By Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, Sept 30: Sarawak is looking into introducing cat licensing as part of its fight against rabies, following rising cases of human deaths linked to cat bites and scratches.
Of the 80 rabies fatalities recorded to date, nine were caused by cats, including two cases this year.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the move would require amending existing laws, which currently only provide for dog licensing.
He stressed that the initiative is intended to improve data collection and monitoring, not to generate revenue.
“It’s not because we want to charge fees. In fact, the Mayor (of Kuching South Dato Wee Hong Seng) offers licences for free.
“What we want is accurate data on how many cats there are, so we can track patterns and understand the situation better,” he told reporters after officiating the Rabies in Borneo (RIB) 2025 conference on behalf of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.
Among the latest fatalities was a 22-year-old woman from Petra Jaya, who had a history of being scratched by a stray cat in July 2025. She did not seek immediate medical treatment and began showing symptoms on Sept 8, including fever, weakness, abdominal pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and difficulty swallowing. She was admitted to Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) on Sept 18 and passed away the next day.
Since the outbreak began in 2017, Sarawak has recorded 87 human rabies cases, with 10 linked to cats (seven pets and three strays). Sarawak Health Department director Dr Veronica Lugah confirmed today that of the 80 rabies deaths recorded to date, nine were caused by cats.
Dr Sim explained that while rabies is often associated with dogs, cats can also contract the virus from infected dogs and transmit it to humans.
“Fifty per cent of rabies deaths come from people’s own dogs, not strays. Increasingly, we are also seeing cases caused by cat scratches. Cats don’t usually bite, they scratch, but rabies lives in saliva. If saliva gets into a cut we didn’t notice, it can infect humans,” he said.
He warned that rabies is always fatal once symptoms appear, underscoring the importance of immediate first aid and medical attention.
“Wash the wound with soap and running water for 10 minutes, then seek medical treatment right away.
“By the time rabies reaches the brain, nothing can be done because there is no cure. The hospitals can only ‘tengok saja’ (watch). If we tengok saja after being bitten or scratched, the hospital will also just watch later. We don’t want you to tengok saja,” he stressed.
Dr Sim urged pet owners to vaccinate both dogs and cats to stop transmission, noting that vaccines are provided free of charge to the public despite costing the government RM25 per vial.
“The Sarawak government is very kind, while the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development fights for the funding,” he said, urging people to not take this for granted as life is precious. — DayakDaily
