‘Watched too many kung fu films’: man in China who tried to suck girlfriend’s stray cat wound clean needs rabies jab, landed with costly medical bill
Impulsive student takes dangerous course of action after girlfriend scratched by stray cat
Doctors say move to suck poison from wound was misguided, left him exposed to serious threat of rabies
Yating Yang
Published: 2:00pm, 20 Oct, 2023
A brave yet misguided man in China has been left with a huge medical bill – and become the subject of amusement online – after he tried to suck the poison from a wound inflicted on his girlfriend by a stray cat.
The young man, identified as Jia, undertook the dangerous course of action on October 14 when his girlfriend was scratched by the cat.
On impulse, and taking his cue from snake bite scenes he had watched in TV dramas, Jia, who is a university student in Nanchang, Jiangxi province in southeastern China, proceeded to try to suck the wound clean.
In an interview with Litchi News, Jia said: “Because she’s my girlfriend, I felt heartache. I had the idea that we should share blessings and difficulties in our relationship.
The foolhardy boyfriend saw the wound and immediately tried to suck it clean. Photo: Weibo
“So I thought I could suck out the poison for her. Little did I know it would turn out to be as dangerous as the doctor later explained.”
Jia was later informed that his actions had exposed him to a Level Three threat of rabies, the most dangerous level.
He and his girlfriend were given a costly vaccine cocktail which included anti-rabies medicine and immunoglobulin.
His medical bill for the rabies jab and the immunoglobulin came to 1,116 yuan (US$153). The total cost for both he and his girlfriend was more.
Jia was able to see the funny side though, he said: “Just one lick from my mouth cost me 1,500 yuan!”
Chi Yun, Director of the Infectious Diseases Department II at Tangshan Branch of The Second Hospital of Nanjing, said: “This rabies virus binds to nerve cells, so the more abundant the nerve cells in the exposed area, the higher the risk of infection. Areas like the lips and fingertips, among others, have rich nerve endings.”
She advised against using the mouth to clean wounds and recommended rinsing the injury with clean water if soap is unavailable. A rabies jab is crucial to effect recovery.
This story has caught the imagination of online observers.
One person quipped: “He must have watched too many Chinese kung fu movies and assumed he could suck out the poison with his mouth.”
Medical experts have warned that sucking or licking a wound inflicted by a stray cat carries a serious risk of contracting the deadly rabies virus. Photo: Weibo
“Let’s clarify that using your mouth to suck out venom after a snakebite is also counterproductive. The person doing the sucking might end up getting poisoned and the one who was bitten might not die,” another person added.
A third commented: “This guy truly loves his girlfriend, but he’s a bit lacking in common sense.”
“I understand that people in love might have their intelligence temporarily blocked,” said another.
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