? Concern with Cat Scratch/Bite

While doing Victor's PMPS test he managed to grab my hand with his mouth and didn't let go for a few seconds. He didn't actually puncture my skin with his teeth, just left dents and it looks like one tooth kind of dragged across my skin and made it bleed just a little bit. I washed it really good and swabbed it with rubbing alcohol; we don't have any Neosporin on hand, just Polysporin so would it be okay to put that on it? And should I be worried about it at all?

 

Couldn’t hurt, might help, and the alcohol probably did the trick in any case!

 

I have been bitten and scratched by Jaxa and other cats more times than I can count, and have a few scars to show for it. The main thing is to wash any wounds really well, bandage and keep clean. If you keep up on vaccinations for your kitty, and yourself, there usually isn't a problem. Mine have only ever bitten or scratched when they were scared and/or desperate to avoid something (like a pill).

I worry more about dog bites- but mostly because in my area if a dog bites anyone it is placed on a list of potentially dangerous dogs, quarantined and possibly euthanized even if it was being provoked or just defending itself, and all medical treatment for dog bites is reported to the Sheriff by the medical facilities. I've seen cat bites reported too but not as often.

 

I've had multiple cat scratches and the odd bite over the years. I did the usual - wash well with soap and warm water, use antibiotic ointment (I have Polysporin) and cover with a Bandaid. None of these "encounters" were ever an issue.

 

When Kobiasha's time came he left me with a reminder that he was still the boss. There are a lot of tears and my vet has known him forever. "And this is something to just calm him down"...Chomp! He sunk his teeth into my thumb and would not let go. My family doctor had to look up the prescription in a BOOK (remember those?) and drew a line around my hand. "If the color changes you need to go to emergency".

 

Sorry for the double post. @Glassgoblin I've been chomped by a few dogs and more than once it was because I took a chance and either stuck my hand inside a car or something like that. I don't mean really idiotic things and I can't remember the last time there was blood. Here if you get bitten by a dog and you report it there is no going back. You cannot decide not to press the issue, blood or no blood. Then the bureaucratic nightmare begins. Someone challenged the dangerous breed law here because there is no DNA test that will determine this dog is 100% Pit bull and they won the case.
I did have a whacko neighbor with a nasty Rottweiler but he always kept the dog on a leash and did everything right. One day the dog somehow opened the gate to the local school field and charged my dog. All I could do was get myself between the two and I got a moderate bite. I told him we need to both leave right away and pretend this never happened. He never "forgave" me for that but we did pretend it never happened.
Dogs bark and sometimes bite, it's what they do. If the feral cat at my backdoor gets in the house someone will lose an eye. No one has any common sense anymore.

 

I have received cat bites many times. My vet recommended I wash the wounds with Betadine, (Iodine Scrub), which I niw keep on hand. It doesn’t burn. Hydrogen peroxide will help debris a dirty wound, Betadine works best. He laughed at using rubbing alcohol or Neosporin or Polysporin, which used to be my old standby. If they puncture the skin and it closes up fast, you are more likely to have it get infected. I have gotten and infected hand three times from cat bites and once from a dog bite. If I get the wound washed deeply, thoroughly, immediately, I have a better chance of avoiding infection. If the wound is on the top of my hand, near a blood vessel, It usually gets infected. Signs of infection are red skin, swelling, hot to the touch. I mark the area of swelling as you would a snake bite and when the redness starts extending up my arm, I know I am going to need antibiotics. The usual prescription, for me, is Clavamox/amoxicillin. I have used Doctor on Demand a couple of times for cat bites and it was very convenient. The first time it happened, I did go to the doctor, but the other times it was great to be able to show them the bite and the redness and swelling and how the redness progressed up my arm and they had the right prescription at the pharmacy awaiting my arrival right away, once on a Sunday night! They even looked up the closest 24 hour pharmacy for me! Monitor the redness and swelling. If the area of redness grows, get treatment right away. It can be very serious.

 

My vet of many years told me there are few things filthier than a cat's mouth. Her dad was a vet as well and she is not prone to exaggeration.

 

@Glassgoblin My 1,000 word essay on your post was in complete agreement with you. I've been in a bit of a haze all day.

 

Grandpa woke me yesterday by biting my nose hard enough to have a nice little stream of blood running down my face. I grabbed a paper towel, wiped my face, opened some food for him, and went back to sleep.

 

Yes! 8 have received bites on my face abd they never got infected. The only place that I have gotten animal bites that became infected was on the top of my hand at, or near a blue vein and in a puncture wound only, not scratch or tear.

 

I have received many cae bites and got oral antibiotics each time. For one bite the oral antibiotics did not work and I needed IV antibiotics.

 

Our vet calls this "the incident". Andrew was very sick and although highly stressed we really needed a blood sample. I was actually asked to go into the exam room (forbidden by insurance) to help because 4 people weren't enough. He was already hooded because he had bitten a tech so badly she was sent to emergency and given an IV of antibiotics. It can be a big deal. They walk through litter, clean themselves etc. You get the picture.

 

Does this qualify? Garbage pickup here is every 2 weeks and tomorrow is everything day, recycle, yard waste, large object.
Those four litter-boxes get scraped with my metal scraper and while trying to get a second bag open in desperation I licked the very tip of a finger. Does the five second rule count or what?