Cats have consistently hospitalised hundreds more people than dogs in the Highlands, statistics have revealed.
Freedom of information figures show more people have attended at all four Highland hospitals due to feline injuries than canine injuries in each of the last four years.
While dogs, such as the XL Bully, have hit the headlines and featured in court prosecutions under the Dangerous Dogs Act, the figures suggest that cats are a bigger menace to society.
Stats for Raigmore Hospital in Inverness reveal that, up until September this financial year, 201 people attended with injuries caused by cats and 149 by dogs.
The figures for injuries caused by cats and dogs at Raigmore over previous years follow a similar trend.
2022/23 – Cat injuries: 329 – Dog injuries: 247
2021/22 – Cat injuries: 279 – Dog injuries: 199
2020/21 – Cat injuries: 256 – Dog injuries: 190
Meanwhile, dozens of people also attend Raigmore Hospital every year with injuries caused by horses – 23 so far this year, 29 in 2022/23, 24 and 36 in the previous years.
A small number of people, fewer than five, also attended in each year with injuries caused by seagulls and by cows, other than 2022/23 when six people suffered cow injuries.
The cat and dog injury trends are followed, albeit in smaller numbers, at Belford Hospital in Fort William, Caithness General Hospital in Wick, and Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban.
This year, Belford Hospital has also seen a small number of people, fewer than five, attend with injuries caused by sheep, mice and rats.
NHS Grampian was unable to provide figures broken down by specific animals.
However, it did reveal that in the calendar year of 2023, 33 people attended Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with injuries caused by an animal.
Those figures look set to be a fall from 2022’s total of 45, with 41 the previous year and just 28 in 2020.
