I just got bit by a cat...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

The whole neighborhood is freaking out thanks to my mom. We're calling everyone now to see if they have an orange cat. What are the odds that it has rabies? He was friendly, so I think he's domestic and not feral. I've washed it really well, and we don't have any antibotic cream. Any advice?

[Sanity Claws]

1. I have an orange cat.

Where did this happen?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. Kingfisher Oklahoma...

Outside of town...
Duckie

[Sanity Claws]

4. Not mine

I certainly wish you luck. A doctor should be able to advise you on whether rabies shots are necessary.

[redqueen]

3. Oooooooh

I hope you don't have to get the shots... but you should probably call your doctor and see what they tell you.

[Crunchy Frog]

8. The shots that they do nowadays

are not a really big deal. It's not the type of nightmarish shots from the past that we've all heard stories about.

[Bridget Burke]

12. Even "nightmarish shots" would be better than rabies.

Still mostly fatal & a horrible way to die.

[Crunchy Frog]

14. I agree, but

I still think it's important that people know that they are a thing of the distant past. Rabies shots today consist only of a series of shots in the arm given over a few weeks (I think).

When people think of rabies shots, they often still envision a series of excruciatingly painful injections given through huge needles plunged into one's abdominal cavity. Those haven't been done for decades. I think it's helpful for anyone contemplating the possibility of getting those shots to be aware of this information.

[Crunchy Frog]

5. Even without rabies,

a cat's saliva is full of really nasty bacteria. You should at least make sure that your tetanus shot is up to date. I would contact your health care provider for further advice.

You might also check on the status of rabies in your state to find out if there's a significant risk. If the cat has been spending alot of time outdoors, there's no telling what it's come into contact with.

If possible, the cat should be caught and placed under observation. If the owner can be found, you can at least find out if it's been vaccinated.

It's rare in this country for a person to contract rabies, but it happens and it's definitely something you want to avoid.

[demnan]

6. Hey, go to the Doctor.

What the hell do you think we know here? (Unless this is an April Fool's joke).

(Why did it bite you - Any chance of catching the cat?)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

16. Everything is fine...and this is no joke...

It's clean and doctored. I think everything will be ok.
Duckie

[progressoid]

7. Rabies are pretty unlikely

If you have been bitten by a cat before without incident - no big deal. However, I worked with someone that bitten by a cat and had a huge reacttion to it. His hand swelled to twice it's normal size. Some people have a hyper-allergic reaction.

Found this:

The mouths of cats and dogs contain many of the same microorganisms. Cat scratches and bites are also capable of transmitting the Bartonella henselae bacterium, which can lead to cat-scratch disease, an unpleasant but usually not life-threatening illness.

Cat bites are mostly found on the arms and hands. Sharp cat teeth typically leave behind a deep puncture wound that can reach muscles, tendons, and bones, which are vulnerable to infection because of their comparatively poor blood supply. This is one reason why cat bites are much more likely than dog bites to become infected. Also, because people are less inclined to view cat bites as dangerous injuries needing immediate attention, the risk that infection has set in by the time a medical professional is consulted is greater.


http://www.chclibrary.org/micromed/00041730.html

[Patiod]

20. Yikes - my right hand is usually covered w/bites & scratches

Our Little is psychotic. I was interviewing a doc once about a new drug (that's what I do for a living), and she noticed my hand.

"Cat?"

"Yup"

"You're lucky you're not working at the zoo."

"Uh, pardon?"

"One of my patients is the Big Cat keeper at the XX City zoo, and I was examining her, and when she took her shirt off, there was a huge scar running from here to here . She said that one of the 'kitties' had 'gotten a little playful'"

I imagine your situation is somewhat better, but still.

Good luck - let us know how it turns out.

[Patiod]

21. Yikes - my right hand is usually covered w/bites & scratches

Our Little is psychotic. I was interviewing a doc once about a new drug (that's what I do for a living), and she noticed my hand.

"Cat?"

"Yup"

"You're lucky you're not working at the zoo."

"Uh, pardon?"

"One of my patients is the Big Cat keeper at the XX City zoo, and I was examining her, and when she took her shirt off, there was a huge scar running from here to here . She said that one of the 'kitties' had 'gotten a little playful'"

I imagine your situation is somewhat better, but still.

Good luck - let us know how it turns out.

[NuckinFutz]

9. If you were punctured,

Get to a doctor and get on some antibiotics asap. Cats carry some really nasty bacteria, and because puncture wounds do not seep, the bacteria can stay in you and fester, creating an abcess which is quite painful. This true aside from the rabies concerns. I was bitten
in January and took about a month to fully heal.

Also, the wounds I had were on the hands and did become infected, even though I went to the ER (it was nighttime) within an hour or two of getting bit. The cat was also a totally indoor pet.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

15. UPDATE:

The cat belongs to a neighbor is prone to biting. I was being stupid and messing with it. It was my fault...he was just following his instincts. He felt threatened, although that wasn't my intention, so he bit me. This bite was on the wrist. I think everything will be ok. I've cleaned it well, and then I put antibiotic ointment on it.

Duckie

[Algorem]

10. Go get bit by a dog,dog germs and cat germs kill each other off.

[sui generis]

11. if the cat came out of nowhere and acted aggressively

and bit you then you should be worried. Do you recall if it had visible teats? Sometimes a pregnant cat or new mother can be very hostile and aggressive if you are near her den.

If you were trying to pick the cat up or play with it and it bit you, it's highly unlikely the aggression was caused by rabies.

Sometimes cats that are outside just freak out after a bit, even when they're friendly at first, including friendly inside cats who have gotten out.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

13. Bacteria in a cat's mouth...

is some nasty shit. You may have to be put on some antibiotics. I was bit by one of my own cats once, and my hand swelled up like a balloon within a few hours. You have more to worry about from that than rabies, to be honest.

[Lisabtrucking]

17. Go to the doctors and inform him/her what has happen. n/t

[_TJ_]

18. GO TO HOSPITAL

you could have rabies, tetanus or fuck knows what. Or maybe nothing.

Edit: Seriously, Moby got bit before - he woke up the next day
and couldn't even MOVE. I think he had tetanus.

[City Lights]

19. I'll share my personal experience.

When my daughter was 11, she got bit by a cat at a shelter. She said it felt like the cat's teeth went all the way into the bone. She had four visible puncture wounds on her forearm. The concern was never rabies because rabies in cats today is extremely rare (at least where I live), however, bacteria in the cat's saliva (as other posters have pointed out) was an issue.

I took her to the doctor that afternoon and they put her on antibiotics. She's allergic to penicillin, which would have been their first choice. They wanted to see her again the next day. I took her back the next day and there was no improvement. It didn't seem worse, but it wasn't better either. They upped her dosage and sent us home.

The next afternoon we were back in the doctor's office because the swelling was worse. They sent us to the ER. The doctor in the ER asked why I hadn't taken her to the doctor sooner. :eyes: I explained that we'd seen a doctor three times. He went off to find another antibiotic to try and they ended up giving it to her through an IV.

Please, please watch the wound and seek medical care at the first sign of trouble.