Wright J C
Psychology Department, Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207.
Public Health Rep. 1990 Jul-Aug;105(4):420-4.
Associated with the increased popularity of cats as pets in American households has been an increase in the number of cat bites reported to health departments. Bite reports from Dallas, TX, for 1985 were analyzed for different aspects of the cat bite event, including characteristics of the cats, the people bitten, the wounds, and the attack events. Cat bites and scratches constituted 25 percent of the 2,494 reported animal bites. Biting cats were typically stray females. People 21 to 35 years old were bitten in numbers disproportionate to their numbers in the Dallas population. Females were the victims of a majority of bites. Although wounds were typically described as "scratches" of a hand or finger, 80 percent of all victims sought some form of treatment for their wound. The highest proportion of bites occurred from May through August from 9 am through 12 noon; unowned cats accounted for most wounds. Cat bit events may be explained by frequency of contact, that is, women prefer cats as pets; activities that bring people and cats into contact; and reaching toward cats to feed or pet them. More specific information on the causes of cat bites will enable educational programs to be established so that the rate of cat bites can be decreased at the community level.
随着美国家庭中猫作为宠物越来越受欢迎，向卫生部门报告的猫咬伤事件数量也有所增加。对德克萨斯州达拉斯市1985年的咬伤报告进行了分析，涉及猫咬伤事件的不同方面，包括猫的特征、被咬的人、伤口以及攻击事件。在报告的2494起动物咬伤事件中，猫咬伤和抓伤占25%。咬人的猫通常是流浪母猫。21至35岁的人被咬的数量与其在达拉斯人口中的数量不成比例。女性是大多数咬伤事件的受害者。尽管伤口通常被描述为手部或手指的“抓伤”，但80%的受害者都为伤口寻求了某种形式的治疗。咬伤事件发生率最高的时间段是5月至8月的上午9点至中午12点；大多数伤口是由无主猫造成的。猫咬事件可以通过接触频率来解释，也就是说，女性更喜欢养猫作为宠物；人们与猫接触的活动；以及伸手去喂猫或抚摸猫。关于猫咬伤原因的更具体信息将有助于制定教育计划，从而在社区层面降低猫咬伤的发生率。
