My 6 year old daughter was playing outside today, and was bitten on the ankle by a stray cat that was hiding under my car. It left 3 scrapes where the teeth broke the skin, but it did not draw blood. I immediately washed the bite, put neosporin on it, but when I went back out to capture the cat, it was gone. Animal control hasn't returned my call. The "nurse" at the pediatrican's office seemed totally unconcerned, but I'm a volunteer at the humane society, so I know all the nasty germs that can be passed on though a cat bite. She just said watch it and if it gets infected, call them. She said "Those rabies shots are so hard on the kids. I don't know if we'd even want to go there." Uh... once symptoms of rabies start, it's too late!
What else can I do? How concerned should I be? I'm at a loss here. I'm trying to stay calm and think like I do at the shelter where I volunteer, but the "mom" in me is starting to panic.
2007-09-21 11:33:11 · 10 answers · asked by Jennifer 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
The cat had no collar, its fur was a bit dirty looking, and it had heavy dandruff on its back. It was obviously not cared for by anyone, so I highly doubt it's been immunized against anything.
2007-09-21 11:34:32 · update #1
I've called the pediatrician at home and left a message for her to call me when she gets in. I seriously doubt the twit who called me back even consulted with the doctor before she left the office today. The doctor is actually a good friend of the family, and I know she'll call me back when she gets in this evening. I'm just starting to get frustrated, since animal control never called me back or came by, and then the twit at the doctor's office seemed so unconcerned. More people get explosed to rabies through feral cat bites than anything else, and this was an unprovoked attack. She was just trying to get into the car, and didnt' realize the cat was hiding behind the tire.
2007-09-21 11:47:17 · update #2
The key thing here is that the skin wasn't broken, just scraped. There should be no worries about that, you already washed it and used neosporin. If you want to, you can dab on hydrogen peroxide, but that's not actually necessary at this point.
The problems with bites when they break the skin and gouge deep is that the mouth bacteria is put directly into the blood stream and can cause problems (usually a tetanus shot is needed ) but there was no puncture wound on your daughter, just scrapes, so the nurse was right, it's been taken care of already and won't be getting worse.
I've been scratched, scraped and bitten, believe me you know the difference with a puncture bite! Hurts like hell, bleeds like crazy and you do need to watch it for two days. If a true deep bite is not hot and doesn't puff up dark red or bluish, it's going to heal just fine. Scrapes are just scrapes and of no concern. You've already handled it.
2007-09-21 14:08:26 · answer #1 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get her a tetanus booster and antibiotic injection. The ER will know what to do for a cat bite; I'm a dog groomer and if we get bitten by a cat we immediately go to the ER and they give you those 2 injections. I don't know what to tell you about rabies; I will say that it wasn't an unprovoked attack. The cat was scared because someone approached it's hiding place, it didn't come charging across the lawn to maul her. In the cat's mind, it was being threatened. So the circumstances themselves aren't enough to prove rabies. Did you get a good look at the cat? Any foam at the mouth, erratic movements, or did it just bite and then calmly run away? It's your call, but since the cat did not even draw blood, I probably would not do a rabies series. I think tetanus and antibiotics will suffice.
2007-09-21 19:00:50 · answer #2 · answered by Dreamer 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with most of the other posts here. I was bitten my my cat several years ago. It was a severe bite to the bone. My doctor started me on antibiotics and the nurse insisted on a tetanus shot (the doctor didn't want to waste his precious tetanus vaccine on me!). I was very grateful for the nurse watching out for me.
I would definitely get your daughter started on antibiotics.
2007-09-22 20:40:11 · answer #3 · answered by Kat 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think your biggest concern would be infection as cats do have a lot of bacteria in their mouths. I would not be overly concerned with rabies...unless you specifically know of a rabies outbreak in your area. Nowadays (in the US) rabies in domesticated animals is rare. If you are really concerned go ahead and have your daughter go through a series of rabies vaccinations for peace of mind.
2007-09-21 20:58:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nevermind the nurse and have her checked out anyhow. Like you said - you work at a shelter and you know how nasty cat bites can be. It's not worth the risk to just wait and watch.
2007-09-21 19:33:49 · answer #5 · answered by VetTech1016 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This question concerns me. Talk to your doctor not the nurse. In the meantime, see if anyone in the neighborhood has seen it. It really should be caught and quarantined or tested for rabies. Good Luck
2007-09-21 18:44:42 · answer #6 · answered by Clueless 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What about taking her to the emergency room. Might be more expensive then the regular doctor but if you're that concerned ( I would be too) it's worth it. Good luck and hugs.
2007-09-21 18:44:32 · answer #7 · answered by lillulu460 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First off, never see that pediatrician again. Find someone who will actually care about your daughter's well-being. Go to the emergency room if you have to.
2007-09-21 18:42:28 · answer #8 · answered by Jeff The God Of Biscuits 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i'd get her on anti-biotics to be safe. doesn't sound like the cat bite severly even though the skin was broken. i would just jump on some pills asap.
2007-09-21 19:12:52 · answer #9 · answered by sliggee 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
don't worry about it, I work at the spca and get bit or scratched all the time and I've never had any issues.
2007-09-21 18:45:18 · answer #10 · answered by catloverme123 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