I think that fear is just one of the many responses humans like to stimulate. Spicy foods and deep massages? Fancy pain. Fireworks and laser shows? Fancy lights and colors. I wonder if it ties into the ability to remember that we survived the painful stimulus long enough to enjoy the aftermath, so we’re more likely to seek out that stimulus in the future? High risk = high reward kind of thing.
Also brings this to mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernormal_stimulus
There are three feline modern constellations: Leo, Leo Minor, and Lynx. They’re adjacent, so they’re all visible around the same time.
Leo’s heliacal rising from mid-northern latitudes is around early September. Alternatively, it is most easily visible in the evening in early May. So either early May or early September could be considered the “cat days”!