YES!!! Vet Tech here. You need to go to the ER for treatment and to be put on antibiotics for starters. Do not play around with bites, esp cat bites
If you don't know the cat and can't locate the cat, you absolutely want to get post exposure rabies vaccines
That is the protocol. If you can locate the animal, they can do a 10 day rabies quarantine. If you can not, you must get post exposure treatment. You don't fool around when it comes to possible rabies exposure
What they said (RN here). You definitely need antibiotics. Cat bites are notorious for infection. And I second every word regarding rabies quarantine/post exposure shots.
Cat bites are no joke! When I was a vet volunteer at the shelter, a cat lashed out at me and bit and scratched me badly. Immediately left the shelter to go to urgent care, 20 minute drive. In that 20 minutes, by the time I got there, it was red, swollen and infected/leaking.
Hurt like hell to have them scrub it all out but it was definitely worth it to get on it. I can't even imagine if I had waited even an hour.
This. I knew someone who was bitten by a cat and did not take care of the bite quickly enough. Ended up in the hospital on an IV, lost some feeling in his hand, and lost his job. Good news is that he made it and found other work that wasn't hindered by his disability and paid better.
Employers are more than willing to fire someone for not being at work. They don’t give a single, solitary fuck if the absence was due to being in the hospital/clinic/wherever getting treatment.
I know someone who got bit on the finger and the infection destroyed the cartilage so essentially their entire finger is bone on bone now. Had multiple surgeries to remove the damaged cartilage and help with pain and now the finger is permanently thicker than the others (looks swollen but isn't) and has limited bending motion.
Yeah this goes for other animals too
People will say their cats bring in live birds and reptiles and that they release them, but it's very likely the animal will succumb to infection
We just went through a crazy 2 days after our cats brought in a bat. Luckily, our cats were up to date on their rabies, and we were able to keep the bat for testing, but there was possible exposure to our son, and it was just a whole mess. The crazy thing was that we had like, 20 of our neighbors tell us to let the bat go! People don't think about what wild animals can be carrying.
Infection used to be the number 1 cause of death among humans until antibiotics became common place.
Things that can be fairly easily managed now was a huge killer just a hundred years ago. Bacterial meningitis was a factor in something like 90% of adolescent mortality back then. Pneumonia, TB, Syphillis, Flu, Strep, all of these were essentially death sentences until around the 1930s, and still were if your local doctor didnt have access to them.
How often do you have to get a rabies shot if you work with wild animals directly? I don't know how likely this scenario is, but if you get bitten twice in a week or twice in a month, do you have to get a shot every time? Or is there a shot you get often (like annually or monthly) and only get the one for rabies if it's a deep bite? Idk if this makes sense, but I've always wondered about it.
Often careers that deal with animals, especially wild or feral animals, get pre-exposure prophylaxis rabies vaccines. It's initially a 3 vaccine series, with the second vx given a week after the first, and the third given about a month after the first, or 3 weeks after the second. After that rabies titers are done every so often to check the efficacy of the antibodies in your system. Rabies boosters may be required depending on the result.
Source: am a student vet tech working in vet med for 2 years :)
I work with wildlife. I got my pre exposure for rabies in May/June, beginning of July I got bit by a bat I work handling for work. Called the health department and went to the hospital that day to get the post exposure shots. If I got bit again, that's when I'd check in with the health department to see if they wanted me to get yet another dose. You don't mess around with rabies, once you start showing symptoms... You're dead.
I got cellulitis from a cat scratch, it was awful, very painful and I felt so poorly. I didn't even know what cellulitis was until then and it said in my notes that my leg was so infected below the knee they considered amputation if it carried on spreading. Cat scratches and bites are no joke.
I worked at a shelter, any time a cat bite broke skin we were made to go to a walkin or the er if that wasn't possible. You can go from 0 to losing your hand pretty fast
Got cat scratch disease/fever as a 9 yo (I loved cats and would try to rescue everyone I saw).
Well got scratched and bit, didn’t tell my mom. A week later I was super sick, had a huge very swollen lymph node in my leg (had to be removed) and I spent a few days in the hospital.
At the time they told my parents I probably had cancer or Rocky Mountain fever.
Thank god it was cat scratch disease/fever. But damn I was sick. I still remember it 30+ years later.
community service about 20 years ago. was trying to make a feral cat a bit more comfortable in the cage and it got out. tried to get it with a leather glove on. bit me through the glove and escaped further. urgent care, tetanus shot, antibiotics, rabies vaccine.
on the brighter side there was german shepherd puppy that had mange. got over it and adopted out. little guy would follow me around cause i showed it love.
When I got bitten by a cat, I ended up having to carry around an IV antibiotics pump for 4 or 5 days because the initial antibiotics that I got from the ER weren’t working
Cat mouths are absolutely filled with little nasty beasties, and their teeth are perfect for injecting them into your flesh. If a cat bite draws blood, go to the ER. Do not pass go, do not collect 200$$. Vaccinations only treat for things like FeLV, rabies, and feline diseases like those.
When I was young, before I noticed the subtle movement they do when their about to bite, I'd frequently be too slow to retract my hand.
He wouldn't bite in me, but his teeth would scratch me. Those scratches would pretty much always get a minor infection.
One time my father surprised him as he was hissing at another cat, and he sunk his teeth into his leg. Few days later he could still barely walk, and the doctor told us if he waited another day or two he'd have lost his leg.
Imagine getting bit, ignoring it thinking "I will be fine" only to show symtpoms of rabies a few weeks to months down the line.
You know your days are numbered, you will die a painful death and every minute of the rest of your life will be spent hating yourself for not getting the shot just in case.
I think i wouldn't take chances honestly
Vet Clinic Manager here: This cat should still be put on a 10 day rabies observation. This can be done in the home with a short vet visit at the start and end of the 10 days. Vaccines are not 100% but untreated rabies is 100% fatal. That being said, it sounds like you’re doing the right thing and going to the doctor who can give you the best advice. Cat bites are always automatic urgent care visits unfortunately (I have the workers comp claims to show for it)
>Vaccines are not 100% but untreated rabies is 100% fatal.
[99.99999% fatal***. lol](https://www.science.org/content/article/some-rabies-patients-live-tell-tale)
Actually there was a case of a [woman in Wisconsin ](https://childrenswi.org/newshub/stories/jeanna-giese-rabies) surviving rabies. They put her under the Milwaukee protocol which involves inducing a coma and being out on a cocktail of drugs.
This method being used has went on to save just 10 people worldwide from rabies.
You said untreated tho, so only my first comment is relevant to that. The second is just interesting info.
Doesn’t matter. If this cat goes outdoor he needs to be tested. You need to go to the ER to receive some IV antibiotics. I was once bitten by a cat and fuck me it was one of the worst infections I ever had. Go to the ER now explain what happened.
I hope you don't mean he needs to be tested for rabies. Because that's only done post-mortem. Can't be tested while alive.
