Cat bites/scratches

[Juniper_Junebug]

As a first-time cat "owner," I'm trying to get a sense of what is normal or not when it comes to cat scratches and bites. My Juno is usually pretty good but she hates it when I touch her hindquarters. So the other day when I had to clean poop off her back paws, I got bit and scratched. Very superficial, but it broke the skin. And now it's hurts more than I would expect from that superficial of a cut and has almost like a pimple on it. I'm not actually worried but more just trying to understand what a normal reaction looks like. I know cats have lots if bacteria, and I know about cat scratch fever, so I'll keep an eye on it, but I'd also love to know what's normal. (I realize no one here can give medical advice so just looking for others' experiences).

 

[Mr. Meow]

Being bit is how I ended up with my first cat! It also landed me in the hospital. On a scale of how bad bites can be (infection wise), human bites are the worst, then cats, then dogs.
I'd try cleaning out the bite wound with hydrogen peroxide, sooner rather than later. If your hand becomes red and a bit puffy, go to the doctor asap.
For the next time you have to clean off her back paws, I have 2 suggestions. First, make sure you "scruff" her, by holding the excess skin/fur at the back of her neck/shoulder blades. Don't lift her up by just that, but scruffing her makes it impossible for her to bite that hand. Second, if you have a sink or shower with a "wand" attachment, it'll make it easier to spray her dirty paws.

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

Being bit is how I ended up with my first cat! It also landed me in the hospital. On a scale of how bad bites can be (infection wise), human bites are the worst, then cats, then dogs.
I'd try cleaning out the bite wound with hydrogen peroxide, sooner rather than later. If your hand becomes red and a bit puffy, go to the doctor asap.
For the next time you have to clean off her back paws, I have 2 suggestions. First, make sure you "scruff" her, by holding the excess skin/fur at the back of her neck/shoulder blades. Don't lift her up by just that, but scruffing her makes it impossible for her to bite that hand. Second, if you have a sink or shower with a "wand" attachment, it'll make it easier to spray her dirty paws.

I wish I had a spray attachment somewhere in my house because then I could have avoided two awful bathing incidents. This time, and most times when it's not too bad, I just use pet wipes, but the downside is that it takes a bit longer to make sure I got it all, so more opportunity for her to thrash around and get me. I've tried scruffing (even watched how-to videos) and haven't been able to do it effectively. Usually I put her up on the sink counter so I'm never trying to hold her that way. I just can't seem to figure out the scruff.

Luckily I've made it four decades without having to know what it's like to suffer a human bite

 

[Jcatbird]

I know it’s hard to use gloves and bathe a cat but thick leather gloves or welding gloves can help. I have to bathe several long hair cats that hate it! I wear a very puffy coat and make sure the kitties can place front paws above the water to feel safer. A towel in the bottom of sink or wherever you bathe/ clean them gives them something to grip besides you. Mine try to climb onto my puffy coat! Lol I also use a plastic bin filled with warm water on the bathroom floor for some. I submerge the back end and then rinse with water from the tub spigot in a large cup that I use to pour water over the back. Running water sounds can be scary to them so an already filled container or very slowly running water may help. When bathing off poop, you may want to use gloves and if you get scratched doing that, clean the scratch very well. I have not had a scratch get infected yet but have had a bad bite. I actually clean all my wounds with alcohol. Burns but cleans.
Watch for any swelling, spreading redness or streaking redness running away from the wound. Cat scratches can really sting. Wounds near the ball or base of your thumb or along any major arteries should be carefully watched. My doctor knows that I work with cats and he has given me an antibiotic ointment of prescription strength. I use that too. Hopefully you will not have any issues but if in doubt, call the doc. Most doctors will let you text a photo of the wound these days. Please do let us know how you are doing.

