangerous ways) many many times by cats, most of them were ferals On a particular occasion, the bite from this big cat was so severe and bad that I risked extreme consequences, but still I do not fear cats.
Whenever I get scatched or bitten, I always blame myself, not them.

I'm scared to death by spiders, though they never did anything to me. It's just that I don't like them.

What I am afraid of is humans. They are dangerous!

 

[NY cat man]

When I was still a kid, I was:
Bitten by dogs
Bitten and clawed by cats
Chased up a fencepost by a woodchuck, and
Stepped on by a cow
Am I afraid of animals as a result? Only the ones that can, and will, kill me and eat me.

 

[strider rose]

attacked by german shepherd and scratched in a naughty place by it too
bears
skunks

 

[KittyFriday]

I also grew up with lots of animals (farm) and I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily afraid of animals but I've definitely become a lot more nervous with dogs in general. My current dog is very behaviorally complex - like your past dog, he is also a resource guarder (much better than he used to be, but it's a lifelong thing) and for a lot of reasons he just struggles to dog the right way, and sometimes that can come out in undesirable ways. I'm not really afraid of dogs in that I think they will hurt me, but I've become really aware of them when it comes to other animals/family members, if that makes sense. Like after getting Chisum, I would get really nervous when other dogs would approach my much smaller dog because I was keenly aware now of how quickly things could go south, and she's small and it could have ended badly.

I've also found that when I think about getting another dog after Chisum, my anxiety gets up, because I am going to be very particular where I get a dog from and there will always be this idea of "what if" I have a dog with similar issues. My parents currently have a puppy and he's the absolute sweetest thing, but sometimes they'll say he does something and my anxiety will just spike a little because of Chisum's history. And logically, I know that it is a very difference scenario and X behavior doesn't always mean something bad but.....pets are around for a long time, it can be a very long haul if you are coping with intense issues.

I will say one thing that has helped somewhat: therapy. I needed it for other reasons but it's made it a lot easier to cope with things, and also kind of validated some of my fears/anxieties when before I felt silly for feeling so strongly about "just a dog".

 

[MoochNNoodles]

One of my friend's son has noticeable fascial scaring from a dog bite when he was really young. They have 2 dogs and her parents do also; including one pitbull. They foster-adopted another dog recently (her son is a teen now) to see how he would do with her before they committed to her. It did work out; but they are cautious about which dog is a good fit for their family. He also spends time having his grandpa's dog come play with thier dogs. So I guess they aim for positive exposure while keeping in mind that not all are good for them in particular.

 

[neely]

We didn't have pets when I was growing up except for fish and turtles so my sister and I were always anxious to have animals. I don't think I was afraid because I wanted a furry friend so badly. However, there was a large male german shepherd I had to pass every day on my walk to school. I still remember it vividly. As an adult when we decided to adopt a dog I said no male or GSD. LOL, I could eat those words now because not only did we rescue a GSD but a male as well. If I ever had any doubts this dog alleviated ever single one of them. Now I gravitate toward german shepherds. For me the best way to get over a fear is to confront it.

As for cats we only had one out of many others that attacked me. I'd like to think he wasn't malicious but he liked my husband and showed absolutely no affection towards me. That's when we adopted a second who was deeply bonded to me.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

No, I’m not scared of animals, except some spiders, and we had a bad-tempered Labrador when I was about six.

 

[muffy]

I saw a German Shephard attack my brother when we were kids. My brother was not hurt because the dogs owner got his dog before he was able to bite him. I've been scared of German Shepherds ever since and I don't want no part of them. I do like most other dogs.

 

[Arya Underfoot]

I grew up with cats and dogs but when I was in school there was this dog in our street that would constantly get out and attack me on the way home, got really badly bitten once, nothing was ever done about it, the dog was neglected by its owners, chained up all day but he still managed to escape every day. I felt sorry for the dog but I still have this fear around dogs, I freak out if a dog starts charging at me, which can happen quite a lot where I live, peoples dogs are always getting out or they just don't walk them on a leash.

