by Masood Hussain
SRINAGAR: On September 28, World Rabies Day, Jammu and Kashmir’s health authorities find themselves staring at an uncomfortable truth: in the 21st century, people here are still dying from a disease that is 100 per cent preventable with timely vaccination.
At least three people, including a six-year-old child from Kulgam, have succumbed to rabies in Kashmir in the first six months of 2025. In Rajouri, a young girl died after being treated by quacks instead of doctors. In Srinagar, a youth collapsed at SMHS Hospital. Each death, experts say, could have been prevented by a simple but timely post-exposure prophylaxis schedule.
For decades, Kashmir’s rabies crisis was synonymous with stray dogs. A survey once counted more than 91,000 dogs in Srinagar city alone, which works out to one dog for every 12 residents. Nearly 80 per cent of bite cases at the Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC) of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital came from urban spaces, with rural areas accounting for 20 per cent.
But the latest numbers reveal a twist. Cats are quietly catching up. Data from the ARC shows a sharp rise in cat bite cases in the last four years. In 2020–21, cats accounted for 1,086 cases against 3,693 dog bites. By 2024–25, cat bite cases had shot up to 5,717, nearly matching dogs at 6,205.
This year, the trend has flipped. Between April and September 2025, the clinic recorded 3,799 dog bites and 4,394 cat bites — the first time cats have overtaken dogs. If the trend continues, experts warn the total number of animal bite cases may cross 15,000 by March 2026, the highest ever in Kashmir’s recorded history.
The data accessing from ARC tells a story of shifts and surges in dog bite cases.
In 2020-21, the records show 3,693 cases involving dogs, 1,086 cases of cats, and 19 cases categorised as others. This brought the total number to 4,798 for the year.
The following year, 2021-22, witnessed an increase in the figures for dogs, which went up to 4,850, while the number of cats dropped to 602. The category of others slightly declined to 17. The combined total for the year reached 5,469.
In 2022-23, the upward trend continued, with dogs accounting for 5,865 cases. Cats also registered a rise with 959 cases, and others climbed to 31. This made the total for the year stand at 6,855.
The year 2023-24 saw further growth, though with a sharp increase in cats compared to previous years. Dogs were recorded at 5,386, while cats surged dramatically to 2,824. The others also jumped to 442. Together, they pushed the year’s total to 8,652.
By 2024-25, the figures touched new highs. Dogs reached 6,205, cats doubled to 5,717, and others rose slightly to 515. The total for this year climbed significantly to 12,437, the highest so far.
For 2025-26, covering the period from April to September 28, the data already shows substantial numbers. Dogs stand at 3,799, cats at 4,394, and others at 150, taking the total to 8,346 within just half the year.
“Dog bites remain unabating as their population control measures are not commensurate with their ever-increasing numbers,” said Dr Mohammad Salim Khan, who heads Community Medicine at GMC Srinagar. “However, the worrying trend since the COVID times is the sharp rise in exposures from cats, both domestic and stray. Cat owners usually don’t vaccinate their pets, nor do they get their family members pre-exposure prophylaxis against rabies. Once infected, cats can transmit rabies just like dogs.”
The five rabies deaths officially reported in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024 — up from four in 2023 and none in 2022 — are only part of the picture. Doctors at GMC Srinagar believe the actual number of fatalities is higher, especially in rural areas where bites go unreported and families often prefer faith healers over medical care.
“Fear of injections, callousness towards animal bites and avoiding parental anger keeps kids silent about bites,” said Prof (Dr) Khan. “By the time symptoms show, it’s too late, and death is certain.”
The cases narrated from Jammu region underline this reality. Research published in 2024 documented several tragic deaths, including children and adults who turned to spiritual healers instead of seeking vaccines. Some had received incomplete or improperly administered vaccine courses; others had none at all. The outcome was always the same: painful deaths marked by hydrophobia, aerophobia, and coma.
At the Anti-Rabies Clinic in Srinagar, more than 80,000 animal bite cases have been recorded since April 2015. Doctors emphasise that with proper wound cleaning, immediate vaccination, and, where necessary, rabies immunoglobulin, every one of those deaths could have been avoided.
On the eve of World Rabies Day, experts are blunt: Kashmir needs urgent, integrated action — stronger municipal sterilisation drives, mandatory vaccination of pets, pre-exposure prophylaxis for families owning animals, and above all, a public awareness campaign to end the fatal reliance on quacks and rituals.
Until then, the Valley will continue to witness a grim paradox: a society where dogs and cats compete for bites, and humans keep losing preventable battles against one of the oldest known diseases.