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

I know it’s hard to use gloves and bathe a cat but thick leather gloves or welding gloves can help. I have to bathe several long hair cats that hate it! I wear a very puffy coat and make sure the kitties can place front paws above the water to feel safer. A towel in the bottom of sink or wherever you bathe/ clean them gives them something to grip besides you. Mine try to climb onto my puffy coat! Lol I also use a plastic bin filled with warm water on the bathroom floor for some. I submerge the back end and then rinse with water from the tub spigot in a large cup that I use to pour water over the back. Running water sounds can be scary to them so an already filled container or very slowly running water may help. When bathing off poop, you may want to use gloves and if you get scratched doing that, clean the scratch very well. I have not had a scratch get infected yet but have had a bad bite. I actually clean all my wounds with alcohol. Burns but cleans.
Watch for any swelling, spreading redness or streaking redness running away from the wound. Cat scratches can really sting. Wounds near the ball or base of your thumb or along any major arteries should be carefully watched. My doctor knows that I work with cats and he has given me an antibiotic ointment of prescription strength. I use that too. Hopefully you will not have any issues but if in doubt, call the doc. Most doctors will let you text a photo of the wound these days. Please do let us know how you are doing.

When I've bathed my kitty, it has been a full press operation, with multiple layers of clothes and gloves, and I have to trap her in my walk-in shower, because otherwise she'll get away. (I've had multiple vets call her "wiggly" and one vet tech reported that it was unusually hard to hold her down, although she also said she wasn't biting or scratching, just fast and nimble at escaping a burrito hold). That's why I've been using pet wipes as much as I can. But I will start keeping gloves in the bathroom where her litter box is, so I can use them even with pet wipes.

I have separately been trying to address the loose stools that cause or contribute to the problem but after deworming, tapeworm meds, two rounds of giardia treatment, and extra probiotics / s. boulardii, I'm now just waiting to see if her gut normalizes. I won't lie, I'm a little exhausted about having to fight her multiple times a week about whether it's ok for her to track poop around the house.

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

I actually clean all my wounds with alcohol. Burns but cleans.
Watch for any swelling, spreading redness or streaking redness running away from the wound. Cat scratches can really sting. Wounds near the ball or base of your thumb or along any major arteries should be carefully watched. My doctor knows that I work with cats and he has given me an antibiotic ointment of prescription strength. I use that too. Hopefully you will not have any issues but if in doubt, call the doc. Most doctors will let you text a photo of the wound these days. Please do let us know how you are doing.

I did put over-the-counter antibiotic ointment right away but forgot to reapply because, well, it was a really insignificant scratch. But I put more on tonight and will definitely monitor. It's really not worrisome at all, if you looked at it; I'm just curious because it was such a small scratch that got worse and not better over time (which usually doesn't happen if I have an equivalent scratch from scraping my arm on a piece of wood, for example).

 

[Jcatbird]

You could post pictures. The fact that you were cleaning a poopy back may have added some germs. Keep it clean. If it gets any worse, you should get it checked just to be safe.

 

[Jem]

Anytime I have ever been scratched by cats, I find they hurt and get irritated to a much higher level than any other type of scratch, and I've never gotten an infection either. I have a mild allergy to cats...not that I care...I will never live without cats in my life, so I just chalk it up to that. Puncture wounds from a claw or tooth (followed by a scratch or not) will hurt for several days, but the tissue around the initial pressure/puncture point does bruise...even if it does't look blue...so they do stay tender for some time.
I also find that hands are the worst, with hand washing and drying, and simply using the hands all the time (pulling and stretching of the skin around the boo-boo), even the smallest cuts can become painful and take longer to heal. With my job, I wash my hands A LOT, and even more now thanks to the pandemic, and within just one day of getting a cut/scratch, the wound is extremely red and inflamed, and it takes several days for it to calm down, but of course I still need to wash my hands so...oh well. Again, never any infection, just angry skin.

 

[susanm9006]

With a wound that is on the verge of being infected, I always soak it in hot water a few times a day. It helps the wound open up so it can drain.

 

[artiemom]

Watch the area. If the skin around the bite gets red, itches, or the redness enlarges; please go to the ER. That is an infection.

It happened to me, once. Artie bit through my white sock— he was stoned after having a dental— wanted loving and food.