I do love snakes but watch me turn in to a scaredy-cat if I see a cockroach.

 

[iPappy]

I have been scratched and clawed up at work by dogs and cats. 99.9% of the time, it was my fault and was done by an animal that was fearful or overly stressed and pushed past their limit. I can't count how many times a dog or cat has made a huge show of being loud and "aggressive". Dogs like to do a growl-bark sound and snap the air near your hands, and cats will swipe the air near you and let out a loud screech. But in those cases, unless pushed, they do no harm and make no contact. They're simply telling me they're hitting the end of their rope. If a dog or cat wanted to do damage to me, they would because they are fast. and I am slow in comparison. I have been working with dogs and cats for almost 26 years, and I have never required stitches or medical care. I have had many dogs and cats make contact with my hands or skin and only leave a tiny red mark, if that. If they were serious, they would have done far worse.
To combat any fears you have, learn everything you can about their body language. The zoomies are intense, and that crazy stare can be cute or unnerving depending on what your experiences are. Learn what they're telling you and learn to respect it. Learn how to communicate in their language (a slow blink with a cat is a life saver!) and never assume you've learned all their is to learn. And most dogs and cats recognize human laughter! If you start gently laughing when a cat is having the zoomies or a dog is sniffing your feet, most respond very positively to it.
Oh, and about spiders. I have no interest in learning their language. Creepy little things.

 

[muffy]

I grew up with cats and dogs but when I was in school there was this dog in our street that would constantly get out and attack me on the way home, got really badly bitten once, nothing was ever done about it, the dog was neglected by its owners, chained up all day but he still managed to escape every day. I felt sorry for the dog but I still have this fear around dogs, I freak out if a dog starts charging at me, which can happen quite a lot where I live, peoples dogs are always getting out or they just don't walk them on a leash.

I do love snakes but watch me turn in to a scaredy-cat if I see a cockroach.

I'm not scared of too many things but I'm absolutely horrified of cockroaches.

 

[di and bob]

I don't think there is an animal alive that I am afraid of. After the first startle reaction because a creature is quick or comes out of nowhere, I get curious and study them. I respect some, like venomous snakes, etc, but am completely baffled by being terrified by a mouse like so many are. What is the worst they could do? take a tiny bite?! You could hit them and kill them. i would be much more leary around an animal that could kill me, like an elephant or bear. There are so few poisonous spiders around the chances of you encountering one are very small, the same with snakes. I have handled probably thousands in my life and have never been bit. Dogs and cats gravitate towards me, I think mainly because I respect and know them, and I have rode horses that have rolled on anyone else because I know what they are thinking and take control. That all being said, I can't bring myself to kill any living creature and carry most spiders outdoors that are in my house.

 

[iPappy]

I don't think there is an animal alive that I am afraid of. After the first startle reaction because a creature is quick or comes out of nowhere, I get curious and study them. I respect some, like venomous snakes, etc, but am completely baffled by being terrified by a mouse like so many are. What is the worst they could do? take a tiny bite?! You could hit them and kill them. i would be much more leary around an animal that could kill me, like an elephant or bear. There are so few poisonous spiders around the chances of you encountering one are very small, the same with snakes. I have handled probably thousands in my life and have never been bit. Dogs and cats gravitate towards me, I think mainly because I respect and know them, and I have rode horses that have rolled on anyone else because I know what they are thinking and take control. That all being said, I can't bring myself to kill any living creature and carry most spiders outdoors that are in my house.

IDK what it is about spiders that freaks me out so much. The big corn spiders are somewhat aggressive and when they get into the house, I freak out.

 

[di and bob]

I am fascinated by spiders, i love the big wolf spiders in my garden. I had a tarantula when i was a kid. I have been so lucky to raise about every animal, i had bats, spiders, lizards, mice, pigeons, turtles., racoons,skunks, (to name a few) AND the 'normal' cats, fish, rabbits, and dogs!