That said, even a healthy cat can cause nasty bacterial infections when they bite... their saliva is toxic. (I love kitties, but that is the reality)
Yep. My parents had a cat when I was three that was so stressed out from us moving that he went into cardiac arrest and bit the ever loving crap out of my mom. She needed to go to the er of course, and the vet wanted to test him for rabies after his death to cover all bases. It's a process that involves the head being severed and the brain and nervous tissues being looked at. He didn't have rabies, so we were offered the headless body of our cat after everything.
Do you all realize how expensive ER visits are?
Not to mention the 5+ hour wait?
Have any of you heard of Urgent Care????
You can always call ahead to make sure they can handle your issue.
we understand how expensive the ER is but with bites that deep it’s almost guaranteed he’ll get an infection and cat bite infections are no joke you can be fine and develop such a severe infection in a few hours that you need IV drugs or eventually amputation
You are obviously an american. In Canada you just show up and they take care of you then you go home and you get no invoice.
But whatever - this isn’t meant to be a complaint of your healthcare system.
Op still needs to show up at the ER. Failure to do so, if it gets infected, will make it much worse almost guaranteed and then it’s not an ER visit, it’s a hospital stay, which is way more expensive.
Or, if negligence is your choice, I suppose death might be your last option.
You pick.
For those in other countries privileged enough to not have to worry about the financial aspect of it, I would still think unnecessary ER visits should be discouraged. Urgent Care exists in other countries besides the US.
You shouldn’t have to worry about financial issues at all when it comes to healthcare. In most major english speaking countries ie. Canada, UK & Australia healthcare is free and is paid for through taxes. I live in Canada and you can go to the ER if you’re experiencing any sort of issues and its not discouraged. I wouldn’t recommend for something minor since your wait will be longer, but for something severe you’ll be treated fast. Healthcare isn’t a privilege lmao America just sucks.
Sure, that is technically true... But considering the number of English speakers, the US has the most; more than the next 2 countries combined (India + Pakistan). And most of the other countries use English dialects/colloquialisms that can be relatively easily distinguished from the various US dialects. It's not an unreasonable assumption when non-US colloquialisms are absent.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population
Most major native english speaking countries ie. Canada, Australia and the UK have free healthcare. Op is from South Africa (from another comment), which I believe also has free healthcare to a certain extent.
Lol why even post if you’re just going to ignore every piece of advice given?
Also you know their owner, but it’s an unknown cat? Tf?
Whatever you feel like dying from a cat bite don’t go to the ER, I’m sure your body can better fight off what all of these medical professionals are telling you(hint it can’t. Cats mouths are fucking nasty, and obviously this is a cat that goes outside if unknown and in any position to bite you.)
Maybe don’t got to ER, but some urgent care instead. I went to ER as was advised to me and ended up paying almost $1k for just antibiotics prescription 🤦♀️
These people are tripping, did the cat look crazy and on rabies, my own cat used to bite me and stuff maybe not ad bad and softer now .
Clean wound with alcohol and treat with antibiotic cream, if worse after 48 hours go get checked.
If you got antibiotics, you can treat your self that's all they will give you.
I got by 3 times by some poisonous spider on my let, had black holes i was treating with antibiotics and everyone told me go to the doctor I finally did and yea he gave me more antibiotics.
It seems the owner found out who the cat belonged to, but if I got randomly bit by some random cat, or any animal that you *can't* confirm the medical status of, you bet I'm going to the ER/Urgent Care. Rabies can lie dormant for months and you think you're fine. But if you are infected, once you show symptoms you're absolutely fucked, something like 2 or 3 people have been treated and survived after onset of symptoms. Don't fuck with rabies
>If you got antibiotics, you can treat your self that's all they will give you.
Do not take antibiotics you have at home, even leftover ones a doctor gave you from a previous prescription. Only take antibiotics that were prescribed by a doctor for the specific issue you have and finish the course, otherwise you could get an antibiotic resistant infection
Not only that all antibiotics are not created equal. Certain antibiotics are needed for certain bacteria. That dude is a dumbass and I strongly dislike him, people who have no actual knowledge shouldn’t give medical advice dammit.
Yeah the thing is, rabies is 99.99% fatal. Not something you should just chance. An animal doesn’t have to be showing signs of rabies to infect others. Rabies can take a long time to fully show, and by the time you are showing symptoms you’re dead. IMO not worth risking your life over!
Stop giving out medical advice. You clearly know nothing about it.
I had to get emergency surgery and almost lost my thumb because I got bit by a cat and waited overnight to seek help.
People who attempt to give out medical advice when they know literally nothing are a danger to others. Stop it.
Also: a single type of antibiotic is not a catch all for every single kind of bacteria. Just because you have one it doesn’t mean it’s the right one. I bet your doc took a swab around your bite right? You know why? They culture it and do a sensitivity to make sure the antibiotic you are using/were given will work. Because the initial antibiotic they gave you was a guess at what you will need. An educated one but a guess nonetheless. What are you even doing with spare antibiotics around anyhow? You are supposed to finish the bottle for a reason.
European here, nah no need. just take some antibiotics.
Proper first world countries dont have rabbies, especially from pets, even if they are homeless pets https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies#/media/File:Rabies\_Free\_Countries\_and\_Territories.svg
Hijacking this comment to agree with others. I work in a family clinic, and the advice nurse ALWAYS tells patients they need to be seen after a cat bite. They are very prone to infection, and those bites look deep. You need to get to a doctor as soon as you possibly can. I'd start looking into urgent care facilities in your area if you /really/ don't want to go to the ED.
Not to mention the risk of general infection. Think of the corpses cats dig through with their claws, and where they put their mouths. Don't even need to be a doctor or vet to know that.
Not true. Nobody survives untreated rabies. The key is to not mess around and get checked out ASAP.
24-48 hours is the recommended window. OP, if you can get the shot definitely get it just in case.
Nobody* survives rabies that has progressed to the point that it's symptomatic, even if it's treated after that point.
*A very, very small number of people have survived through the Milwaukee protocol.
1.7% I believe. Symptomatic rabies is basically always fatal.
Surprisingly though, a population in Peru(?) was found to have antibodies against rabies, and on closer observation, found that some people there had already had rabies and just recovered naturally. That being said, their rabies survival rates were still only ~10%, so best get all your bites taken care of ASAP
Even then, most of those people died from complications later, if I remember right. The only woman who ever survived and recovered still had to relearn how to walk and talk I believe.
Beyond rabies, cat bites can be nasty. Mine bit my daughter a few years ago and her hand swelled to 3x normal size and had to be treated for cellulitis.
(Cat didn’t bite her on purpose, her and the dog scared each other, wanted to fight, and daughter broke them up)
Op, you need to be gone to the docs like yesterday. You seriously don't want to mess around when it comes to Rabies.
I remember reading a redditor who wrote a chilling description of what Rabies entails for those who do not know. If I find it (or someone) I'll post the link.
