If you ever needed proof that your cat is secretly out to get you this is it, as research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reveals that pets cause thousands of hospital visits each year.
The data found that 12,000 Aussies were hospitalised from mid-2021 to mid-2022 thanks to their furry friends, with cats and dogs responsible for more than half of those.
Open wounds were the most common type of injury, accounting for 13,420 cases, followed by fractures, toxic effects, and superficial and soft tissue injury.
Allergic reactions also sent 1,180 people to hospital.
AIHW spokesperson Dr Sarah Ahmed said hospitalisation from animals has significantly increased over the past decade.
“Over two in three Australian households are estimated to own a pet, so unsurprisingly common domestic pets account for the largest proportion of animals involved in injury hospitalisations,” she said.
She said that despite this, research shows that owning a pet can provide benefits to health and wellbeing.
However, if you do have a pet and want to know where to protect yourself – upper limbs, head and neck were the most common places to be injured, and women were more likely to be injured than men.
Also, because this is Australia, the study compared pets to the many dangerous wild animals roaming around. While you are more likely to be injured by your pet, wildlife still sent 4,980 people to hospital, with reptiles making up almost half those visits.
Don’t be thinking you’re much safer in the water either, with marine animals the cause of 525 hospital admissions. Most of those were venomous and came from jellyfish, stingrays and stinging fish. Yep, even fish can sting.
The lesson from all this? It’s not safe outside, inside, or in the water.
