Kuala lumpur: Cats come and go, but when four cats went missing within the past three months, a cat rescuer, who wants only to be known as Rosnah, feared the worst. Over the last 10 years, she has lost 20 to 30 cats and kittens to snakes, which, she said, inhabit an abandoned house with overgrown weeds next door. According to BERNAMA News Agency, Rosnah, who is turning 70 soon, had to call the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) a few years back because she had found a 15-foot-long python sleeping off a meal in the quarantine shed she had built to house sick and recovering rescued cats. Although Rosnah primarily blames the neglected property next door for the snakes, experts warn the public to take precautions as unkempt surroundings combined with an increase in extreme weather, such as heatwaves from the intensifying El Niño, and habitat loss tend to give rise to snake-human incidents. El Nino Connection Human encounters with snakes increase as temperatures rise. Research done in Costa Rica, which mandate s snake bite reporting, found that snake bites rise 24 percent with every temperature increase. The study, published in 'Science Advances' in 2015, also linked the spikes to El Niño. According to Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) deputy director-general (Operations) Ambun Dindang, while El Niño conditions are already present, the Super El Niño phase is expected to peak between November this year and January 2027, with rainfall expected to decrease across most parts of the country. Environmental biologist and former Malaysian Nature Society president Prof Ahmad Ismail told Bernama via WhatsApp that "snakebites tend to rise sharply during hot weather and El Niño events because extreme temperatures make snakes more active and drive them, along with their prey, to seek food and shelter near human settlements." He added that as cold-blooded animals, snakes have difficulty regulating their temperature and would seek shelter when they overheat, resulting in more frequent encounters with humans, oft en with dangerous consequences. The trend is unlikely to decrease. As snakes adapt to hotter conditions and habitat loss, researchers posited in a May 2026 study led by the World Health Organization that their range is also expected to increase and spill over more and more into human areas in the future. According to statistics compiled by Bomba from 2023 to June 2026, seven states in Malaysia, including Sabah, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur, reported moderately high to very high rates of snake capture by the Civil Defence Force and Bomba. A few states have already reported a spike in cases this year, with 1,700 reported in January and February in Terengganu; 4,000 cases as of June in Kelantan; and 2,716 cases as of April in Kedah. This spike was blamed on the heatwave, habitat loss, and development. Precautions Kuala Lumpur: In case of snake bites, Malaysia has an organized system for managing them. Head of the Emergency Department at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), Dr Alzamani Mohd Idrose, told Bernama in a st atement that selected hospitals stock antivenoms appropriate for venomous snake species found locally. There is also the Remote Envenomation Consultation Services (RECS), a 24-hour expert consultation service that assists doctors nationwide in diagnosis and antivenom decisions. Experts have warned the public not to approach snakes if they encounter them. They advised the public to call Bomba or the Civil Defence Force (APM) and take photos or videos of the snake and take note of its location so that the Bomba or APM personnel can capture it safely. In case of snake bites, Dr Alzamani said the public should stay calm, move away from the snake, keep the bitten limb as still as possible, and remove rings, watches, or tight clothing before swelling develops, and go to the nearest hospital immediately or call emergency services if severe symptoms develop. He warned against cutting the wound, attempting to suck out the venom, applying ice or herbal remedies or chemicals, or using a tourniquet. "Do not attempt to catch or kill the snake as this increases the risk of further bites," he added. To reduce human-snake encounters, Zulfahmi Sutaji, head of the National Fire and Rescue Operations Centre at the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia's headquarters in Putrajaya, advised the public to break the snakes' food chain by covering any hole that a snake could slither into, such as pipes. He also advised the public to mow the grass and keep their yards neat. As far as Rosnah is concerned, it is easier said than done. Since her encounter with a python resting after a meal a few years back, Rosnah has done all she could to limit the reptiles' entry into her house and yard. She has put up small screens in her drains and pipes, covered the cat enclosure with small metal bars, put up high walls, and sharp wires on top to prevent snakes from coming in. However, she remains frustrated that while she can keep her house and yard neat, there are no stronger enforcement measures beyond fines to force the owners of the property n ext door to clear and maintain their increasingly neglected premises. "This isn't a jungle. It's a residential area," she said.