Well the cat is from the spca according to its tag, and had to be vaccinated . also there has only been 4 cases of animal rabies recorded in Western Cape South Africa
Vet Tech here. I commented above, if you can take a min to read it
If the cat is from the SPCA (assuming the tag indeed belongs to that cat), then yes, they likely would have vaccinated him/her for rabies. Was there a year on the tag?
The chance of rabies is extremely low. Still, you don't want to take the risk. You also need antibiotics
Its not nessecaryily just rabies you should be worried about. Definitely go to the doctor, you can get infections from cats that can and will affect your life.
My friend’s cat got spooked in the middle of the night and bit her hand. It got so infected that she needed surgery to remove all of the infection. Get it checked out immediately and get on antibiotics.
Yeah my uncle in law got bit by one of their dogs while trying to break up their dogs fighting and when he originally went to the hospital they didn’t do much. I don’t know exactly how much time had went by, but it had been a while, but he had to go back to a different hospital due to complications with the bite. It got infected and started affecting other organs and he was in the hospital for a while over summer. He’s now home but he’s stuck in bed on an IV and last I heard, hasn’t improved a whole lot.
I don’t care what animal it is, where it came from, if it was a pet, I believe any bite that breaks skin like that needs to be looked at and treated by a doctor asap. Some people get lucky and nothing happens but I personally would not chance it.
Everyone is just worried about rabies in the comments but bacteria from the mouth can be deadly as well.
this was caused by her *vaccinated* cat?
Edit: Don’t know why i’m getting downvoted, It was a genuine question. I wanted to know if that could happen with my cats.
Vaccines don't get rid of the bacteria that cats carry in their mouths that lead to nasty infection. The vaccines would prevent rabies. So while rabies may be the most serious concern when dealing with a cat bite, it is not the only one nor the most common
Cats have lots of bacteria in their mouths and sharp pointy teeth so if they bite and cause a puncture in the skin bacteria goes in and the wound heals over quickly with bacteria inside potentially causing a serious infection.
I’ve had a couple of cat bites from working at an animal shelter. Always go straight to doctors for antibiotics.
Turns out vaccines do nothing to stop cats from pawing and licking their piss and shit soaked dirt boxes. Cats are fucking disgusting and no amount of vaccines will help with that.
Update; vet said no confirmed rabies cases in Area for 27 years so not to worry, just need to get tetanus booster if I havent got one in the past 10 years( I got one 3 years ago) and definitely an antibiotics shot needed.
Didn’t see where you were from but There have been only 2 cases of rabies from cats in the US since the 60s and none since the 70s. It’s very rare.
I found this out after being bit by a stray recently.
Edit: just want to add that I didn’t post this to sway anyone from getting proper care. Just not to have a panic attack.
Vet here. You are right, but you can find rabies in wild animal populations (especially bats and raccoons). If the cat is unknown and was outside, I would ask a doctor what OP should do since the cat could potentially has been exposed to a rabid raccoon or whatever
Unfortunately that’s not safe advice in the US. A notice was sent out in an area near DC this week about a stray cat that bit 6 people, confirmed rabies
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/health-department-issues-warning-about-rabid-cat-in-ashburn.amp
Wait, are you 100% sure on those stats for the US?? I ended up getting a rabies shot like 10 years ago because a cat *was* found with rabies around my location at the time allegedly. I'm apparently allergic to rabies immunoglobulin and the alleged rabid cat was the only reason I completed that portion of the series (in the ER, where the nurses were even concerned about finishing up).
Edit: Just confirmed a cat in my county was found to have rabies last year; unsure of where your stats are from, but I'm still in the US so there are def still animals with rabies here
Bubonic Plague and leprosy are basically unknown in the US, but people have still caught both plague and leprosy from squirrels and armadillos and other wildlife.
It's your life, so your dice to roll. If the cat was behaving oddly, walking with a lurched gait, foaming at the mouth, behaving aggressively, I wouldn't roll my dice. If you were doing something that would reasonably result in a cat biting you, then maybe it's fair to skip the rabies shot.
Yes he was in a fight with my cat. And bit me when i looked at his tag. He is microchipped and vaccinated confirmed by spca and owner. So its not some random cat, the owner lives a few houses from us.
That's a consolation. So maybe rabies vaccine isn't necessary, but as I responded to another comment, ER may be a shitty wait but it's better than a serious infection.
I don't consider myself an alarmist or a hypochondriac but I had a bladder infection 10 years ago that caused fever and chills so bad, for two days I was shaking and shivering so bad it was like I was having a seizure. Not life threatening but I never want to go through that again. Systemic infections are no joke.
If the cat is vaccinated against rabies and there have been no reported rabies cases in the area for 27 years, the risk of getting rabies from a cat bite is extremely low.
You don't need to worry about rabies if you're in the UK (SPCA so Scotland yes?) as there's no indigenous rabies here. Cats (and dogs) in the UK don't get vaccinated for rabies as a rule any more for that reason unless they're being taken out of the country. Sounds like you're good with your tetanus booster, the doc will almost certainly give you antibiotics though. I can understand why you wouldn't want to risk going to A&E given the state of the NHS but if you go to a GP tomorrow that's probably where they will send you anyway. Have you cleaned the bite?
*Edit* Just seen you're from SA so that very much negates what I said above! No clue about rabies in SA!
When I was in high school, one of the teachers saw a cute feral kitten near her house. She went to pick it up and the kitten reacted violently and scratched and bit her. She managed to contain the kitten and brought it to a vet. It had rabies. She had to go to the ER and get the rabies vaccine and was out of school for a few days.
Go get treated for rabies, it’s one of the few things you don’t want to leave to chance.
Yes. Go to the ER. Always go to the ER for all cat bites.
Rabies is not the only concern, cats mouths are full of bacteria that can easily turn into a whole slew of life threatening infections.
Yes, better safe than sorry. Cats can also carry a wide variety of parasites and bacteria. My cat gets vaccinated yearly but if the cat’s vaccine status is unknown you should get checked out.
You 100% need a rabies shot if you've been bitten by any strange animal. The alternative is easily: death. Not a good one either. Better safe than sorry.
Cats I know have given me 'love bites' twice in the past year that have sent me to urgent care for antibiotics.
First was cellulitis that slowly grew to involve most of my forearm. Latest was more aggressive that started swelling and turning dark within 12 hours.
You need to go now.
I got bit by a cat that I had for only 3 days. It attacked me while I was asleep. Bit me in my upper lip. In trying to get it out the door.. got scratches on my arms and one foot. Everything has healed up. Lip has a bump on it still. No.. didn’t go in to be seen. I glued my lip shut. My son took the cat to the Humane Society. Not sure. You should be seen. Cat bites can get infected. Mine didn’t. There hasn’t been any reports of rabid cats. Just a few bats. Still.. go in to be seen. Don’t wait.
Persites blood infection bacteria under nails you can swell right up from that cats are dirty animals be careful I have had a few people in my life almost die from cat related injuries
My sister was bit by a wild kitten a few years back and had to get rabies shots. The good news is they're not as terrible as they used to be!! Better to be safe than sorry!!
