cat bite, did I do the right thing?

[ditavonteesed]

my neighbour has just been bitten quite badly by the cat, she went all feint and looked white as a sheet, I checked her bp and it was really low. I have left her with a cup of tea and a piece of cake, she is feeling a bit better. The bite looks quite deep but is still bleeding so should be cleaning itself. I have told her to keep running it under cold water to keep it bleeding if she can, rest and go see doctor tomorrow if it swells or gets hot. Is that right? She seems to thing she should go to A&E, the bite definitely doesn't need stitches but I guess she may need antibiotics. I will check in on her in a bit.

She needs to go to GP or hospital today. Cat bites always need antibiotics if they are deep. Cats have some nasty bacteria in their mouths including pasteurella. Doctors often worry more about tetanus but this is less of an issue. Bites can easily cause a serious infection e.g septic hand but can be even more serious for someone with a compromised immune system or if they have prosthetic joint such as a hip replacement.

I did wonder, will take her to minor injuries when dh gets home then.

Vet here. Agree medical attention especially if near a joint

I have had a nasty cat bite. My neighbour took me straight to minor injuries and they took it very seriously. I had 3 courses of antibiotics in the end as the infection kept moving up my arm. Cat bites can be very serious - I should take her in as soon as you can. I apologised profusely for wasting NHS time but everyone I saw said that it needed to be dealt with properly. Incidentally I had to go back every day for 10 days until the infection started to recede, so your neighbour might need to prepare herself for more than one trip.

Yes, she needs medical attention I needed a jab and antibiotics after a nasty cat bite. I hope she is better soon.

What sort of cat have you got - a tiger?

One of my cats bit me on the leg the day after I got him.

I didn't go to the gp's or anything till the day after, when I went to Minor Injuries Unit.

My ankle had swollen so much I couldn't get my shoe on. They did an X-ray in case the bone was chipped. I was on antibiotics for a week, and had to have a week off sick from work as my leg was so swollen I couldn't walk. And I had to keep it elavated.

So I suggest walk in clinic or minor injuries unit now.

To keep a wound bleeding it should be run under warm water, not cold btw