Should I actually call 111 about my bloody finger (oh and find that cat and have it shot)?

[ReanimatedSGB]

A cat scratched me about five hours ago. It got the pad of my finger, drew blood. My fingertip has not stopped hurting and it is quite swollen. I've been whining on Facebook and at least two people have said: get medical attention. For a scratched finger? Really? Am I going to expire in the night?

And I am also a bit unimpressed with the owners of the cat. A sticker on the door saying 'Attack Cat on Duty' is all very well but most people are going to take that as a joke - I really didn't expect the bastard thing to go for my hand like that.

Do you have a minor injuries unit near you? I would probably go to one tomorrow if it’s not any better. They will see if there is a record of your tetanus. If you don’t feel unwell with infection I am not sure I would call 111 really. Ice? Painkillers?

I honestly would......bites and scratches from cats are prone to huge infections. The fact a relatively small cut is throbbing is cause for concern. Get it looked at and get a tetanus if needed.

I'd put some Germolene and a plaster on and see how it is in the morning.

Cats have very sharp claws and are unpredictable. That is their nature. Not easy to control. Don’t touch a cat if you aren’t sure it likes being touched? Mine scratches my DD14 sometimes and they do go all puffy for a while

Well, you were warned .

Keep and eye on it and make sure you disinfect it properly, cat scratches get infected really easily. If it's not infected, I wouldn't bother quite frankly. What's a dr going to do at this stage?

Mind you, my kid scratched me, it got mildly infected and I still waited a couple of days as it was going down on its own.

Bit of info here

Recently been bitten by a cat. GP assessed it the next day and prescribed a course of co-amoxiclav. No need for tetanus if you had your vaccinations as a baby.
Pic of mine attached. Little fucker just walked in and bit me!

You can call 111 for advice either way OP

I was doing one of my day jobs: leaflet delivery. Particularly tiresome leaflets on floppy paper that had to be coaxed through letterboxes, and this letterbox was one of those with a stupid nylon brush, so my fingertips were inside the letterbox... and then the cat attacked.

People in the UK tend to have a more relaxed attitude to cat bites, but the official advice here in Germany (where the health service is under less financial pressure) is to get medical attention within 8 hours of any puncturing cat wound, particularly bites. It needs to be disinfected and dressed, antibiotics prescribed to prevent infection, and then here there's at least one follow-up appointment to check it's not got infected. Britain has more of a 'wait and see' approach, by which point it's far more difficult to treat any infection that develops.

We met someone last week who had a deep bite from his own cat, and his finger was actually operated on in order to save it. It was a particularly bad bite though!

It’s not a bite ie with saliva
It’s a scratch
They aren’t the same exactly
I don’t disagree get some advice so call 111 if it’s bothering you

Give it a good dunk in TCP (or vodka) and see how it is in the morning.

Are you sure it’s a scratch and not a bite?

I was badly scratched by one of our cats a few years ago. It was just one scratch, more of a puncture really and left a large bruise. Went to work the next day and almost everyone I met said to go to the doc. Ended up needing a tetanus injection and was told to watch out for infection. Doc said cat scratch isn’t too bad but a bite definitely needs attention.

Because Bastard Cat and I were on either side of the letterbox, I don't actually know 100% if it was tooth or claw that got me. There is one puncture wound and one small cut/scratch - I was thinking 'scratch' because when I recoiled. squealing (only a little bit, because I am HARD and not easily scared), two furry paws with HUGE FLASHING BLADES on the end shot through the letterbox in an attempt to do more damage. I think I got done over by a feline Freddy Kruger. I'd hate to be that household's actual postman.

I’d be inclined to call 111 to be on the safe side. Cat bites can be dangerous.

With cats you need to be aware of cat bite fever (sometimes known as cat scratch fever). It is possible to get a bacterial infection from even slight scratches.

Mind you, I've till got scars from the cats we've had in the past and never did more than clean the scratch thoroughly.

Get over yourself honestly! Cuts throb - because your skin has been cut!! Sudocrene and see how it is tomorrow. If it’s fallen off pack it in ice and take it to a and e

Call them, especially as you can't be sure whether or not it was a bite or a scratch. You will usually be given antibiotics for a bite, it's better to be safe than sorry. As already mentioned, wounds inflicted by cats really are prone to infection.

Oh and you don't need to 'get over yourself' as suggested by a previous poster. I work with animals and it is our policy to seek medical attention for scratches and bites from a cat. Even a small wound can become badly infected very quickly

I've had cat scratch disease before, when I was about 10 or 11. It's pretty awful, but from memory it was a good week or so before I had any symptoms. It started with swolled glands and then just generally feeling shitty. My mum took me to the gp, who said it was viral until he saw the big scratch up my arm and asked if it was from a cat. Sent me home with antibiotics and instructions to go to A&E if I didn't improve, or got worse. My immune system was pretty shoddy as a child, which is probably why I got it.

You'll survive, goodness what a drama queen, even whinging on Facebook?

Use TCP or Sudocream, skin has been cut it will inevitably throb.

So how about all the times I and I’m sure others have been bitten or scratched from their own cats and survived? I’ve literally had 10 cats over my lifetime from kittens and have been attacked by all of them.

Because you've been lucky? Plenty of people don't get infections. But enough people do get infections that it warrants the NHS to prescribe antibiotics.

I'm not sure what you're hoping 111 can do if you're not sure whether it's a bite or a scratch as they won't be able to see it! Presumably it's more than a little scratch if you're posting online about it (difficult to tell from the photo/I can't really see anything...) If you're that concerned pop into a walk in centre tomorrow - sounds like if it's a puncture/bite then you might get some precautionary abx.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/animal-and-human-bites/

I have had a few scrapes with a cat.One was a stable cat where our horse was kept.I saved it's life by jumping in front of a car,grabbed it quick and threw it to one side.Next minute I had blood actually dripping to the floor,it had caught my wrist in a few places.I never got any treatment for it,just Savlon and a bandage.The next time was our own cat.He decided to jump on and off my face when I was laying in bed one night.He kicked off my face and left me with a deep scratch that looked like an extra wide smile.My husband could see the blood dripping from my face even in the dark.Have had a few minor ones but they were the worst two.