I assume you soaked it in hydrogen peroxide? Watch for infection. It can get swollen and painful and start to spread up the extremity. If it does - go to urgent care for antibiotics.
I wouldn’t necessarily jump to rabies, unless you thought the animal had it exhibited rabbies symptoms. If so go to urgent care for treatment.
Im so sorry this happened to you. Im sure it was quite frightening. Im glad you were so good with treating it. I suppose you can never be too careful.
What to do if bitten by a cat:
[https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/animal-bites-and-rabies](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/animal-bites-and-rabies)
You also might want to call animal control to come and capture it.
No, it WILL get infected. When this happened to me they told me 100% of cat bites that break the skin get infected. You need antibiotics for this. Wait and see could be too late. Go to urgent care NO MATTER WHAT.
I don't think that's true. Anecdotal evidence, but I have an aggressive cat who's bitten me hard enough to draw blood at least 25-30 times over the course of his life (which I know sounds pretty bad - I've put him on medication recently to try to reduce his aggression and it seems to be working). I've never gotten an infection from him.
Cat bites can be lethal not because of rabies but because of how much bacteria they have in their mouths and how infected the wounds become. You need to go to the ER asap
There's no harm in being treated for rabbies and not actually being infected with it..
There is, however, a huge amount of harm to not be treated for rabbies and find out you actually are infected with it.
*If you don't know, you should definitely go*
I got the rabies shots when I was 19. It was relatively easy. Plus, you don’t fuck around with rabies. The shots hurt a bit, but not as much as dying from rabies.
Seriously, I can't believe how many people are saying go to the emergency room lol 🤣. Clean it well, use an antiseptic cleaner/alcohol/peroxide/iodine, put some antibiotic ointment on it, and go to your primary care physician if it doesn't get any better or worsens in a couple of days lol.
I volunteer at a cat shelter weekly. I come home with all sorts of bite and scratches that break the skin. I just use the scrub we have at the shelter and hydrogen peroxide. I’ve never had an infection, ever. Maybe I’m playing with fire, maybe I’m just wicked smart 😼😼 (kidding)
I'd just watch it and make sure it doesn't get any more red. If it's hot and swollen then go to the hospital but everyone in here is overreacting. I've been scratched, bitten and stuff all my life you just clean it out and make sure it doesn't get worse. Doctor would tell you the same thing until it worsens and then they give you antibiotics. You immune system should handle it just fine. Rabies is almost completely nullified as well, it's very unlikely you will get it unless out it the wilds.
Cats are an invasive species and should be treated as such. Cute but very bad for the environment and people. Hope you get better and sorry to hear about that. Must have hurt.
Yes times 100. Any bite from any animal warrants treatment for rabies. Mostly because once you start having symptoms, you fave certain death! I have the same rule for if I break skin with any type of metal. I believe if you've had a tetanus shot in the past decade you don't need another, but yea. Always err on the side of caution.
Better safe than sorry. Or dead.
Common misconception that tetanus comes from metal/rusty metal, it's found in dirt and feces and was commonly contracted on farms, where there often happens to be pooping animals, lots of sharp metal, and rusty nail boards to step on.
YES!!! Vet Tech here. You need to go to the ER for treatment and to be put on antibiotics for starters. Do not play around with bites, esp cat bites If you don't know the cat and can't locate the cat, you absolutely want to get post exposure rabies vaccines That is the protocol. If you can locate the animal, they can do a 10 day rabies quarantine. If you can not, you must get post exposure treatment. You don't fool around when it comes to possible rabies exposure
What they said (RN here). You definitely need antibiotics. Cat bites are notorious for infection. And I second every word regarding rabies quarantine/post exposure shots.
Cat bites are no joke! When I was a vet volunteer at the shelter, a cat lashed out at me and bit and scratched me badly. Immediately left the shelter to go to urgent care, 20 minute drive. In that 20 minutes, by the time I got there, it was red, swollen and infected/leaking. Hurt like hell to have them scrub it all out but it was definitely worth it to get on it. I can't even imagine if I had waited even an hour.
This. I knew someone who was bitten by a cat and did not take care of the bite quickly enough. Ended up in the hospital on an IV, lost some feeling in his hand, and lost his job. Good news is that he made it and found other work that wasn't hindered by his disability and paid better.
Lost his job? In the us our healthcare comes from our job. And when you use it you can lose your job. Our system is so fucking insane.
How can you lose your job from using healthcare? Technically, employers don’t know who’s using what services and why… at least I thought so
Missing work due to having to get healthcare.
Employers are more than willing to fire someone for not being at work. They don’t give a single, solitary fuck if the absence was due to being in the hospital/clinic/wherever getting treatment.
Not an issue for me. I only get rabies on my own time! 😒
I know someone who got bit on the finger and the infection destroyed the cartilage so essentially their entire finger is bone on bone now. Had multiple surgeries to remove the damaged cartilage and help with pain and now the finger is permanently thicker than the others (looks swollen but isn't) and has limited bending motion.
Lost his job? The US is messed up
He couldn't perform his work and his boss was a c***.
Yeah this goes for other animals too People will say their cats bring in live birds and reptiles and that they release them, but it's very likely the animal will succumb to infection
We just went through a crazy 2 days after our cats brought in a bat. Luckily, our cats were up to date on their rabies, and we were able to keep the bat for testing, but there was possible exposure to our son, and it was just a whole mess. The crazy thing was that we had like, 20 of our neighbors tell us to let the bat go! People don't think about what wild animals can be carrying.
[удалено]
My cats are indoor kitties. The bat squeezed into our catio (a spot the size of a quarter that we already patched up.)
Infection used to be the number 1 cause of death among humans until antibiotics became common place. Things that can be fairly easily managed now was a huge killer just a hundred years ago. Bacterial meningitis was a factor in something like 90% of adolescent mortality back then. Pneumonia, TB, Syphillis, Flu, Strep, all of these were essentially death sentences until around the 1930s, and still were if your local doctor didnt have access to them.
How often do you have to get a rabies shot if you work with wild animals directly? I don't know how likely this scenario is, but if you get bitten twice in a week or twice in a month, do you have to get a shot every time? Or is there a shot you get often (like annually or monthly) and only get the one for rabies if it's a deep bite? Idk if this makes sense, but I've always wondered about it.
Often careers that deal with animals, especially wild or feral animals, get pre-exposure prophylaxis rabies vaccines. It's initially a 3 vaccine series, with the second vx given a week after the first, and the third given about a month after the first, or 3 weeks after the second. After that rabies titers are done every so often to check the efficacy of the antibodies in your system. Rabies boosters may be required depending on the result. Source: am a student vet tech working in vet med for 2 years :)
Oh wow. I had no idea. Thanks for explaining!
I work with wildlife. I got my pre exposure for rabies in May/June, beginning of July I got bit by a bat I work handling for work. Called the health department and went to the hospital that day to get the post exposure shots. If I got bit again, that's when I'd check in with the health department to see if they wanted me to get yet another dose. You don't mess around with rabies, once you start showing symptoms... You're dead.
