To call NHS 24 over a minor cat bite?

[JustAnotherThursday]

My friend just received a minor cat bite. He has washed the bite and intends to just leave it. I think he should check if he needs a tetanus shot, or something. He thinks this is overkill. Who's correct?

My understanding is that if there are no concerning signs it should still be seen within 24 hours.

If any of the concerning signs of infection/blood poisoning start then that is an urgent ASAP emergency.

I was bitten by a feral kitten I was trying to rescue from inside a tractor. My neighbour said hospital now. Felt like such a fool, nurse saw me straight away, one tetanus shot and a bag of antibiotics later. The nurse said I'd done the right thing. The bite was in the same place as your DH. God it hurt and throbbed.

I know someone who got sepsis within two days through a cat bite. Your friend needs to get some antibiotics straight away.

I've been bitten a couple of times recently by one of mine, but it bled a lot, I did a thorough soak with antiseptic and kept an eye out and was fine. But you do need to monitor them thoroughly, any sign of spreading redness/swelling etc. and it's straight to A&E or minor injuries. They're carnivores, their bites are nasty.

Had a vet friend explain to me why cat bites are bad. The quick version is cat canines have grooves and bacteria. They are like a hypodermic needle and penetrate deeply, getting the bacteria in deep. As the tooth is withdrawn, the wound seals shut, due to the shape of the tooth, trapping bacteria deep. It then causes infection or abscess. I've had cellulitis before (from insect bites) - very painful.

Handy link - screenshot of the part around what I said above https://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-checkups-preventive-care/dr-ernies-top-10-cat-dental-questions-and-his-answers

I was badly bitten and scratched by a feral cat, since the bite penetrated my skin quite deeply, I ended up having to go to a&e for a tetanus shot and a course of antibiotics just to be safe. (Doctors surgery was closed)

Small deep puncture wounds are buggers for infection anyway - they seal over on the outside quickly, sealing in anything nasty.

If that puncture wound is made by a filthy bacteria ridden object like a tooth (human, cat, dog, mosquito, spider) then you increase that risk more.

If friend will not go to A&E at least get them to cover the wound with a WET dressing, ideally Manuka honey, so that the wound does not seal up and the honey can deal with any festering bacteria.

Dh is bitten by his arsehole of a cat regularly. It did swell up and get nasty once; it was obvious within a few hours there was a problem, he nipped to minor injuries and was dosed up with antibiotics. We don’t rush off every time he gets bitten.

its not an overreaction
cat bites are filthy and notorious for getting infections that can go down to the bone if they break the skin

I would normally have thought overreaction, but I bumped into an old friend the other day who said she’s just come out of hospital after being very unwell with sepsis. Caused by her cat biting her when it was distressed at the vet’s. Definitely get antibiotics it’s not worth the risk.

Well based on cat bites, hamster bites etc since I help in a rescue I wouldn't go for something so small but that does remind me to check tetanus up to date

Hamsters don't tend to have bits of dead animals in their teeth which cats do. That is why cat bites are so dangerous.

I have probably one or two such bites a month. I keep my tetanus up to date, but otherwise ignore them unless it starts to cause either a fever, or swelling which doesn't start to subside in a couple of days. I end up getting antibiotics around once every three years, or in about one per cent of incidents. However I'm not saying people should take this as a reason to do nothing - I'm just saying that cat bites certainly don't always need treatment.

Definitely get it checked... cat bites are nasty (took DD to A&E when it happened to her as yes, maybe overkill but if not - the consequences can be live changing!)

https://www.nottsapc.nhs.uk/media/bpkhmlwy/human-and-animal-bite.pdf

I don't think I've ever been bitten by a cat. Scratched loads but not bitten. Is it his cat?

I guess I would go to minor injuries if it didn't seem to be painless and healing normally after a day.

I volunteer with a cat charity, and we always say if the skin is broken go and get seen. I’ve known people end up in hospital on a drip because they felt their bite was too minor to need treatment…

A man I used to work with ended up in the High Dependency Ward for 5 weeks and then in another ward for several more weeks after one of his cats bit him on the foot. He was off work for months, came back on a phased return still with his foot encased in dressings which were changed every couple of days.

Cat bites which break the skin need immediate attention.

My partner had the same reaction as your friend. Wanted to ignore a cat bite and refused to go and get it looked at.

Until he got to work 2 days later and was so unwell they forced him to go to the local hospital where he nearly collapsed walking into A&E and had to be taken in in a wheel chair. That was followed by over a week off work because he was initially too unwell to drive and then couldn't drive because he couldn't use his hand for several days.

As other posters have said above, cat mouths are full of nasties. My partner could've avoided all the above if he'd just got it looked at straight away.

He's taken the wait and see approach. 🙄

@DoAWheelie I'm sorry to hear about your cat. That's sounds really tough.

No, it's not his cat. He's cat sitting for a friend. It's actually a situation I had thought about posting about. My friend has said that the cats eyesight had deteriorated and I would say that's a bit of an understatement. The cat is now practically blind. The cat didn't seem sure of where she was, so he was trying to guide her back into the part of the flat she's more familiar with and she apparently got scared and lashed out.

My cat bit and scratched me when he got his foot stuck and I was trying to free him. Even though I washed it carefully and put germolene on it my hand swelled up so I went to minor injuries. Got tetanus shot and antibiotics and they had to check my finger wasn't broken.

Cat bites can be nasty and should never be just left.

So is it different for indoor cats then? Just curious because I've been bitten loads of times by our indoor kitten and never knew it was so dangerous.

If it starts feeling hot & starts to puff up or any sign of pus in it, he must get it seen to. Especially any swelling.

In the meantime draw a line in felt tip or biro around the edges of the inflamed red part and watch for it spreading outwards to any lines radiating our from the puncture marks. If it does, time to head to A&E quickly.

As people have said, these injuries can get infected and spread into the bloodstream really fast. I'd be careful overnight as well, he may not notice it turning nasty as he sleeps.

Edited to add, if he starts feeling unwell in himself has flu like symtoms etc, also a sign to get medical treatment asap.

It makes them less dangerous. Another poster put up the bit about the shape of their teeth which increases the risk of any cat bite.

I think keep an eye on it and at the first sign of any infection you do go to MIU or GP and get antibiotics.my late DH was a postie and had a couple of really nasty infections over the years from dog bites which made him feel dreadful and needed strong antibiotics to shift.