 

[Margot Lane]

…for fraidy cats, the little crab spiders are pretty cool. They change color, depending in which flower they choose to hide. I think there is healthy fear (like, angry water buffalo) and primal trepidation of the unknown. Once you learn about a creature, and its habits, you appreciate it more. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself?“ OK, in the case of sharks, not quite true, but an interesting thought to gnaw on.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

…for fraidy cats, the little crab spiders are pretty cool. They change color, depending in which flower they choose to hide. I think there is healthy fear (like, angry water buffalo) and primal trepidation of the unknown. Once you learn about a creature, and its habits, you appreciate it more. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself?“ OK, in the case of sharks, not quite true, but an interesting thought to gnaw on.

I liked a little jumping spider that lived on the deck rail of my house in Queensland. Colourful little beastie and didn’t come into the house. That’s the only spider I’ve ever liked; I spent most of my life terrified of huntsman spiders (harmless, but big and fast) and I still find white-tail spiders scary, though I know their reputation for their bites causing necrosis is urban myth. I’ll try to remove little garden spiders from my house if I can, but white-tails get sprayed.

 

[Meowmee]

I used to be sort of scared of some dogs even though my childhood bff was my beagle pup. I was never scared of her but some neighborhood dogs used to chase me, 2 large dobermans and 2 german shepherds. No bites or anything, they were not super aggressive and never attacked anyone but they should not have been roaming lose. I love dogs but I would not get a large prey breed if I ever have one again, for many reasons. I don’t like large dogs jumping on me due to injuries etc. and a lot of them seem to do that. I think our neighbors were not very good at controlling their dogs. Once I took a large dog ( not sure if he was a breed) for a walk at an aquaintance’s house, and he lunged, and growled at someone on the path. Then he later attacked her smaller dog, injuring him pretty badly, and she rehomed him.

I dislike and am fearful of most insects and really phobic about some. With good reason. As long as they stay clear of me it’s ok, but they always seem to come right on me, lol. A friend was bitten by a spider and ended up in the hopsital for a few days. We have poisonous spiders here so I am careful in the garden or if I see a possible ps in the house. I really need to better insect proof the house.

I was once swarmed by a wasps nest I stepped on but amazingly no bites. Then was stung by one on my ankle in a similar situation, very painful. I also awoke one day to wasps crawling on me who entered through an open hole left by a bad siding job. That was a nightmare and it took two treatments to get rid of the nest. I blocked off all the radiator areas where anything could enter in.

And I have had 2 tick bites. I had to take antibiotics. I learned then I had been previously infected with one of the tick borne infections and had not known about it at the time. So I guess it was really at least 3 tick bites prolly.

 

[Furballsmom]

I am very nervous around new animals no matter what kind, but I don't want to teach my daughter to fear animals at all and I know she's soaking up everything I do like a sponge!!

Hi, you've had some rough experiences. Frankly I don't blame you for being wary, and as some have mentioned upthread sometimes that's not a bad thing.

However, I don't know how old your daughter is but for yourself and for her too if she's old enough, you could consider volunteering again. Another possibility, (I'm assuming you live in a city) might be to find petting zoos and small urban farms so that she can interact with animals

 

[GranolaLouise]

I am arachnophobic. BIG TIME! When I was a kid, my brother and his 2 pals would pick them off the bushes on the side of the house and throw them at my face. Since then I have my house stocked well with Raid. If one is near the cat on the porch I use a heavy shoe. But it is so hot out there I never see any except when gardening..I almost drove my car into the Charles River a few years ago when one walked across my dashboard!
But get this: I LOVE to go to the fishmonger and get live Jonah crabs..the HUGE ones with meaty claws..and cook them and eat them. My brother is so amused.."They are just spiders that swim in the sea" he says.