I have heard the phrase cat scratch fever. What does that mean?

Question

I been scratched by my cat a couple of times, you know real quick when you can hear skin rip. The area around the wound feels strange, like a heat chemical went in. Then I feel mildly poisoned and weird. Has anyone else felt this way after being scratched? Is it like an allergic reaction, or is it my imagination?

Answer 1

Cat scratch fever is an actual medical condition caused by the bacteria under the claws getting in through your skin. It's very rare however, and takes days to weeks to become sympomatic. It is typical for the scratch to feel hot and to feel a burning sensation. Wash the wounds thoroughly with soap and warm water, let the water run over the scratches to flush them out. Then apply antibiotic ointment and a bandaid if needed. If you are still concerned tomorrow then call your doctor.

Answer 2

Cat Scratch Fever Song

Answer 3

Having had a staph infection caused by a cat's scratch I can tell you it is alarmingly fast in its spread. My cat got me full claw all the way in on my hand which is FULL of tendons and little air pockets where staph loves to munch..... in a few hours the little red spot had become inflamed and I could literally SEE the redness and the mild swelling moving across and down my hand like a bad horror movie . The area was also hot and slightly tender. I decided to go to the ER as my Dr.'s office had advised and needed an IV drip of antibiotics and oral for a week after wards. Now- being a breeder and rescuer of cats- I use good 'ole bactine if i get even the smallest scratch and have never had a recurrence. Bottom line- cats claws have the unusual crescent shape that can really get in and are filled with all kinds of microscopic critters- so always dose a scratch liberally with some kind of topical antibiotic. The actual 'cat scratch fever' is rare- however- cats have more then that on their claws- so if you notice a fever or even that the swelling is not going away with treatment- call your doctor- trust me- they will take it seriously.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
I have heard the phrase cat scratch fever. What does that mean?
I been scratched by my cat a couple of times, you know real quick when you can hear skin rip. The area around the wound feels strange, like a heat chemical went in. Then I feel mildly poisoned and weird. Has anyone else felt this way after being scratched? Is it like an allergic reaction, or is it...

Answer 5

Most cat-scratch disease begins with a scratch from the claw or tooth of a kitten younger than six months of age. It can also be caught from an adult cat. In California, about 40% of the cats carry Bartonella. The disease seems to rarely occur following a dog scratch or even from porcupine quills or cactus spines. This is different, though, from an infected paper cut. Most cases of cat-scratch disease occur in children between the ages of 2 and 14, and in veterinarians (those most likely to be scratched by a cat). For reasons yet to be determined, most cases occur in the fall or winter months.

Sometime between 3 and 30 days following the scratch (usually 7 to 12 days), the child breaks out with one or more pimples at the site of the scratch. These last for 1 to 4 weeks, until nearby lymph nodes begin to swell and become tender. Sometimes these will drain pus. Only about a third of kids will feel sick, with a fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, or headache. This is not a serious disease.

Most of the time, the swollen lymph nodes last from 4 to 6 weeks, and then the child recovers fully. Occasionally, the swollen nodes can last for a year. Only rarely have complications been reported, mostly in immunocompromised individuals. Treatment is usually unnecessary, since people recover well on their own, but several antibiotics (such as Zithromax and Biaxin) have been shown to shorten the course of the illness.

Diagnosis is now made by a blood test (or by biopsy, if other more serious conditions are suspected). The skin test is no longer performed, since it is less accurate and has now been shown to pass other known (and perhaps unknown?) diseases.

Answer 6

There is a disease called Toxoplasmosis that used to erroneously be called Cat Scratch Fever, that has to do with being exposed to the Gondii Parasite, which is where the cat's litter box comes in. Spores from the parasites in cats feces can be breathed in while changing the litter. It can also be contracted from raw eggs, and undercooked or raw meat that is contaminated with the spores of the parasite. It produces flu-like symptoms that include headaches, night sweats, fever, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, and in general isn't a big deal. It is a very serious problem for pregnant women to be exposed to it for the first time (if they hadn't before pregnancy), which is why most doctors tell them to have someone else change the cat's litter box while they are pregnant The parasite can cause birth defects in the unborn child. "Because cats are frequent carriers, you may also pick up the parasite if you are exposed to cat feces, such as when changing a cat's litter box. Some infections occur through blood transfusions or organ transplants involving blood or tissue from infected donors, but this is a much less common method of acquiring the disease." [from the Web MD]

There are 76 articles about it on Web MD. Chances are, you contracted some form of bacteria from your cat's claws. There are TONS of things they might have come into contact with. Wash the scratches with soap and water, apply some neosporin, and don't worry about it unless it starts getting really red and swollen. If that happens (almost never) get to a doctor pronto!

Answer 7

Beside being a title of Ted Nugents 1977 album it is:

Cat scratch fever or Cat-scratch disease is a usually benign infectious disease, most commonly found in children 1-2 weeks following a cat scratch. It was first described in 1889 by Henri Parinaud and has been called Parinaud oculoglandular disease and la maladie des griffes du chat. The cat was recognized as the vector of the disease in 1931 by Dr. Robert Debré.

The disease begins with a small pustule at the site of the scratch, and painful swelling of the local lymph nodes follows. In more severe cases there may be fever, malaise and anorexia. The disease usually resolves spontaneously, with or without treatment, in one month. In immunocompromised patients more severe complications sometimes occur.

The causative organism was first thought to be Afipia felis, but this was disproven by immunological studies demonstrating that cat scratch fever patients developed antibodies to two other organisms, Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, which are rod-shaped Gram negative bacteria.

Kittens are more likely to carry the bacteria in their blood, and are therefore more likely to transmit the disease than are adult cats.

Answer 8

Blueb 23 has it right! You might have just a slight infection try and topical dressing. Are you prone to a good imagination? I think that you should look up the link that Blueb gave. Technical but informative. I have been scratched to the point of a doctors visit and many many scratches of lesser intent. I have never had cat scratch fever.

Answer 9

A cat has all sorts of things under its claws. So when it scratches you, those things get in your skin. Cat scratch fever is when you get an infection form a cat scratch. If the infection worsens, it can cause fever, but thats true with any infection.

Answer 10

Cat Scratch Fever is when a cat scratches you and you get an infection worthy of a doctor's attention. When I was a kid,my cat scratched my mom, and she thought it was a mild scratch and she didn't even perform mild first aid on herself. She woke up the next morning and her hand was swollen like twice the size. She went in and they told her she had cat scratch fever.