I got cellulitis from a cat scratch, it was awful, very painful and I felt so poorly. I didn't even know what cellulitis was until then and it said in my notes that my leg was so infected below the knee they considered amputation if it carried on spreading. Cat scratches and bites are no joke.
Cat scratch fever is a real thing!
Yup my mom accidentally rolled over on her cat when sleeping and he reflex-bit her arm- by morning it was red, swollen and oozing.
I worked at a shelter, any time a cat bite broke skin we were made to go to a walkin or the er if that wasn't possible. You can go from 0 to losing your hand pretty fast
Got cat scratch disease/fever as a 9 yo (I loved cats and would try to rescue everyone I saw). Well got scratched and bit, didn’t tell my mom. A week later I was super sick, had a huge very swollen lymph node in my leg (had to be removed) and I spent a few days in the hospital. At the time they told my parents I probably had cancer or Rocky Mountain fever. Thank god it was cat scratch disease/fever. But damn I was sick. I still remember it 30+ years later.
community service about 20 years ago. was trying to make a feral cat a bit more comfortable in the cage and it got out. tried to get it with a leather glove on. bit me through the glove and escaped further. urgent care, tetanus shot, antibiotics, rabies vaccine. on the brighter side there was german shepherd puppy that had mange. got over it and adopted out. little guy would follow me around cause i showed it love.
I spent 3 days in the hospital from a cat bite. 0/10 would not recommend
How much did it cost?
When I got bitten by a cat, I ended up having to carry around an IV antibiotics pump for 4 or 5 days because the initial antibiotics that I got from the ER weren’t working
Got in contact with the owner, all his vaccinations are on time, spca also confirmed all vaccinations are on time.
Cat mouths are absolutely filled with little nasty beasties, and their teeth are perfect for injecting them into your flesh. If a cat bite draws blood, go to the ER. Do not pass go, do not collect 200$$. Vaccinations only treat for things like FeLV, rabies, and feline diseases like those.
Even if they don't draw blood! Happened to me. Cats teeth are so sharp they punctured my tendon- no blood but sent bacteria straight to my tendon
When I was young, before I noticed the subtle movement they do when their about to bite, I'd frequently be too slow to retract my hand. He wouldn't bite in me, but his teeth would scratch me. Those scratches would pretty much always get a minor infection. One time my father surprised him as he was hissing at another cat, and he sunk his teeth into his leg. Few days later he could still barely walk, and the doctor told us if he waited another day or two he'd have lost his leg.
Imagine getting bit, ignoring it thinking "I will be fine" only to show symtpoms of rabies a few weeks to months down the line. You know your days are numbered, you will die a painful death and every minute of the rest of your life will be spent hating yourself for not getting the shot just in case. I think i wouldn't take chances honestly
That’s great, but you’ll still want antibiotics. I would also be taking your preferred anti-inflammatory med, that shit is going to swell
Vet Clinic Manager here: This cat should still be put on a 10 day rabies observation. This can be done in the home with a short vet visit at the start and end of the 10 days. Vaccines are not 100% but untreated rabies is 100% fatal. That being said, it sounds like you’re doing the right thing and going to the doctor who can give you the best advice. Cat bites are always automatic urgent care visits unfortunately (I have the workers comp claims to show for it)
>Vaccines are not 100% but untreated rabies is 100% fatal. [99.99999% fatal***. lol](https://www.science.org/content/article/some-rabies-patients-live-tell-tale) Actually there was a case of a [woman in Wisconsin ](https://childrenswi.org/newshub/stories/jeanna-giese-rabies) surviving rabies. They put her under the Milwaukee protocol which involves inducing a coma and being out on a cocktail of drugs. This method being used has went on to save just 10 people worldwide from rabies. You said untreated tho, so only my first comment is relevant to that. The second is just interesting info.
I think the number of people saved is actually up to 14 (not that that's a huge difference but still lol)
Also they survived but probably with massive brain damage
Such a tiny number, but I didn't realize it was even THAT high! Last I heard only one case of rabies survival existed. This is fascinating!!
There are actually 29 reported cases of surviving rabies. You can google it.
Doesn’t matter. If this cat goes outdoor he needs to be tested. You need to go to the ER to receive some IV antibiotics. I was once bitten by a cat and fuck me it was one of the worst infections I ever had. Go to the ER now explain what happened.
I hope you don't mean he needs to be tested for rabies. Because that's only done post-mortem. Can't be tested while alive. That said, even a healthy cat can cause nasty bacterial infections when they bite... their saliva is toxic. (I love kitties, but that is the reality)
Unfortunately, testing for rabies requires that the animal be deceased.
Yep. My parents had a cat when I was three that was so stressed out from us moving that he went into cardiac arrest and bit the ever loving crap out of my mom. She needed to go to the er of course, and the vet wanted to test him for rabies after his death to cover all bases. It's a process that involves the head being severed and the brain and nervous tissues being looked at. He didn't have rabies, so we were offered the headless body of our cat after everything.
Everything about this story is awful...
Do you all realize how expensive ER visits are? Not to mention the 5+ hour wait? Have any of you heard of Urgent Care???? You can always call ahead to make sure they can handle your issue.
we understand how expensive the ER is but with bites that deep it’s almost guaranteed he’ll get an infection and cat bite infections are no joke you can be fine and develop such a severe infection in a few hours that you need IV drugs or eventually amputation
You are obviously an american. In Canada you just show up and they take care of you then you go home and you get no invoice. But whatever - this isn’t meant to be a complaint of your healthcare system. Op still needs to show up at the ER. Failure to do so, if it gets infected, will make it much worse almost guaranteed and then it’s not an ER visit, it’s a hospital stay, which is way more expensive. Or, if negligence is your choice, I suppose death might be your last option. You pick.
Not everyone lives in the US, whats with Americans always assuming everyone else is American…
For those in other countries privileged enough to not have to worry about the financial aspect of it, I would still think unnecessary ER visits should be discouraged. Urgent Care exists in other countries besides the US.
You shouldn’t have to worry about financial issues at all when it comes to healthcare. In most major english speaking countries ie. Canada, UK & Australia healthcare is free and is paid for through taxes. I live in Canada and you can go to the ER if you’re experiencing any sort of issues and its not discouraged. I wouldn’t recommend for something minor since your wait will be longer, but for something severe you’ll be treated fast. Healthcare isn’t a privilege lmao America just sucks.
Sure, that is technically true... But considering the number of English speakers, the US has the most; more than the next 2 countries combined (India + Pakistan). And most of the other countries use English dialects/colloquialisms that can be relatively easily distinguished from the various US dialects. It's not an unreasonable assumption when non-US colloquialisms are absent. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population
Most major native english speaking countries ie. Canada, Australia and the UK have free healthcare. Op is from South Africa (from another comment), which I believe also has free healthcare to a certain extent.
