Today, a dear friend told me a terrifying story of her feral cat encounter on the weekend and it wasn't furry and cuddly. She came home to her building and on entering the building, laden with shopping, she unwittingly got very close to a feral cat who scratched her. It seems the neighbours have been feeding it even though it is not recommend to do this, and this may be why....Rabies and cat scratch disease.
My friend called her medical student niece who suggested she go and get a tetanus and anti-rabies shots. What! She was worried about this and immediately went to her local polyclinic who referred her to the Al Sabah Infectious Disease Hospital. She promptly went along to IDH and the nurse told her this is standard and necessary procedure here in Kuwait for scratches and bites from feral cats. My friend, now, has to do a course of anti-rabies shots over the next few weeks.
Weekend well and truly ruined.
Please don't feed the feral cats near your residence they will come very close to your neighbours (whom they may not like as much as you) and God forbid someone does contract rabies or cat scratch disease. The cats will move on if you don't feed them and fend for themselves away from humans.
CDC info for travellers to Kuwait http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/kuwait
To those who feed the feral cats could you feed them well away from residences please. We have a neighbour who feeds cats outside her door and throws food down from her balcony. They come looking for food when we want to eat by the pool. They will even jump on the table trying to get at the food. She has been asked several times not to feed them by the complex management but still insists to do it. The cats she feeds go and poop right outside my friend's door which is a floor up from this woman. Once my friend had cleaned a mattress and stuck it outside to dry for the day and the cats peed on it. My friend made the neighbour pay for a new one.
If you really like cats spend some money on them being neutered so they are not breeding like wildfire. They are also carry a number of parasites. worms, distemper. parvo, etc. Which can be deadly to our domesticated dogs and really unpleasant for humans. I have also been charged at by a hissing, spitting angry mother cat who was in a plant pot as I walked by. If I had been 5cm closer she would have done me some damage. If I have to go for a course of anti-rabies shots my neighbour will be hearing from me.
Please don't get me wrong I love cats and I would never ever hurt one.
Please don't get me wrong I love cats and I would never ever hurt one.
OMG!!!
ReplyDeleteMedical facilities anywhere are always going to tell you to undergo painful and lengthy rabies shots after a feral animal bite or scratch, but really necessary? I don't think so in Kuwait. Rabies is not common here. I would be more worried about something like ring worm. (Although first time I'm hearing about cat scratch disease).
ReplyDeleteI have been scratched numerous times by strays in Kuwait. I feed them. I will continue to feed them wherever I find them.
I'm sorry your friend had to go through this.
Your choice. She's still going through it and not a happy bunny.
DeleteOh I forgot to mention ticks and fleas too. I was horrified to find ticks on my dog and then found out the maid allowed our dog to 'play' with a friendly street cat when walking him.
DeleteSo u recommend us to leave them hungry and die? We do better by taking them for vaccine to avoid these scratches. If u and all other keep ignoring then for sure diseases will increase.
ReplyDeleteYou need to re-read the article.
DeleteI pay for neutering but we need someone to take the cats from the streets. I cant do it.
ReplyDeleteThe cats will not starve in the streets they have been there since I came to Kuwait in the early 80s. They serve an important job by keeping the rat population down (this was a problem pre-1980). Bravo for neutering that's far more helpful than having them rely on you to feed them everyday, annoy your neighbours and possibly endanger people.
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