Never take cat bites lightly - DVS

The public are advised not to ignore cat bites or scratches because they can lead to rabies, said Perak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) director Dr Fuziah Muhayat.

She said the risk of being infected with rabies not only came from dog bites.

"People must seek immediate treatment at the nearest health centre if they have been bitten or scratched by a cat because they are at risk of infection," she told Bernama here today.

Last week, a 41-year-old housewife from Kampung Menteri in Kuala Sepetang near here was bitten by her pet cat, but clinical checks showed no clinical symptoms of the disease in the cat and it would be monitored for 14 days.

Meanwhile, the victim, Norhayati Abdul Hamid, said she never thought that cat bites could also cause rabies.

Norhayati said she was cleaning fish in the incident at about 11am when suddenly the cat bit her right fingers.

"I thought the bites were harmless until the officers from the DVS instructed me to get treatment because of the current rabies outbreak in the area. The officers also advised me and my family to be careful and not to roam outside the house," she said when met here.

Norhayati said she sought treatment at the Kuala Sepetang health clinic on Sunday.

The village head Mohamad Nor Mohamad Razali said an information programme on the outbreak would be held at Kuala Sepetang Mosque tonight.

Checks by Bernama revealed that Perak DVS personnel were actively conducting census on pets and giving vaccinations to dogs around Kuala Sepetang since 8am following the death of a rabid dog which bit two children in Kuala Sepetang.

--BERNAMA