I waited almost a week. Forgot about it. Then, my instep was very hot, itchy. I looked down; saw a large red area, a bit swollen. I ran to the ER, where they took me in immediately. They do not fool around with cat bites. I had a biopsy, was given IV antibiotics and oral antibiotics.

A few days later the culture came back , and I had to change the antibiotics.

please be careful.

 

[basscat]

I just wash the bite/scratch really well with warm water and soap. Scrub, scrub, scrub, lots of rinsing, then rubbing alcohol.
I've had a couple really bad bites. Latched on, to the bone, chewing, won't stop and won't let go kind of deals.
Might should have had those stitched up. But didn't. Just kept them clean and dressed and they healed up like any other cut I've ever had.
As for non aggressive nibbles and scratches? That's a daily thing and there's blood daily. I guess I'm just used to it. LOL
Everybody reacts differently to wounds though.

 

[lutece]

For any scratch or bite, the first step is to immediately wash as well as possible with soap and water. The quicker the better... run straight to the sink and give it a very good scrub. Once it's very clean you can also use a disinfectant if you have one (like alcohol). Then keep an eye on it.

It's normal for a scratch to become a bit red, bumpy or raised, and itchy. This doesn't necessarily indicate infection, if it's only along the line of the scratch itself. Even people who are not allergic to cats can have more of an allergic-type reaction to a cat scratch than to another type of cut. Personally I react much less to scratches if I get them thoroughly cleaned within the first minute.

However, if redness spreads beyond the immediate area of the scratch, go to urgent care and have it looked at. If redness starts moving up the arm, especially if you see red streaks, go immediately to the ER, do not delay.

With deep bites that leave a puncture wound, personally I just go ahead and visit urgent care to get antibiotics, especially if it's near a finger joint or a knuckle. Deep bites can become seriously infected quickly, and can be very serious if it penetrates a joint capsule.

If a bite is very shallow or leaves a more open slashing-type wound (even if it looks superficially worse than a puncture), you might be able to wash it well and avoid infection... but any time a bite punctures the skin, you do need to keep a close eye on it.

Here's an article that summarizes a 2014 study about cat bites. Cat bites are serious stuff!

Cat bites to the hand can cause serious infections, Mayo study finds - MinnPost

The small joints and tendons make great hiding places for bacteria.

www.minnpost.com

I've had a couple really bad bites. Latched on, to the bone, chewing, won't stop and won't let go kind of deals.
Might should have had those stitched up. But didn't. Just kept them clean and dressed and they healed up like any other cut I've ever had.
As for non aggressive nibbles and scratches? That's a daily thing and there's blood daily. I guess I'm just used to it. LOL
Everybody reacts differently to wounds though.

It's possible that bobcat bites may not be as prone to become infected as domestic cat bites. They might have different mouth bacteria than domestic cats? Or maybe Gibsy has an unusually clean mouth

 

[basscat]

It's possible that bobcat bites may not be as prone to become infected as domestic cat bites. They might have different mouth bacteria than domestic cats? Or maybe Gibsy has an unusually clean mouth

Gibsy's the nice one

 

[Jcatbird]

Gibsy's the nice one

That’s probably a very good thing! Sweet little Gibsy. One of my all time favorite kitties.

 

[artiemom]

not to sabortage thread... but.. basscat How is is Gibbs doing? Miss seeing your posts..

 

[posiepurrs]

Having been bitten deeply twice (by being stupid on my part) I always encouraged it to bleed as much as possible, wash it is HOT soapy water and soak it several times a day in hot water. This is what I learned when writing an article about cat bites for Cat Talk magazine. The experts I spoke with also told me at the first sign of infection to get help immediately. I have been very lucky not to have had infections, however my husband was not so lucky. He had a bite that required 2 trips to the ER - again it was his fault, not the cats. He was trying to break up a fight by picking up the cat - NOT the best way to deal with it! I do keep antibiotics on hand as a precaution.

 

[basscat]

not to sabortage thread... but.. basscat How is is Gibbs doing? Miss seeing your posts..

He's good.