My 5 year old was just scratched or bit by the neighbors cat how can we tell which and what should we do?

Question

I did take care of her. I was just worried it was a bite thats the Q how can you tell between a bite and a scratch!

Answer 1

My god, I read all the answers. Half didn't even understand your question and the other half are in hysterics. All cats scratch. Put some anti-biotic cream on it and kiss your 5 year old. If it gets swollen and red after a few days then go to the doctor. Tell your daughter to stay away from that Cat.
You really can't expect your neighbor to keep the cat indoors like another person said, please. We all live on earth together.

Answer 2

First you ask your neighbors is the cat is current on its rabies vaccination. That is the only communicable disease the cat could have given your son. Next, inspect the wound. A bite is usually a round hole in the skin, with a matching hole on the opposite side of the finger, hand, whatever. Basically, you are looking to see if the cat got it's mouth around whatever it bit. If it is a long line, like a scratch, then my guess would be your five year old got a scratch. Always better to be safe than sorry. If you have any real concerns about the wound, have it checked by a doctor. Maybe talk to your neighbors about keeping the cat inside. You can always use "selling points" like it is better to keep the cat safe from traffic, etc.

Answer 3

first of all ask the neighbors if the cat is current with the shots...if she is an outdoor cat then hopefully she is...if the cat is current with the shots just put some neosporin on the cut or bite (you really cant tell the difference) and keep it clean its going to be uncomfortable for about 24 hours until it scabs over so if you have the neosporin with the pain relief that would be the best if the cat is NOT current with the shots you may want to have the 5 yr old checked out and tell the neighbors they can foot the bill because that would be very irresponsible not to be current with the shots if the cat is an outdoor cat

Answer 4

Your pediatrician can tell you if it was a bite or a scratch, and either way....you should have it looked at by him or her. Call right now and ask him/her where you should take your child if their office is already closed for the night.

Regardless of the cat's vaccination status, the 'proper protocol' is this:

1. First and foremost.....IMMEDIATELY wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water, then disinfect with something like Betadine (available at any drugstore, WalMart, etc.) Doing that one simple thing will prevent most of what I'm about to tell you could happen. Whatever you do, do NOT use peroxide on the wound.
2. Alert your neighbor, so they can keep the cat strictly indoors until they are notified otherwise (i.e. until the Public Health Department determines whether a quarantine of the cat for 10 days is needed or not.) They are bound BY LAW to do this once a bite or scratch involving their pet and any human happens. If they don't do it once you notifty them, they can find themselves in some major legal trouble. *Responsible* pet owners are not offended by this request in the least. If their pet has not yet been vaccinated against rabies, they cannot get one for it until 10 days after the bite have passed, or they could risk having their pet euthanized to be tested. Tell them not to panic...as long as they do what they are supposed to do NOW, nothing bad will happen to them or their cat.
3. Take your child to the doctor. Do not *wait* to see if it gets infected. Take the child anyway. If it was a bite, tetanus can be a concern. Also....cats' mouths contain a particularly nasty bacteria called Pasteurella, which can cause serious (ntm very painful) infections if not treated with antibiotics immediately. This is the biggest concern with actual bites from cats. As another poster mentioned, cat scratch disease (although not nearly as common) is also a possibility.
4. If your doctor determines it was a bite, he/she will contact the health department to address the vaccination status of the cat, and they will require a simple 10-day quarantine to ensure there was no rabies virus in the saliva at the time of the bite. Unless it was a stray, the cat will not have to be euthanized/tested....just quarantined (even if unvaccinated.) Quarantines are required in bite cases regardless of vaccination status, and it's the animal owners' responsibility. It's just part of owning an animal. Up-to-date vaccinations do not guarantee 100% that no virus was present in the saliva. Doubtful that the cat had rabies, but it does exist. You only have that one 5-year-old, and there's just no sense in taking any chances. That's why the law is written the way it is regarding vaccinations and quarantines. Your DVM is more likely to be able to explain all of this to you than your MD...they call us for clarification all the time. (Since we and our staffs are at risk of bites on a daily basis from animals brought to us, you can bet your bottom dollar we know what the proper procedure to handle them is. We are also the officials responsible for quarantines.) The absolute best authority is your official State Veterinarian/Environmental Health Officer if you want to get the best information available..

No need to panic....but those are the steps you need to follow. Don't wait until tomorrow. Don't try to figure out on your own whether it's a bite or scratch....why would you take that chance? And please don't take "medical advice" from strangers on the Internet who do not have the qualifications to offer it. (Yes, as a licensed DVM I'm authorized to offer medical advice on how to treat animal bites/scratches in humans in the way I did above.)

P.S. Feel free to print this out and take it with you.

Answer 5

A scratch is just a long red thing on the surface of the skin and can just be cleansed and antibiotic ointment put on. A puncture from a bite would be much harder to detect as frequently they don't even bleed.

So if you saw something and treated it it was probably just a scratch and your daughter probably can tell you the area of her body where it is. Just watch it. A deep bite can show a reaction with five or ten minutes. It is painful, swollen, looks inflamed. If she has none of those things going on it was probably just a scratch.

Answer 6

If I were you, I'd go ask the neighbor if their cat has had rabies shots and distemper (ask in a nice way and explain why without putting blame - remember, cats will be cats). If the neighbors' cat had had his immunization shots and your has had his too, then the only thing you need to worry about is the possibility of the bite or scracth wound festering and develping an abscess. You need to clean out the flesh wound with hydrogen peroxide (this stuff is good coz it works through the fur).

If neither cat is up to date with shots, you need to call the vet for the standard protocol.

Answer 7

What is the Q?
A bite looks like a puncture mark, a scratch looks like... well.. a scratch.
Remember, cats claw at their feces to cover it, and they are known for harboring tons of bacteria.
I would call the neighbor to make sure cat has been vaccinated against rabies.
Watch the cut closley. If it shows even the slightest chance of infection, take the child in to the doctor to be seen.
In the meantime, administer lots of love, and hugs and ice cream :-)

Answer 8

it is possible that she could get cat scratch disease, which
is not fatal but can be unpleasant, take the child to a doctor
and have him or her checked out. If it is a minor scratch
or small bite, just wash with antibacterial soap and put
neosporin on it that should do the trick, if it looks worse
take the child to the doctor.

Answer 9

cats sometimes bite or scratch or bite and scratch children...it is a part of being a cat and of being a kid...thank God it wasn't a large dog or a pot-bellied pig. Children need to learn to respect animals somewhere, and if we do not teach our children to respect them, they (the critters) will teach the kids the only way they know how.

Answer 10

If the cat bit your child, there would be puncture marks. If it's a scratch there would be....scratch marks.

Clean with hot soap and water and put neosporin and a band aid.

Be aware that outdoor cats often times carry nasty parasites. They eat birds that can have bird flu, etc.