The cat scratched the hand of my wife, it did not have a collar, so I am assuming it is a stray cat. Just as a precaution I am wondering what I should do?
2007-01-02 15:47:15 · 6 answers · asked by Chris 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
It was acting normally, I think she was trying to pet him.
2007-01-02 15:54:25 · update #1
Just apply an antibiotic ointment, such as polysporin, neosporin, or bactroban.
It is extremely unlikely that the cat had rabies (not showing any signs of it), and even if it did, rabies is transmitted in the saliva and other bodily fluids.
2007-01-02 16:17:55 · answer #1 · answered by P-nuts and Hair-dos 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
That is extremely unlikely. The cat would have first had to have contracted rabies from something else, which would be unlikely in such a short period in such a young cat. Also, it would have to be outside in contact with other things that had rabies, which is unlikely as most domestic kittens are kept indoors. You would also be able to tell if it had rabies already by it's really weird behavior - including trying to bite people - and by the telltale frothing of the mouth. The chances of getting rabies this way are so remote as to be mathematically insignificant. I wouldn't worry.
2016-03-15 00:46:22 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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If I remember correctly, rabies is a disease only transfered via body fluids - so, generally, bites. I doubt you could get rabies from a scratch, and the animal you came into contact with also would need to have rabies. It would be obvious if the kitten had rabies (it would be attempting to bite anything in sight - that's how the disease spreads. It manipulates the poor animal into trying to spread it as far as it can.). So, the risk is extremely low - close to impossible.
2016-04-11 05:32:56 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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RE:
Can you get rabies from a cat scratch?
The cat scratched the hand of my wife, it did not have a collar, so I am assuming it is a stray cat. Just as a precaution I am wondering what I should do?
2015-08-10 22:59:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is not simple. You probably don't have much to worry about, but we can't be sure.
Rabies is caused by a virus that we can find in all mammals, but only a few species are important reservoirs of it, and cats are not one of those. The virus lives in and is transmitted through saliva, and so you'd be most likely to contract it if you are bitten. There is a slight chance that saliva-contaminated claws could transmit the virus, but the chance of that happening is very low.
Having said that, the chance is not zero, and it could very well take a long time before your wife started showing symptoms, up to three years, in fact. In the majority of cases, symptoms begin in 1 to 3 months, but that is still a long time when you're wondering about an infection. Besides, by the time symptoms appear, the disease is usually fatal.
You most likely have nothing to worry about, since this was a cat that was acting normally. If it were me, I would wait. If it were my wife, however, I would not. That may be just me, but that's what I would do. You might want to present this to your medical care office in the morning--you might not have to actually talk to a doctor--and ask their opinion.
Treatment preferably starts as soon as possible, for injections are best administered on days 0,3,7,14, and 30. You'd want to start tomorrow.
I'm sorry that this could not be more definitive, but without the animal taken for observation we're shooting in the dark. With my family, I'd play it safe.
2007-01-02 16:27:37 · answer #5 · answered by eutychusagain 4 · 2⤊ 3⤋
No, I don't think so. Rabies is transmited through saliva. Plus, you'd probably know if a domestic cat had rabies by how it was acting.
2007-01-02 15:52:37 · answer #6 · answered by superbabe742 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
not it has to be a slimey bite
2007-01-02 16:33:31 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