Cat bite

[chychyete]

I was walking around the house and my indoor cat thought I was playing or something I don't know and I think he bit me or scratched me the skin broke and it was bleeding he's not vaccinated what do I do ? He doesn't go out at all and it's just me and my 3 year old in the home I washed the area its not a big craze

Was told to contact 111 just incase by a friend so doing that

Bit of antiseptic and you'll be fine.

If it was a proper hard bite you'd know about it and might consider seeing someone but otherwise just clean it and keep an eye for infection

Clean it, bit of antiseptic you'll be fine.
If it becomes swollen, leaks fluid or looks infected then get it seen too.

Thanks for the advice if I don't have any antiseptic what could I use as an alternative

What?! I regularly get scratched by the cat messing around playing with him, wash your hands, use antiseptic if it is a bad one, get on with your day

The risk of a cat bite is from them eating mice and rats and the risk of infection. Someone I know got bit by their cat who had eaten a rat and she ended up with blood poisoning. If you use antiseptic and your cat is an indoor cat id say the risk is low

You don't need to do anything special. Just wait for it to heal as you would any other scratch.

Boiled and cooled salty water will do as an alternative to antiseptic.

Just keep an eye out for signs of infection (swelling, redness, heat, weeping etc) and you'll be reet.

If it's minor tbh you'll probably not need any and it'll heal quickly. Just keep it clean.

Although uncommon, keep an eye out for cat scratch syndrome. My friend had cats for years, got scratched all the time. Symptoms started within hours and she was admitted for IV antibiotics though. Antiseptic is normally all your need, but do keep an eye on it.
https://patient.info/treatment-medication/dog-and-cat-bites/cat-scratch-disease

111 said I need to go hospital

Because he's not vaccinated

You'll be fine. Wash with soap and don't worry about it. You might want to take an antihistamine tablet as cat saliva makes lots of people itchy, but other than that it is very unlikely to cause you any real problems unless you are severely immunosuppressed.

My big old boy used to bite hard occasionally and it never caused any issues apart from being annoyed with him about it.

Good lord, that's madness. Well, what do I know? But this really seems like foolish overkill.

You've had the advice from 111 OP - would you feel better following it? If it would make you anxious not to go, then go. There's absolutely no way I would spend a sunny Saturday in A&E over a cat bite, but it depends how much you need your mind set at rest.

@ElizabethVonArnim honestly me either I don't want to go and i'm not worried about it but a friend said bec my cat is not vaccinated I should call them I would have left it

The person on the call said if my cat was vaccinated it wouldn't be a problem
I told them my cat doesn't go out at all not once my son gets scratch all the time too by playing with our cat and he's okay even my mum laughed and said I don't need to go

Of course you don't need to go to hospital. If you are worried, go to the chemist and get some TCP or Savlon or whatever.

I've had cats all my life, and the only time you need to worry is if you have a deep bite wound from a fang. Then you need antibiotics asap.

I've uploaded a pic of this cat scratch or bite not sure which one as his mouth was on my ankle too plus his paws it was bleeding from 3 parts of the scratch but after cleaning it it stopped

That will be fine. Like I said, go and get some TCP and bathe it with that.

111 said about going to hospital because you used the word 'bite' and they would always suggest it for that. It is one of their 'alert' words. But that's not an actual proper bite. You'd know if it was, a deep cat bite looks like you have been bitten by Dracula, and germs can be pushed down into the flesh. I know all this because I once had a deep cat bite and ended up with sepsis. I spent several days in hospital on an antibiotic drip.

You phoned 111 over that absolutely tiny scratch?!

Jfc . What a waste of time.

@Hermittrismegistus tbh I think it's ridiculous too but my friend said to get it checked bec my cat is not vaccinated and his mouth was around my ankle too I didn't know if he had bitten me or just scratched or his teeth got caught on my foot

Seriously, that is a waste of NHS resources and your own time and headspace. It is NOTHING. Please go out and enjoy your day and think no more about it. Goodness me, you've had silly advice from both your friend and 111. Please do not worry any more.

Cat bites can be turn very nasty indeed due to the bacteria in their mouths (which is significantly worse than dogs) but that looks like it's barely broken the skin so I'd just give it a good wash and keep an eye on it.

Give it a really good wash with hot soapy water and if you don't have antiseptic dab a bit of brandy on it, or even drink some. Seriously, you'll be fine.

Wait your three year old son gets scratched by the cat all the time and you've never worried about that but you have that tiny barely visible nick and you're considering going to A&E on a BH weekend? Make it make sense!

Honestly please don't go to hospital, they're going to be pushed to the limits this weekend as it is. It's not deep enough to even worry about infection, literally just the surface layer of your skin. You'd know if it was a proper bite because there'd be clear puncture marks. Just clean it, stick a plaster on it and carry on with your day!

Did your friend see it or just hear about it?

I was scratched and bitten by a cat. I gave it a good soak with antiseptic but ended up needing more treatment a couple of days later. They were deep punctures though, not a barely visible scratch.