Scratched By Cat

[arouetta]

Rabies is transferred from biting, not scratching. A scratch will naturally turn a nasty color of red and a bit puffy when first made as that is the reaction of skin being damaged, not from the scratch specifically. Same as like the last time you got caught by a sharp corner on furniture, the damaged area gets red and puffy. That should be gone in maybe a day, after that if it looks like it's healing normally you're good to go. Yours are obviously well healed.

The only real thing that people worry about with cat scratches is that the same paws that are touching you are the same paws burying the waste, so there is something called "cat scratch fever" that basically is a mild infection. But that shows all the classic signs of infection, pus, bright red and hugely swollen, things like that.

It does sound a bit like you might be falling into the germaphobe trap, personally I'd worry more about that emotional over-reaction than I would a nicely healing scratch.

 

[cat nap]

Also one last question, if you were in this situation would you go see a doctor over the scratch or just assume everything is probably OK? My mom and boyfriend both think it would be ridiculous to go, would the doctor likely say that this is nothing to worry about?

No, I wouldn't bother going to see a doctor.
I'd only go to a doctor, if a scratch got worse...eg, it was deep, and did not seem to be healing, but rather spreading and painful. When it looks like yours, I would not bother.

But I don't find it wrong, to go and see a doctor, if I were feeling anxious about anything. I would explain what happened, and ask them to check it, and explain that having a doctor say it's nothing to worry about would make my anxiety less.
Getting yearly check ups by a doctor is always a good thing, anyhow, so I don't see feeling nervous, about a situation, as anything different, either.

 

[arouetta]

As far as how to approach a cat, YMMV. Some cats have to see your hand coming or they panic when they don't expect to be touched. Some cats have a kitten memory of a hand coming at you means hurt, so they won't want to see the hand coming. Some want fingers out, they fear fists or they think your fingers look like fish sticks. Some don't want fingers out, they want to control the hand and not have wiggly tendrils near them. Some cats frankly don't care what you do as long as some amount of petting is mixed in, some cats like my baby Shadow will sit there and sniff your hand 10 minutes before you're allowed to touch (the appropriate moment being when she headbutts your hand) no matter how many times that day she's sniffed your hand already.

 

[Textsfromthemoon319]

Incidentally, are you like me, and like to give 'your own name' to the cats that cruise by the neighbourhood?
(I do this more at my cousin's cottage, where the neighbours' cats always comes over. We also have a dog, but the cats don't care. And the dog is not allowed to chase any cats.)
When I find out the cat's real name, it's never similar to the one that I gave them.

Yes!! I did give her a name, the first day I saw her weirdly enough was just a few days after one of my families cats passed away (We had two cats Oscar who is 12 and Bandit who was 11 but sadly died recently due to a stroke caused by a blood clot) I call the visitor kitty Angel, I would be interested to meet her owners and find out what her real given name is though!

It does sound a bit like you might be falling into the germaphobe trap, personally I'd worry more about that emotional over-reaction than I would a nicely healing scratch.

Thank you for saying this honestly, I'm diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and have been since I was a kid, I've bounced in and out of treatment since I was a younger teen but I still sometimes have trouble discerning what is a reasonable worry and what is the "anxiety voice" so to speak. You're definitely right though so thank you very much

I do feel quite silly fretting over this when I'm sure its likely the kitty is fully vaccinated and well cared for and probably curled up wherever her home is sleeping right now LOL

Thank you all so much for continuing to help!

 

[cat nap]

Yes!! I did give her a name, the first day I saw her weirdly enough was just a few days after one of my families cats passed away (We had two cats Oscar who is 12 and Bandit who was 11 but sadly died recently due to a stroke caused by a blood clot) I call the visitor kitty Angel, I would be interested to meet her owners and find out what her real given name is though!

Ah, I'm so sorry for your loss of Bandit. That is always difficult.
Interesting that Angel the cat, dropped by after you lost Bandit. Like she had to remind you of all the good times, with your cat, or something.

She looks kind of like a tough cat to me, so I'd probably have given her a tough name, or some musician's name, since it's easier to remember...Adele, Whitney, Belinda, Ronda Rousey (that last one is not a musician ).

And yes, she probably went home, went inside, and curled up somewhere to sleep.
Another reason some cats will hiss and scratch is because they smell our own cats, and might not like the scent,...kind of a territory thing.

 

[Textsfromthemoon319]

Those are all great names, I could definitely see her as an Adele or even a Ronda hehe

I'm hoping to see her again soon, we've had a cold/rainy streak of weather this week and I think that her owners have likely been keeping her indoors, the two days she came to visit were nice weather days!

And that's a good point, I think she was okay with me admiring her and giving her gentle pets but when I reached out to her under the deck she was like "wait you're not MY human!", she had walked away a few times and it was silly of me to reach out to her, I was probably annoying the heck out of her lol I know better now

 

[cat nap]

...
I'm hoping to see her again soon, we've had a cold/rainy streak of weather this week and I think that her owners have likely been keeping her indoors, the two days she came to visit were nice weather days!

And that's a good point, I think she was okay with me admiring her and giving her gentle pets but when I reached out to her under the deck she was like "wait you're not MY human!", she had walked away a few times and it was silly of me to reach out to her, I was probably annoying the heck out of her lol I know better now

Yes, I can see her saying that. And she probably wanted to go take a nap. I'm hoping it was a nap and not just looking for privacy to use an outdoor, under deck, huge space as a litterbox. Though, hey, cats have to go somewhere. Atleast they bury it.

(She's probably like my sister, who gets really, really grumpy when she's tired, and says that I'm annoying her when she's tired. I'd probably be swatted, too, if she were a cat.)
Actually, my previous rainbow cat, Spotty, did swat and scratch, when I over-did the petting sessions, or bothered him when he didn't want to be touched. Now, thinking back, his personality was more like my sister's.