The single mum-of-two had been enjoying a holiday in Bodrum
44-year-old Chloe Kelly was bitten on the heel while eating in a restaurant(Image: SWNS)
A mum was bitten by a cat on the final day of her week long break to Turkey and claims her dogs saved her life after they wouldn’t stop sniffing the area where she was bitten on her return to the UK. 44-year-old Chloe Kelly was bitten on the heel while eating in a restaurant in Bodrum.
The said she was hairdresser was left in agony but luckily it was the final day of the holiday, so she caught the flight back to the UK and returned home to rest. Chloe claims she wasn’t able to rest as her two Staff/Boxer cross breeds Zeus, five and Bronson, four, would not stop sniffing her foot or leave her alone as she was trying to relax.
The single mum-of-two had been planning on calling her GP to book in a tetanus jab after returning, but instead decided to phone 111 where call-handlers immediately recommended she get to A&E straight away.
Chloe was unaware that she had rabies, and she was in a race against time to get treated within 24 hours as by then the disease can spread to the brain and prove fatal.
Tests at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital confirmed she had rabies before a vaccine and treatment was urgently flown down from Northampton. Chloe told SWNS: “If it wasn’t for my dogs, I wouldn’t have survived – they 100% saved my life.
“I had been with my youngest daughter, who was 20 at the time, on a week long holiday in Bodrum, we’d had a lovely time and it was the last night.
44-year-old Chloe Kelly was bitten on the heel while eating in a restaurant(Image: SWNS)
“We were eating in the restaurant before our transfer back to the airport when I was bitten by this ginger cat which was under the table.
“I didn’t know it was there and I just moved my chair back which scraped along the marble and obviously startled it. Animals with rabies tend to be more aggressive and this cat just sunk its teeth into my heel. I only saw it when it ran off.
Chloe continued: “It was really painful and I was screaming in pain, there was blood everywhere but not one member of staff came to see how I was. Somebody could have recommended I go to hospital as rabies is obviously a concern over there, but nobody said a word.
“At that point so close to the end of the holiday you just want to get home, it was only half an hour until our transfer so we caught that and flew home. Little did I know at this point the clock was ticking as with rabies you need to get treated within 24 hours or else you’re pretty much dead.”
Chloe said when she returned home, the dogs wouldn’t let the wound lie, it was just constant sniffing and they were “really unsettled”, she said “looking back I feel they were clearly trying to tell me something.”
44-year-old Chloe Kelly was bitten on the heel while eating in a restaurant(Image: SWNS)
When she was advised to go to hospital, Chloe recalled pulling back the plaster and the wound was already going “grey and rotting” and medical professionals cut away some of the flesh eating bacteria.
Speaking about her reaction to receiving the diagnosis, Chloe said: “I had blood tests and it was confirmed I had rabies – I was stunned and just in total shock. The only treatment for rabies was located in Northampton so it was flown down to the hospital.”
Chloe didn’t receive the treatment within 24 hours of the bite, it had been 26 hours, so she described it as a bit of a waiting game. She explained: “I can’t explain what that was like and it lasted for weeks as it rabies can take three to 10 weeks to kill people.
“But they were just so unsure and couldn’t give me any answers because rabies is so rare over here. It was the first case the hospital ever had. I also read there’s been only nine cases worldwide where anyone had survived past the 24 hour mark – so I was extremely lucky.”
Chloe has now been left with nerve damage which has led to her giving up her job as a support worker in a secure children’s home. She is currently trying to make ends meet running a hair salon despite living in daily pain following her ordeal, which happened in September 2022.
The NHS says: “Rabies is a rare but serious infection that’s usually caught from a bite or scratch of an infected animal. It’s almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but vaccination and early treatment can prevent it.”
Rabies is found throughout the world, but it’s very rare in the UK. Rabies is spread by mammals, such as dogs, bats, raccoons and foxes. In the UK, it’s only found in some bats.
You can get rabies if you’re bitten or scratched by an infected animal or an infected animal licks your eyes, nose or mouth, or you have a wound that’s licked by an infected animal.
You should get medical attention immediately if:
you’ve been bitten or scratched by an animal while you’re abroadan animal has licked your eyes, nose or mouth, or licked a wound you have, while you’re abroadyou’ve been bitten or scratched by a bat in the UK
If you’re abroad, get medical help as soon as possible. Do not wait until you get back to the UK.