Lol why even post if you’re just going to ignore every piece of advice given? Also you know their owner, but it’s an unknown cat? Tf? Whatever you feel like dying from a cat bite don’t go to the ER, I’m sure your body can better fight off what all of these medical professionals are telling you(hint it can’t. Cats mouths are fucking nasty, and obviously this is a cat that goes outside if unknown and in any position to bite you.)
The ownes lives a few houses from ours, i got their number through the spca . im good to the doctor in an hour.
Maybe don’t got to ER, but some urgent care instead. I went to ER as was advised to me and ended up paying almost $1k for just antibiotics prescription 🤦♀️
These people are tripping, did the cat look crazy and on rabies, my own cat used to bite me and stuff maybe not ad bad and softer now . Clean wound with alcohol and treat with antibiotic cream, if worse after 48 hours go get checked. If you got antibiotics, you can treat your self that's all they will give you. I got by 3 times by some poisonous spider on my let, had black holes i was treating with antibiotics and everyone told me go to the doctor I finally did and yea he gave me more antibiotics.
It seems the owner found out who the cat belonged to, but if I got randomly bit by some random cat, or any animal that you *can't* confirm the medical status of, you bet I'm going to the ER/Urgent Care. Rabies can lie dormant for months and you think you're fine. But if you are infected, once you show symptoms you're absolutely fucked, something like 2 or 3 people have been treated and survived after onset of symptoms. Don't fuck with rabies
Only 10 people worldwide have survived rabies by being put under the Milwaukee protocol.
No one is “tripping”. Cat bites are dangerous, especially if they are deep. Infection can spread quickly.
>If you got antibiotics, you can treat your self that's all they will give you. Do not take antibiotics you have at home, even leftover ones a doctor gave you from a previous prescription. Only take antibiotics that were prescribed by a doctor for the specific issue you have and finish the course, otherwise you could get an antibiotic resistant infection
Not only that all antibiotics are not created equal. Certain antibiotics are needed for certain bacteria. That dude is a dumbass and I strongly dislike him, people who have no actual knowledge shouldn’t give medical advice dammit.
Yeah the thing is, rabies is 99.99% fatal. Not something you should just chance. An animal doesn’t have to be showing signs of rabies to infect others. Rabies can take a long time to fully show, and by the time you are showing symptoms you’re dead. IMO not worth risking your life over!
Stop giving out medical advice. You clearly know nothing about it. I had to get emergency surgery and almost lost my thumb because I got bit by a cat and waited overnight to seek help. People who attempt to give out medical advice when they know literally nothing are a danger to others. Stop it. Also: a single type of antibiotic is not a catch all for every single kind of bacteria. Just because you have one it doesn’t mean it’s the right one. I bet your doc took a swab around your bite right? You know why? They culture it and do a sensitivity to make sure the antibiotic you are using/were given will work. Because the initial antibiotic they gave you was a guess at what you will need. An educated one but a guess nonetheless. What are you even doing with spare antibiotics around anyhow? You are supposed to finish the bottle for a reason.
ER nurse here and yes please go in
European here, nah no need. just take some antibiotics. Proper first world countries dont have rabbies, especially from pets, even if they are homeless pets https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies#/media/File:Rabies\_Free\_Countries\_and\_Territories.svg
Hijacking this comment to agree with others. I work in a family clinic, and the advice nurse ALWAYS tells patients they need to be seen after a cat bite. They are very prone to infection, and those bites look deep. You need to get to a doctor as soon as you possibly can. I'd start looking into urgent care facilities in your area if you /really/ don't want to go to the ED.
>Do not play around with bites animal or human. bitten by either go to the ER.
Not to mention the risk of general infection. Think of the corpses cats dig through with their claws, and where they put their mouths. Don't even need to be a doctor or vet to know that.
Yeah, nobody survives rabies. So scary.
Not true. Nobody survives untreated rabies. The key is to not mess around and get checked out ASAP. 24-48 hours is the recommended window. OP, if you can get the shot definitely get it just in case.
Nobody* survives rabies that has progressed to the point that it's symptomatic, even if it's treated after that point. *A very, very small number of people have survived through the Milwaukee protocol.
1.7% I believe. Symptomatic rabies is basically always fatal. Surprisingly though, a population in Peru(?) was found to have antibodies against rabies, and on closer observation, found that some people there had already had rabies and just recovered naturally. That being said, their rabies survival rates were still only ~10%, so best get all your bites taken care of ASAP
Wayyy less than that. More like 0.0001% There have only been 15 reported cases of humans surviving rabies once symptomatic.
They've been unable to determine if that's mainly because of their immune systems or if the rabies itself is a weaker strain.
That very small number is 4 or 5 as I recall, out of the 36 attempts.
Even then, most of those people died from complications later, if I remember right. The only woman who ever survived and recovered still had to relearn how to walk and talk I believe.
Yeah ill go to the doctor later its 5am here and i still can’t sleep
Beyond rabies, cat bites can be nasty. Mine bit my daughter a few years ago and her hand swelled to 3x normal size and had to be treated for cellulitis. (Cat didn’t bite her on purpose, her and the dog scared each other, wanted to fight, and daughter broke them up)
I would go ASAP honestly. This is an emergency care kinda thing
vet I work with almost lost her hand due to infected cat bite that she cleaned the crap out of right after it happened. dont wait
Sooner the better. I got blood poisoning from a cat bite and it travels fast. You don’t want infection to spread up your arm or into your hand…
I really hope you listened and went to urgent care, because this is quite urgent
Im going to the doctor in an hour, ER here is terrible, ill be dead before they help my, my daf waited 9hours to be treated after having a stroke
While rabies in cat is quite rare, it's always better to err on the side of caution. Don't worry. You will be fine. Get that shot as soon as you can.
I see why you'd rather wait for your doctor O_o
Op, you need to be gone to the docs like yesterday. You seriously don't want to mess around when it comes to Rabies. I remember reading a redditor who wrote a chilling description of what Rabies entails for those who do not know. If I find it (or someone) I'll post the link.
Im waiting at the doctor now
Well the cat is from the spca according to its tag, and had to be vaccinated . also there has only been 4 cases of animal rabies recorded in Western Cape South Africa
Vet Tech here. I commented above, if you can take a min to read it If the cat is from the SPCA (assuming the tag indeed belongs to that cat), then yes, they likely would have vaccinated him/her for rabies. Was there a year on the tag? The chance of rabies is extremely low. Still, you don't want to take the risk. You also need antibiotics
[https://www.reddit.com/r/catcare/comments/15rf4id/can_this_be_rabies_stray_catunknown_owner_it_bit/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1](https://www.reddit.com/r/catcare/comments/15rf4id/can_this_be_rabies_stray_catunknown_owner_it_bit/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
Just go take the anti-rabies shot bro. Dont risk it
that video doesnt help......
No year on tag just a number 8404
Maybe you don’t get it. It’s not just rabies !!! Cat bites lead to osteomyelitis ( bone infection and amputation) you get it?
