There are more than 40 cats present at the Sewri TB hospital premises.
Troubled with the increasing feline population in civic hospitals, the administration has asked the executive health officer (EHO) to help sterilise cats, especially in the Sewri TB hospital, where there are more than 40 cats at present.
Director of major civic hospitals Dr Avinash Supe said he has received several complaints from many hospitals in this regard and has now asked BMC's executive health officer for help. "Dogs and cats at civic hospitals is a recurring problem. We have been receiving the complaints and have forwarded them to the EHO. While there are programmes for sterilisation of dogs, EHO is working on sterilising the cat population." He said the BMC has approached a few organisations to catch cats, but no one has agreed as of now.
Meanwhile, Dr Jagdish Keny, medical superintendent of the Sewri TB hospital, said they were facing a tough time in dealing with the ever growing number of cats in the hospital. "We keep complaining to the higher authorities about dogs and cats. Dogs are promptly picked up for sterilisation but they have not found any ways to deal with the cat population," said Keny. He added, "Patients have complained about how the cats were all over the place in the ward, especially when it was lunch or dinner time. We hope the BMC finds a way to deal with this problem."
One of the hospital officials said the patients' families were to be blamed to some extent for the problem, as they kept feeding the cats. "You will find the cat menace even on the 4th floor. They go into a frenzy when the patients are served eggs and milk. Many of our patients have been scratched while trying to keep the creatures at bay," said a staffer. Earlier, the hospital had tried to sterilise the cats but it could not be done due to non-availability of funds.
The corporation also got in touch with the Bombay Veterinary College. "BMC hospitals, such as the Sewri TB hospital and KEM hospital, got in touch with us for sterilising the cats on their premises. They have agreed to pay us for the same," said Lt col Dr J C Khanna, secretary, Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA).
Doctors further said that TB patients' immunity was compromised and they could fall prey to slightest of infections. "TB patients and others, whose immunity is compromised, should avoid long-term contact with stray felines at all cost, because sustained proximity with stray cats can lead to respiratory problems. One can also get dreaded cat scratch diseases," said Dr Pratit Samdhani, physician at Jaslok hospital.
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