TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Visitors in France were warned to be on their guard after a pack of feral cats launched an attack on a young woman who was strolling with her poodle.
About six cats pounced on woman as she walked her poodle in the city of Belfort, on the Swiss border. The cats dragged her to the ground and repeatedly bit her, leaving her with a torn artery. The poodle was also badly hurt.
It is thought that particularly high summer temperatures may have made the cats far more aggressive than usual.
Josette Galliot, the mother of victim never thought that her daughter would be attacked by cats without any causes. "They suddenly jumped on her and managed to knock her over. The cats bit her on the leg and on her arms. They even pierced an artery," Galliot told l’Est Republicain newspaper, adding that her daughter was still traumatized since Sunday's attack.
The woman was rushed to hospital where she received treatment for her wounds, and a number of injections including one against rabies. The poodle was also treated at a nearby veterinary clinic.
A local police spokesman meanwhile suggested that the attack was "very unusual" and said that foreign tourists should certainly be wary and must not approach these cats or try to feed them.
There are an estimated 8,000 feral cats born in France every day but they are generally considered relatively harmless. Colonies of feral cats usually begin with people dumping unwanted, unsterilized pets.
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