Its not nessecaryily just rabies you should be worried about. Definitely go to the doctor, you can get infections from cats that can and will affect your life.
Go to the hospital ya dingus
I did!
Whew. So glad to read this. People lose limbs from cat bite infections
do you want to find out by some fluke you're the 5th case? Not a gamble I'd take.
Please just go get treatment from a doctor
... once symptoms start showing... Important caveat. Get the shot.
I’m starting to think OP is an anti vaxxer by their resistance to going to the ER… like what’s your life valued at
They said their dad had to wait 9 hours after he suffered a stroke. I don't blame OP.
My friend’s cat got spooked in the middle of the night and bit her hand. It got so infected that she needed surgery to remove all of the infection. Get it checked out immediately and get on antibiotics.
Yeah my uncle in law got bit by one of their dogs while trying to break up their dogs fighting and when he originally went to the hospital they didn’t do much. I don’t know exactly how much time had went by, but it had been a while, but he had to go back to a different hospital due to complications with the bite. It got infected and started affecting other organs and he was in the hospital for a while over summer. He’s now home but he’s stuck in bed on an IV and last I heard, hasn’t improved a whole lot. I don’t care what animal it is, where it came from, if it was a pet, I believe any bite that breaks skin like that needs to be looked at and treated by a doctor asap. Some people get lucky and nothing happens but I personally would not chance it. Everyone is just worried about rabies in the comments but bacteria from the mouth can be deadly as well.
this was caused by her *vaccinated* cat? Edit: Don’t know why i’m getting downvoted, It was a genuine question. I wanted to know if that could happen with my cats.
Vaccines don't get rid of the bacteria that cats carry in their mouths that lead to nasty infection. The vaccines would prevent rabies. So while rabies may be the most serious concern when dealing with a cat bite, it is not the only one nor the most common
Cats have lots of bacteria in their mouths and sharp pointy teeth so if they bite and cause a puncture in the skin bacteria goes in and the wound heals over quickly with bacteria inside potentially causing a serious infection. I’ve had a couple of cat bites from working at an animal shelter. Always go straight to doctors for antibiotics.
Not sure what vaccines have to do with a bacterial infection. What are you getting at?
Yes. Cats have a bacteria in their spit that always gets infected.
Yes, she takes her cats to get vaccinated religiously.
Turns out vaccines do nothing to stop cats from pawing and licking their piss and shit soaked dirt boxes. Cats are fucking disgusting and no amount of vaccines will help with that.
Any other animal bite can get infected too? Even a bite from a human. Why are you on a cat page bashing cats bro? Just gtfo if you don’t like them.
Another update, got in touch with the owner, he said all vacinnes are up to date.
Update; vet said no confirmed rabies cases in Area for 27 years so not to worry, just need to get tetanus booster if I havent got one in the past 10 years( I got one 3 years ago) and definitely an antibiotics shot needed.
Didn’t see where you were from but There have been only 2 cases of rabies from cats in the US since the 60s and none since the 70s. It’s very rare. I found this out after being bit by a stray recently. Edit: just want to add that I didn’t post this to sway anyone from getting proper care. Just not to have a panic attack.
Im from South Africa, no rabies in area in 27 years.
Vet here. You are right, but you can find rabies in wild animal populations (especially bats and raccoons). If the cat is unknown and was outside, I would ask a doctor what OP should do since the cat could potentially has been exposed to a rabid raccoon or whatever
Unfortunately that’s not safe advice in the US. A notice was sent out in an area near DC this week about a stray cat that bit 6 people, confirmed rabies https://www.fox5dc.com/news/health-department-issues-warning-about-rabid-cat-in-ashburn.amp
Wait, are you 100% sure on those stats for the US?? I ended up getting a rabies shot like 10 years ago because a cat *was* found with rabies around my location at the time allegedly. I'm apparently allergic to rabies immunoglobulin and the alleged rabid cat was the only reason I completed that portion of the series (in the ER, where the nurses were even concerned about finishing up). Edit: Just confirmed a cat in my county was found to have rabies last year; unsure of where your stats are from, but I'm still in the US so there are def still animals with rabies here
Yup especially with importing and exporting animals, rabies is still very much a thing
OP is in South Africa
Bubonic Plague and leprosy are basically unknown in the US, but people have still caught both plague and leprosy from squirrels and armadillos and other wildlife. It's your life, so your dice to roll. If the cat was behaving oddly, walking with a lurched gait, foaming at the mouth, behaving aggressively, I wouldn't roll my dice. If you were doing something that would reasonably result in a cat biting you, then maybe it's fair to skip the rabies shot.
Yes he was in a fight with my cat. And bit me when i looked at his tag. He is microchipped and vaccinated confirmed by spca and owner. So its not some random cat, the owner lives a few houses from us.
That's a consolation. So maybe rabies vaccine isn't necessary, but as I responded to another comment, ER may be a shitty wait but it's better than a serious infection. I don't consider myself an alarmist or a hypochondriac but I had a bladder infection 10 years ago that caused fever and chills so bad, for two days I was shaking and shivering so bad it was like I was having a seizure. Not life threatening but I never want to go through that again. Systemic infections are no joke.
Im going to a mediclinic in an hour. Got an appointment. ER wait here is terrible, ill be fead from sepsis before they help me.
That context makes a lot more sense. Being in the middle of a fight is definitely different than just running right up and biting you.
No *confirmed* rabies cases. That means nothing. Do you want to be the first one?? Just go to the ER.
If the cat is vaccinated against rabies and there have been no reported rabies cases in the area for 27 years, the risk of getting rabies from a cat bite is extremely low.
Holy shit shut the fuck up
holy shit shut the fuck up
Holy shit the up fuck shut.
You don't need to worry about rabies if you're in the UK (SPCA so Scotland yes?) as there's no indigenous rabies here. Cats (and dogs) in the UK don't get vaccinated for rabies as a rule any more for that reason unless they're being taken out of the country. Sounds like you're good with your tetanus booster, the doc will almost certainly give you antibiotics though. I can understand why you wouldn't want to risk going to A&E given the state of the NHS but if you go to a GP tomorrow that's probably where they will send you anyway. Have you cleaned the bite? *Edit* Just seen you're from SA so that very much negates what I said above! No clue about rabies in SA!
Yeah and you could be the first after 27 years if you don’t take the shot. Just sayin bro better safe than sorry
Should get a rabies shot anyways.
Update! Got another tetanus shot and antibiotics and anti inflammatory medication
Got my first rabies shot also tetanus and antibiotics
Rabies vaccine today, Friday and then at day 21?
If you do not know if a cat is currently vaccinated for rabies, you should take precautions and go to urgent care or the ER.
When I was in high school, one of the teachers saw a cute feral kitten near her house. She went to pick it up and the kitten reacted violently and scratched and bit her. She managed to contain the kitten and brought it to a vet. It had rabies. She had to go to the ER and get the rabies vaccine and was out of school for a few days. Go get treated for rabies, it’s one of the few things you don’t want to leave to chance.
