PUNE: The civic body's cat sterilization programme, which was launched in September 2022, has managed to spay and neuter just over 3,000 cats between September and March of 2023.
However, these numbers are not enough, said animal activists in the city, casting a doubt on the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) claims.
Moreover, as per records of the civic administration's Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC), there has been a year-on-year rise in cat bite cases reported in the city.
A total of 2,710 cat bite cases were seen in Pune in 2022, which stood at 1,655 in 2021, constituting a 38% rise. In 2023, in the first five months of the year alone, the ARC has recorded 1,869 cat bite cases - this is almost 70% of the cases reported in total last year.
Similar to dog bites, cat bites can also cause rabies if the animal is infected. However, there have been zero deaths on the record due to any such incident.
As per data, while dog bite cases saw a drop in the two years of the lockdown, cat bite cases rose. Dr Sarika Funde, head of the PMC veterinary department, explained, "We must also note that these are not just cases from Pune, but also neighbouring districts. Severe animal bite cases from surrounding districts are also sent to Naidu hospital here."
She added, "We have started a sterilization and vaccination programme for cats as well. Fortunately, we have not reported any rabies deaths due to cat bites. In six months, PMC sterilized 3,172 cats in the city, which is the highest number in the state compared to any other civic body."
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.Steffy Thevar is a Pune-based senior correspondent working for th...
Read MoreSteffy Thevar is a Pune-based senior correspondent working for the Times of India. She writes on health, urban infrastructure and gender parity issues. She has worked in Mumbai for three years and shifted to Pune and covered the Covid19 pandemic. She had completed her masters in Journalism and Mass Communication from Savitribai Phule Pune University's department of Mass Communication and Journalism. She also writes on a range of issues including housing, human rights and environment.
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