should DH go to OOH doctors with this? Or just treat at home? Savaged by local bully cat!

[turkeyontheplate]

DH has been bitten by a neighbour's tyrant cat while trying to get it to stop terrorising one of ours. It's a nasty bite, but obviously nothing A&E-worthy. Should he go to OOH to have it dressed/cleaned, or do you think it's OK to just bung a bit of antiseptic cream on it? I've heard animal bites are prone to infection?

YABU: just wash it and put a bit of cream on
YANBU: go to OOH and get it seen

I'd ring 111 or go to OOH since it's Sunday tomorrow (otherwise I would suggest emergency GP appt first thing). I know someone who had to have surgery after a cat bite and was shocked to hear how dangerous they are - you really don't want to be dealing with an infection over Christmas and it can escalate quickly if untreated.

I'd head to a minor injuries unit! Or OOH if not. As PP has said cat bites are the worst for infection as cats have so much bacteria in their mouths.
I'd go as soon as you can especially if it's already red and swollen!
I say this as an ex 111 call handler!!!

If he's had a tetanus booster in the past 10 years I'd just clean it up and keep at eye on it.

If no booster, get one from the clinic nurse tomorrow.

Personally I wouldn't waste my night in A&E for it, especially if you are getting public transport to and fro.
Bit of antiseptic, stiff drink, bed.
Deal with it tomorrow.

Tonight is The Worst Night for A&E & paramedics etc because of last weekend before Xmas. I doubt you’ll get seen by a dr before the early hours of the morning anyway.

Better to sleep on it and go to a walk-in/OOH tomorrow.

Sorry - posted without refreshing, but I hope you aren't kept waiting for too long and that your husband is ok.

If its swelling he needs to go straight in, sorry but thats the way it is.

I always keep a bottle of hibiscrub in the house for this reason....... our elderly cat likes to dig his claws in or bite when he's being brushed. I'd be tempted to clean it well and see how it looks in the morning.

If he's otherwise well, it doesn't look that bad.

This is exactly the sort of thing 111 was designed for, give them a call

Tbh I'd leave it and just keep an eye. My 4 year old was once but by a stray cat in greece. 4 deep puncture wounds. Went straight to pharmacy, they didn't care but played on my mind so went to hospital next day and they were quite relaxed no treatment and keep and eye. By the time we were home mainly healed

Agree - don't leave it! DH has effectively been injected with all the nasties inside that cat's mouth.

Seriously, why aren't cats that bite people put down the way dogs are?

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

I googled it for you!

clean the wound immediately by running warm tap water over it for a couple of minutes – it's a good idea to do this even if the skin does not appear to be broken
remove any objects from the bite, such as teeth, hair or dirt
encourage the wound to bleed slightly by gently squeezing it, unless it's already bleeding freely
if the wound is bleeding heavily, put a clean pad or sterile dressing over it and apply pressure
dry the wound and cover it with a clean dressing or plaster
take painkillers if you're in pain, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen – children under 16 years old should not take aspirin
seek medical advice, unless the wound is very minor

The swelling is probably caused by histamine, but I would get it checked anyway.

I was bitten by a cat (the big pointy canine too) whilst doing a shift at CP earlier in the year. I did everything properly-let it bleed and cleaned with Hibiscrub. In less than 2 hours it swelled up quite a bit so off to hospital I went. They x-rayed it, cleaned it out and gave me antibiotics.

I would clean that thoroughly and dress it liberally with antiseptic before covering it and see how it goes. I would say I've only had dog bites rather than cat bites to deal with but my husbands had a few corkers and some got infected due to his job. I would attempt the out of hours doctor or minor injuries route tomorrow if you need to rather than A&E as I think you'll be there all night waiting to be seen. I think the swelling is normal, but if it gets infected then obviously you're going to need something prescribed.

Oops posted too soon. I think it needs to be seen.

Yep. I rang 111 and they made an appointment and said go straight up to hospital for OOHs Doctor but they didn't have any Tetunus or Hep B so I had to go to GP in the morning but I was given antibiotics.

I'm not in the least inclined to be dramatic (despite my username) but cat bites can be very nasty & I'd be inclined to get it seen. It's not an emergency though, I'm sure tomorrow will be fine.

Yes, he needs to be seen. Cat bites can be deep puncture wounds and get horribly infected. He really does need it cleaned properly and probably antibiotics now, before a deep seated infection sets in.

Good luck

Without doubt go and get treatment. My sisters cat bit her on the hand and she ended up with a trace line going up her arm. Went to the hospital and was admitted for 2 days on intravenous antibiotics

Glad to hear he's going to be seen. My friend did the wait and watch approach, got sepsis, nearly lost his hand and needed a couple of operations. Don't delay 👍

Cat bites are horrendous , their teeth are designed to push the maximum number of bacteria as far in your body as possible....according to the A&E docter i saw after my cat bit me ( she was having a fit ) 3 courses of antibiotics needed to clear it up

OOH or A&E. I went to minor injuries for a cat bite that was swelling- they sent me to a plastic surgery unit across London urgently. I needed two surgeries to clean it out

Take him asap , he needs antibiotics op, good luck .

Uber?