Lupita Nyong'o Was So Terrified of Cats She Had To Undergo Therapy Before Filming 'A Quiet Place: Day One'

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Before filming A Quiet Place: Day One , Academy Award winning actress and star of the movie Lupita Nyong'o was not a fan of cats. In the science fiction/horror movie Nyong'o's character has an emotional support cat named Frodo who accompanies her to NYC when the aliens invade.

Watching the movie and the bond shown between Nyong'o and her cat co-star, it's so hard to believe she ever had a fear of cats, but she even had to undergo therapy before being in the same room as one!

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Deadline reports, "I’ve been terrified of cats my entire life,” Nyong’o said in an interview last week with “CBS Mornings.”

“I wouldn’t be in a room with a cat, I would cry … I just found them suspicious, you know? They’re like little lions, and like, if they were any bigger, they would eat us.”

Related: Claudia Schiffer's Cat Steals All the Attention at Celeb-Packed Movie Premiere

The article states that Nyong'o used exposure therapy, which involves releasing cats in her presence at her home to get over her fear. This must have worked because after shooting wrapped Nyong's adopted her own cat named YoYo through the Best Friends Animal Society.

In A Quiet Place: Day One, Frodo is played by two tuxedo felines, named Nico and Schnitzel. The director of the movie, Michael Sarnoski, explained that the movie called for a cat because dogs bark too much and well, if you've seen any of this franchise, you know the aliens are attracted by sound and the last thing you need when you're hiding from aliens that are attracted by sound is a barking dog!

Here's an adorable video starring the cats of the movie .

I caught the movie this weekend and both Nyong'o and her cat co-star were amazing in it. All I know is that if aliens were to ever attack, I'd want a cat like Frodo by my side.

What Is a Fear of Cats?

If you're a cat lover, like a lot of us are, you may find it unbelievable that some people find cats terrifying. This phobia is called ailurophobia or gatophobia, elurophobia or felinophobia.

Psych Central explains, "A variety of factors may drive cat phobia. Some people fear being bitten, scratched, or attacked by a cat. For others, it’s a belief that cats are evil. This is particularly true for black cats — who have their own phobia called mavrogatphobia."

For other people, the distress is driven by disgust rather than pure dread, similar to a person’s reaction toward cockroaches or rats.

Treatments for cat phobias may include desensitization, where you encounter cats until your fear lessons, virtual reality therapy, where you encounter cats using a VR headset, or medications, such as beta blockers or antidepressants.