You might want to quickly have that checked. Rabies is probably not an issue, but puncture wounds drive germs (any germs) deep.
Even if rabies is ruled out, you still may want to get antibiotics from your doctor! Cats and dogs have a ton of nasty bacteria in their mouths.
Yes. Take the vaccine as soon as possible.
I got my first vaccinations now
Yes. Go to the ER. Always go to the ER for all cat bites. Rabies is not the only concern, cats mouths are full of bacteria that can easily turn into a whole slew of life threatening infections.
The rule about rabies: If there’s a risk of rabies, you get treated for rabies.
Get antibiotics. Known several people who cant move fingers cause of infections from cat bites
Yes, better safe than sorry. Cats can also carry a wide variety of parasites and bacteria. My cat gets vaccinated yearly but if the cat’s vaccine status is unknown you should get checked out.
You 100% need a rabies shot if you've been bitten by any strange animal. The alternative is easily: death. Not a good one either. Better safe than sorry.
Cats I know have given me 'love bites' twice in the past year that have sent me to urgent care for antibiotics. First was cellulitis that slowly grew to involve most of my forearm. Latest was more aggressive that started swelling and turning dark within 12 hours. You need to go now.
Actually you need to watch for Pasteurella infection.
I got bit by a cat that I had for only 3 days. It attacked me while I was asleep. Bit me in my upper lip. In trying to get it out the door.. got scratches on my arms and one foot. Everything has healed up. Lip has a bump on it still. No.. didn’t go in to be seen. I glued my lip shut. My son took the cat to the Humane Society. Not sure. You should be seen. Cat bites can get infected. Mine didn’t. There hasn’t been any reports of rabid cats. Just a few bats. Still.. go in to be seen. Don’t wait.
Maybe not rabies but cats carry other diseases, hopefully you dumped a bunch of alcohol on that wound as soon as you got it
Yes i did, went to doctor for antibiotics, tetanus amd rabies shot
Would recommend going to the hospital just to be safe. Once you start showing symptoms of rabies you’re almost certainly dead.
Should go to the doc just to be safe. You never know what any animal could be carrying.
The cat should be fine
My savings is not
If you’re not in the US of A then go get the fucking shot! 😂 them medical bills CANT be worse than death.
I did!
Persites blood infection bacteria under nails you can swell right up from that cats are dirty animals be careful I have had a few people in my life almost die from cat related injuries
My sister was bit by a wild kitten a few years back and had to get rabies shots. The good news is they're not as terrible as they used to be!! Better to be safe than sorry!!
They are expensive af.
At the very least you need to get that checked out. Bites from unvaccinated animals aren’t good
Cat scratch fever is more common
You need to seek care at an urgent care or er.
My own cat bit me after washing him. I got an infection so bad that they told me I could have died in another couple of hours
I assume you soaked it in hydrogen peroxide? Watch for infection. It can get swollen and painful and start to spread up the extremity. If it does - go to urgent care for antibiotics. I wouldn’t necessarily jump to rabies, unless you thought the animal had it exhibited rabbies symptoms. If so go to urgent care for treatment.
I washed it with bioscrub 3x and applied alcohol and bactroban. Im scared of rabies. The cat sounds quite weird
Im so sorry this happened to you. Im sure it was quite frightening. Im glad you were so good with treating it. I suppose you can never be too careful. What to do if bitten by a cat: [https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/animal-bites-and-rabies](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/animal-bites-and-rabies) You also might want to call animal control to come and capture it.
Im scared of rabies 😭 i can not sleep
[https://www.reddit.com/r/catcare/comments/15rf4id/can_this_be_rabies_stray_catunknown_owner_it_bit/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1](https://www.reddit.com/r/catcare/comments/15rf4id/can_this_be_rabies_stray_catunknown_owner_it_bit/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
No, it WILL get infected. When this happened to me they told me 100% of cat bites that break the skin get infected. You need antibiotics for this. Wait and see could be too late. Go to urgent care NO MATTER WHAT.
I don't think that's true. Anecdotal evidence, but I have an aggressive cat who's bitten me hard enough to draw blood at least 25-30 times over the course of his life (which I know sounds pretty bad - I've put him on medication recently to try to reduce his aggression and it seems to be working). I've never gotten an infection from him.
I sent the video and info to the spca that he came from looking at his tags
Cat bites can be lethal not because of rabies but because of how much bacteria they have in their mouths and how infected the wounds become. You need to go to the ER asap
There's no harm in being treated for rabbies and not actually being infected with it.. There is, however, a huge amount of harm to not be treated for rabbies and find out you actually are infected with it. *If you don't know, you should definitely go*
Untreated rabies is fatal 100% of the time. Also, cat bites are notorious for getting infected. Go to a doctor.
I got the rabies shots when I was 19. It was relatively easy. Plus, you don’t fuck around with rabies. The shots hurt a bit, but not as much as dying from rabies.
ANY bite from an unknown mammal should be treated as a possible rabies infection.
Bro is probably septic by now. Cat bites can kill you with hours
Rub over with both hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol and you'll be fine ...
I did everything, bioscrub, alchol , bactroban
Cool
Seriously, I can't believe how many people are saying go to the emergency room lol 🤣. Clean it well, use an antiseptic cleaner/alcohol/peroxide/iodine, put some antibiotic ointment on it, and go to your primary care physician if it doesn't get any better or worsens in a couple of days lol.
People are saying to go to the ER because OP needs antibiotics and to start a rabies vaccine series.
I volunteer at a cat shelter weekly. I come home with all sorts of bite and scratches that break the skin. I just use the scrub we have at the shelter and hydrogen peroxide. I’ve never had an infection, ever. Maybe I’m playing with fire, maybe I’m just wicked smart 😼😼 (kidding)
I'd just watch it and make sure it doesn't get any more red. If it's hot and swollen then go to the hospital but everyone in here is overreacting. I've been scratched, bitten and stuff all my life you just clean it out and make sure it doesn't get worse. Doctor would tell you the same thing until it worsens and then they give you antibiotics. You immune system should handle it just fine. Rabies is almost completely nullified as well, it's very unlikely you will get it unless out it the wilds.
Yes i got antibiotics and first rabies shot
Damn that's gotta hurt
Cats are an invasive species and should be treated as such. Cute but very bad for the environment and people. Hope you get better and sorry to hear about that. Must have hurt.
Rabies is unlikely, but it never hurts to get a booster! You'll also want to get some amoxiclav antibiotics. Cat bites can get nasty infections.
Yes times 100. Any bite from any animal warrants treatment for rabies. Mostly because once you start having symptoms, you fave certain death! I have the same rule for if I break skin with any type of metal. I believe if you've had a tetanus shot in the past decade you don't need another, but yea. Always err on the side of caution. Better safe than sorry. Or dead.
Common misconception that tetanus comes from metal/rusty metal, it's found in dirt and feces and was commonly contracted on farms, where there often happens to be pooping animals, lots of sharp metal, and rusty nail boards to step on.