Kitten bit me and drew blood!

snowkitten

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Hello!

So unfortunately this morning my foster kitten (he is around 8/9 weeks now) bit me while I was giving him treats. He's taking antibiotics for a skin infection, and I always give him some treats after , but I think I was half asleep and didn't see when he was going for my finger lol it left a puncture and it bled quite a lot, but I ran it under water right away and then washed it with soap and water and then applied alcohol and it stopped the blood pretty fast. I've been putting some antibiotic ointment on it , it's already late afternoon where I am and so far there's no sign of infection just some tenderness, but my friend just scared me bc she told me about someone who ended up in a hospital due to an infected cat bite and told me that I should go get antibiotics just in case.. And now she's got me nervous. I don't know if I should go to urgent care or not bc I feel silly going in for a little puncture that doesn't seem infected. And I also don't want them to tell me to report him or something bc it was an accident.

I should mention he's not vaccinated yet due to his weight but he is flea treated and is on antibiotics right now. He's indoors and has been with me for over a month now.

Also, I have anxiety and reading more stuff about it online now has me worried that I might get rabies 😓 he seems fine though. He's just not vaccinated yet due to weight.
 
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snowkitten

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Cat bites can easily become infected as their mouths are full of bacteria, they aren't quite Komodo Dragon nasty but still pretty bad. Go see a doctor, the longer you wait the worse it could be
Even though it's already been 12 hours? There doesn't seem to be any swelling or redness. Its just a bit tender.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Well, rabies is NOT an issue. He has been with you for far too long not to have developed it by now, so put that right out of your mind. You would have known within the first week that something was BADLY wrong with this kitten.

As for whether you should see a doctor...It would be safer. Cat bite can infect very easily. Now, I have been bitten three times by a feral tom that I work with...all three broke the skin. All three I treated just as you did. Additionally, I drew a small circles about 1/2 inch in diameter around the bite, and told myself, "SELF, if this gets swollen or red that spreads outside this circle, you're taking your happy bottom to the ER." Thus far, I've dodged the bullet...HOWEVER, it really is safer to have it tended to. I recommend that you do as I say, not as I do. I have no desire to have Animal Control trapping and euthanizing every feral in my area, which they would do.
 
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snowkitten

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Well, rabies is NOT an issue. He has been with you for far too long not to have developed it by now, so put that right out of your mind. You would have known within the first week that something was BADLY wrong with this kitten.

As for whether you should see a doctor...It would be safer. Cat bite can infect very easily. Now, I have been bitten three times by a feral tom that I work with...all three broke the skin. All three I treated just as you did. Additionally, I drew a small circles about 1/2 inch in diameter around the bite, and told myself, "SELF, if this gets swollen or red that spreads outside this circle, you're taking your happy bottom to the ER." Thus far, I've dodged the bullet...HOWEVER, it really is safer to have it tended to. I recommend that you do as I say, not as I do. I have no desire to have Animal Control trapping and euthanizing every feral in my area, which they would do.
If you are not up to date on your tetnus, YES. It's rare to contract rabies, but he kitten does need to be monitored for 11 days.
Ok I will probably see a doctor, but at this time most urgent cares are already closed or are closing soon. Do you think it's fine if I wait until tomorrow? I think I will tell them the kitten isn't mine and is in a different city or something bc I really don't want them to tell me to report or anything bc he's not a mean kitty at all. It really was just a stupid accident.
 

JulietteTruong

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Cat bites can easily become infected as their mouths are full of bacteria, they aren't quite Komodo Dragon nasty but still pretty bad. Go see a doctor, the longer you wait the worse it could be
This. My sis made the mistake of waiting a day after being bitten. By then, her infection was too much for just antibiotics, she had to undergo surgery to clean out the wound and bring down the swelling. She ended up in the hospital for 3 weeks.

People assume first aid kits at home is enough. The problem is that once the bacteria makes contact with your bloodstream, nothing topical will help. And once it’s in the bloodstream, it will keep getting worse. People lose limbs and function from these infections a lot!
 

JulietteTruong

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Ok I will probably see a doctor, but at this time most urgent cares are already closed or are closing soon. Do you think it's fine if I wait until tomorrow? I think I will tell them the kitten isn't mine and is in a different city or something bc I really don't want them to tell me to report or anything bc he's not a mean kitty at all. It really was just a stupid accident.
No go to the ER ASAP. The sooner the better, time is ticking. You do not want the bacteria to spread more.
 

silent meowlook

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This will be an unpopular and irresponsible answer, but here goes. Of course everyone's immune system is different etc. I have been bit allot more than most people have. I am sure. I have never had an issue. I have been bit through the veins on the back of my hand once by a cat with cryptococcus. Nothing happened. It hurt like hell for a week or so. Then it was fine. I have been bit multiple times through the arm by a terrified cat I was bathing, it got infected and I could squeeze pus out of my arm for a couple of weeks, but it healed up okay after a couple of months. I have been bit on the face before and many times through the fingers and on the hands and in the joints of my knuckles and thumb. Never went to the doctor. Didn't take antibiotics and did just fine. These were almost all feral cats that I was bit by and it was a long time ago. Although the few bites I have had this year I did nothing on and it still did just fine. Maybe I am just lucky but I don't know, I wouldn't go.
 

fionasmom

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I was bitten by a feral cat last year...not one of mine and completely my fault. I did wait until the next day to call my drs and vet and all said to go to the ER because they would have the HRIG if it were to be needed, which it was not as feral cats in LA county are not considered to be a vector for rabies. But I did get a big lecture about having let my tetanus shot expire and they did give some oral antibiotics.
 

Joelle and the kittens

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I was bitten by a feral and the wound got infected, it was swollen, painful, and red within 12 hours. This was during COVID so the next day I had a zoom consult with a doctor who told me I just needed a course of antibiotics and to update my tetanus booster. It healed fine. If it's not swollen or painful after 24 hours then it's unlikely to be infected with the standard cat bite bacteria, but you should still get a tetanus shot if you're not up to date.
 
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snowkitten

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Well, I was offline for a couple of days, and am assuming that whatever was going to happen with this bite has happened. SO....WHAT HAPPENED???
I'm alive! Lol So I didn't go to a doctor 😅 but that's bc it never seemed to get infected. I do need to get a tetanus shot though bc I'm not up to date.
 

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I am glad you are ok. If he was inside with you for 14 days or more rabies would be very unlikely, the cat has to be within 3-6 days or so of showing signs of rabies to transmit it to you. At which point he would be very ill soon after and would not last long. If you had gone to a doctor they would have had to file a report though etc. and he would be observed at home anyway depending on the state.

As for infection, bites to the hand are more dangerous and can cause serious infections, it is advisable for any bite to get antibiotics. When Merlin bit me on my leg( outdoor cat) I was put on augmentin, it was maybe getting infected a bit, but the antibiotics knocked out the pain and swelling quickly. We had to go through a whole quarantine nightmare but fortunately the county never contacted me. I wrote on the form he had been previously vaxed even though it had just expired. A way to get antibiotics and avoid all of this is to say a stray cat bit you and ran away, or you got a puncture wound on metal( same treatments). Definitely get your tetanus shot though. Just tell them you got a puncture wound somehow etc. or you just want to update tetanus.

I would continue to put antibiotic ointment on it etc.
 
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