Is it really that unusual to dislike animals ?

[Whyisthatweird]

I’ve been told so many times now that it’s either not normal or a sign that something is wrong and one person even said it made them feel so uncomfortable to be around me when realising what an aversion I have to animals ??!! Surely I’m not alone ??

I don’t hate animals - I’m just either phobic about them or I can’t stand them for multiple sensory reasons (smell, dirt, germs etc) and therefore totally avoid them ! I don’t make a fuss about it it’s just when anyone realises they act like it’s a sign of being some kind of psychopath ! A colleague recently got a puppy and I couldn’t be in the same room. I can see why others find them cute and accept that but I feel nauseous around animals and she was trying to follow me around saying ‘what’s wrong with you ?’ It got really uncomfortable.

Am I the only one ? I feel like some kind of freak !

I would say it’s pretty unusual tbf.

I do feel it’s not something I ever willingly disclose as I feel like it’s a bit strange but I didn’t think it was really unusual . I’m just shocked by the reaction I get when anyone realises?

You’re not the only one, but it is unusual to be phobic about germs to the extent that you feel nauseous around animals and can’t stand to be in the same room as a puppy. That’s pretty extreme. It doesn’t make you a psychopath but it does suggest you have a lot of anxiety that you’d probably feel happier without (regardless of whether you ended up liking animals).

I'm an animal lover, but I don't think it is all that unusual to have some sort of phobia or fear of animals. I expect there are lots of people who love animals but are horrified by snakes, or have a phobia of spiders, for instance.

The trouble starts when some pet owners expect you to love their pet as much as they do, and then think there must be something wrong with you when you don't.

I think not being able to be in the same room, unless an actual phobia is involved, is unusual. Plenty of people aren’t arsed about pets/animals generally though.

I don’t think pets in the workplace is reasonable however, unless you happen to work in an animal centric environment.

Ummmm humans are animals

It's unusual in the UK I'd say.

Personally I like animals in that I love watching birds and get excited about wild rabbits, otters, seals etc but pets make me queasy - the whole concept of pet ownership is weird, for me.

I also think it’s quite unusual if it’s all animals, less so to just dislike one kind - eg my mum really doesn’t like cats, and if she visits we tend to make sure ours is out or in another room. My friend is really frightened of dogs and very uncomfortable even walking by one on a lead. (I’m quite nervous of flappy birds like pigeons so I totally get it.) If I was dating and a man said he didn’t like animals I wouldn’t want a second date.

What you describe sounds very unusual. Feeling nauseous around animals is very out outside the normal range of feelings. Indifference or an attitude of "eh, you're there" isn't unusual, and a desire for animals, especially those that appear to be active or excitable like dogs, to stay far away isn't unusual either.

Perfectly normal but stigmatised.
i love animals, and I wouldn’t want an animal to suffer, but generally speaking I prefer to view them from a distance.

I don’t expect everyone to love animals as I do but I couldn’t be friends with anyone who actually disliked them.
Specific fear is a totally different thing though.

Yeah, I'd say it's very unusual. Lots of people have an aversion to a particular animal, but to feel sickened by the entire animal kingdom is strange. Have you thought about having some therapy for it?

I do think people who don’t like animals are weird tbh. I just don’t trust people who have a huge aversion to animals 😅

I don’t even know why I feel like this it’s been as far back as I can remember. We lived near a farm and used to have to go a lot and I absolutely hated it. Hated the smell and the mud, hated the chicken house and I would refuse to go in and cry.
We had family with dogs and I’d sit in the car and just refuse to get out if we visited I couldn’t articulate why. If I saw dog poo I’d vomit (this was around ages 4-10 I think)

I was always petrified of insects (never been stung or bitten so no idea why?!)

I would feel uneasy if there was anything in the garden but would shut the windows then feel able to watch things like birds but remember feeling incredibly anxious if there were lots of starlings in the garden as often happened when I was quite small.

I just feel acutely aware that people really find it strange and recently there have been more situations where it’s been noticed and commented on

Yea that’s exactly what I’m picking up - as soon as someone realises they just look so uncomfortable and awkward and then I feel ashamed and trying to work out am I in such a minority

All of them? From aardvarks to zebras?

I had a friend who didn’t like animals- didn’t see the point in them, why anyone would like them or want one. Found them really annoying to be around because they can’t talk!

My son loves animals in principle, from a distance. He wouldn’t want to be in a room with a puppy unless it was being firmly held and he didn’t have to go close to it- he can’t cope with the idea of their saliva touching him and he can smell them a mile off- this applies to all animals to some degree.

Don’t feel ashamed- there is absolutely no need for everyone to like or be comfortable with the same things. Unless you’re out looking for mice to stamp on it doesn’t say anything worrying about your psychology. “Isn’t fond of animals’ is not diagnostic of anything.

Yes and as a child at school I couldn’t participate in anything to do with Noah’s ark! There was a song in assembly I used to have to be taken out as I’d feel/be sick (the thought of being on a boat with animals 😂) and if it was talked about I’d get really distressed. Had a disastrous school trip to the zoo at one point a teacher had to stay in the gift shop with me as I had a panic attack as didn’t like the smell.

It’s odd as I can appreciate why people would find some animals cute (eg puppies or kittens ) but if there’s a real one actually near me I feel like I have to just get away

I think it's highly unusual to dislike all animals tbh. I find it really really difficult to understand.

I almost pick up that that’s where people’s mind jumps to ? For some it feels like doesn’t like animals =wants to harm animals and I don’t at all!

@Whyisthatweird are you neurodivergent? It seems like a very strong sensory reaction is a big part of it.

I don’t understand it myself it feels like a combination of things but nothing really specific and more of a feeling some kind of sensory thing? It was a big problem as a child but I had managed to get on with things and suddenly in the space of a few months it’s been noticed and commented on more than usual so I’m suddenly really aware that its maybe making me seem like something I’m not - people seem really bothered by it I feel really conscious that it’s something I really need to hide

It's not normal to be vomiting at the thought of Noahs Ark, no.

But I get the weird reactions from animal lovers too. I'm allergic to most furry animals (cats, dogs, rabbits). I'm sick of people not taking it seriously (just take an antihistamine). I used to work with a woman who was like Dr Dolittle and came into the office everyday covered in animal hair. Then wondered why I was wheezing and sneezing constantly.

Very unusual. And odd. It sounds like professional help might be useful given the intensity of your phobia.
Humans are also animals. Do children and babies revolt you too?