Cat Scratch Fever

Biting Cat

I always thought Cat Scratch Fever was a venereal disease based on the Ted Nugent song and album. I was surprised to find that it is a less salacious disease caused by cat scratches and bites.

If you have lived with cats, you have likely been lightly scratched at times. I usually wash off the scratches, apply a little antiobiotic ointment like Neosporin and they heal up just fine.

Last week, I accidentally closed the tip of Lucian’s tail in a door. He screamed, launched himself at my calf and bit down – hard. I screamed, he ran away, Wayne’s tail puffed out and chaos ensued. After checking to make sure Lucian was okay (we also found a new hiding spot for the cats), I tended to my wounds.

Initially, I thought it was just a deep scratch and washed out the wound with soap and water, applied the Neosporin and bandaged my leg. The wound bled some, but not severely. At the time, I assumed he had just clawed me. That night after checking my leg and tending to the wound, I noticed it looked much more like a bite with four symmetrical puncture wounds that exactly matched his canine teeth.

Cat bite

A little research on the Internet informed me that cat bites can be very serious and often get infected. I’ve known a few people hospitalized last year with infections and didn’t want to take this too lightly.

I called my doctor but could not get an appointment that day. The office staff recommended an ER visit. I called the nurse line connected with my health insurance. They did a phone evaluation and recommended an ER visit. I really felt silly going to the ER over a cat bite, but did decide to go to put my mind at ease.

The ER visit was painless. We were in an out in an hour. They said I kept the wound clean and it was healing well. They gave me oral antibiotics to prevent an infection. If it had become infected I would have been hospitalized because the antibiotics would need to be administered intravenously. No fun.

So the moral of this long winded story? Cat bites HURT and can be a serious means of infection. If you are bitten, follow the advice to clean the wound and go see a doctor.

What should I do if I am bitten?
Immediately and thoroughly wash the wound with plenty of soap and warm water. The idea is to remove as much dirt and saliva—and therefore, bacteria—as possible. It may hurt to scrub a wound, but an infection will hurt a lot more. Scrub it well and run water over it for several minutes to make sure it is clean and all soap is rinsed out. It is a good idea to follow the washing with an antiseptic solution, such as iodine or other disinfectant, but always wash with soap and water first. Apply antibiotic ointment and cover the wound with gauze or a bandage. If the wound is severe, or if you have any of the risk factors listed above, seek medical advice at once. Your doctor may want you to take antibiotics to prevent infection from developing. If you have not had a recent tetanus booster, you may be advised to take one. And if you are bitten by a wild or stray animal that could have rabies, you may need to begin anti-rabies treatment.

~ by Sylvia on February 24, 2009.