That has to be it. Maybe some childhood trauma or something.
One guy I converted seemed to fear them just because he'd never known one.
Know how a cat will migrate to the one person in the room who likes them the least and sits on that lap? Years ago a friend from Boston used to crash out here in the country on occasion and we had a cat who could open doors.
He flopped several nights and each night she'd sneak out and slither onto his chest. Later he'd wake up and scream bloody murder but she wouldn't stop. By the 3rd morning, instead of up and sleepy, he was laying on the couch with her on his chest and him holding her paw in one hand and petting her with the other, saying, "Look at my new friend!"
That was the sweetest.
I give a lot of credit to the old girl, too. She was a wizard.
Love this story!