Sudden Irrational Fears

This is part of your toddler's task of trying to figure out the world he lives in. Yes, why not ask him what the trouble is with cat hair? He's not afraid of his cats, right?

But he may have trouble verbalizing what the bad feeling is. Is he worried that the cat hair means his cats are sick, or going to die? Does it mean that there's a scary cat waiting to pounce on him from inside the sofa cushion? Does it mean that the whole house is turning into a giant kitty?

I would ask him, and if he can't answer I would bring up a suggestion like that - very casually, as if you were just curious. Maybe you'll find the answer that way. Then you can say, "Have I got a great surprise for you! Your kitties are fine! They leave their hair on the sofa because they have too much and don't need these bits - and they want Mama to have the fun of cleaning it up!"

Or, "Have I got a great surprise for you! That hair is not going to turn into a monster kitty! It really belongs to Muffy and Peaches, and they don't want it any more. So we'll clean it up right now and take it outside to the garbage can, and then you can tell your cats that the job is done." You'll be able to think of something that fits the case.

The thing you don't want to do is to laugh (even though it may be funny). Let your curiosity and your casualness help him get over his fears, but you also want him to be able to come to you with anything else that may bother him. I've read that children don't have imagination and reality truly sorted out until they're six or seven.

P.S. Just read your P.S. Yes, illness can do a job on a child. Patience and lots of TLC, too!

When my son was that age, he suddenly became terrified of cracks in floors! I mean, even at a grocery store with big square tiles.......he would shriek and cry and refuse to walk on them! Only floors with "cracks". We never understood why, but thankfully it passed. We just reassured him and tried not to make a big deal out of it. He is now 6, and is diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder which also involves many irrational fears that interfere with his daily life....I'm not sure if that could be connected to his sudden fear way back then. I liked the answer about ptsd....very interesting. I sure hope everything resolves!

Have you asked him why he is afraid of cat hair? Maybe you can get to the cause of the problem and reassure him.

Has he been sick recently? My daughter has been overly sensitive since having strep. I'm hoping this too shall pass SOON!

Mine did this with MY hair when he was this age! I didn't know what was going on, but if a loose hair was on him or near him, he freaked out. It was just a phase that we got past. I don't know how typical it is.

My son is doing the SAME thing with human hair. Hes also afraid of his window. I really dont get it. I hope its just a phase.

it may not be the cat hair he fears but rather that he associates the cat hair with being sick and hence he bursts out into tears because just seeing the cat hair triggers a physical response in him and then the mind follows suit... the mind then says... cat hair - being sick..... STAY AWAY...

Our sub-conscious mind does a lot of different things.. one of which is associating.. whether things make sense or not, our minds do associating as a way of survival.. Not everyone has to experience something major as going to war (albeit that is traumatic) to experience "shock" but in our every day lives as we grow, our minds are associating and trying to survive. hence, your son without even knowing it or it seeming rationale may not associate cat hair with being sick... it's tricky because it's not necessarily the mind that says.. beware cat hair is bad.. it's more like his body has an automatic response to it.. and then the mind follows along...

anyway, may sound like mumble jumble ... but I definitely believe things aren't always easily explained.. if you look up ptsd on the net, it all very interesting .. I am not suggesting your son endured something major, but again... our minds associate different things as they see fit..

It's worth reading more about.. there is much info on the net..

I wish you the best