PETALING JAYA: Rasidah Abdul, 50 from Ulu Kelang, Ampang has five cats that she adopted after a stray gave birth near her home.

Despite having no experience with pets, the senior bank employee took it upon herself to care for the kittens and their mother.

One of the first things she did was to vaccinate and neuter all of them, including the mother, in order to prevent more strays.

The kittens have grown all furry and chubby, but one of them suffered an unusual illness, which gave her a real scare after it suddenly became weak and her eyes turned yellow.

“My cat Chloe came home one day looking all weak, and I did not notice, but she actually was sick. It was when her eyes became yellow that I rushed her to the vet.

“They tested her blood, which showed a bacterial infection, so she had to be admitted with a drip. But she was still weak, so I eventually took her to the veterinary hospital at Universiti Putra Malaysia to be readmitted.

“Chloe had a fever and pus when she was admitted, and had to take various antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medicine, painkillers, and a relaxant.

“She was also on special diet because she had bacteria in her stomach, and underwent laser therapy and constant wound cleaning before it got better,” she said.

Initially, Rasidah thought she was bitten by a rat and had leptospirosis as they had issues with rats around the neighbourhood.

But after shaving part of the cat’s rear, the vet found a big bite mark, could possibly be a monkey given the shape of the teeth mark, she added.

“So, then it dawned upon me that we do have wild monkeys that roam around, and perhaps my cats got into a fight,” she said.

Rasidah said that it took two months for Chloe to recover fully, and now her cats are not allowed to roam as they might get attacked.

For homemaker Sunitha V. 52, from Petaling Jaya, her beloved mongrel had to be put down after contracting leptospirosis.

The incident took place five years ago after she found a dead rat in her driveway, with her dog nearby.

“I went out for dinner, there was a dead rat on my drive way, and my dog was seated nearby. So, we just moved the rat and went on thinking nothing had happened.

“Two to three days later my dog was not drinking or eating, and looked weak, but I still did not think anything serious had happened.

“I called my neighbourhood vet, but they could not come. However, once my dog’s condition got worse, I took him to the vet clinic and admitted him,” she said, adding that a blood test confirmed the dog had leptospirosis.

The vet asked if her dog had caught any rats, and then she remembered the dead rat.

“Perhaps my dog licked the rat after it was killed. We were told it was too late to treat him because the infection would hit the brain and he would go into shock.

“The vet suggested not putting my dog through such pain, so we decided to put him down,” she said, urging pet owners to be more alert and to seek rapid medical intervention if their beloved pets do not appear normal.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/07/07/quick-action-vital-whenever-something-is-amiss