I've been bitten by a stray cat!

[Critters2]

This cat who lives under and sometimes on my back porch was growling at Leon, who was on the inside of the door. She's done that before and always moved out of the way when I went to open the door. Well, not tonight! She grabbed my leg in her claws and hauled off and bit me. Hard! Drew blood.

I've washed it and sprayed neosporin on it, and called the ER to see if there was anything more I should do. The nurse there said to call my doc in the morning.

I don't think she has rabies, but I'm wondering what my doc will do--blood tests? Surely, not rabies shots. And I suppose I should call animal control. Will they want to catch her and put her down. That would be kind of sad.

And, of course, if people would just SPAY AND NEUTER THEIR DAMN PETS this would not have happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[charlie and algernon]

1. i imagine you WOULD get rabies shots

isn't it standard proceedure when getting bit by a wild animal? Really sucks that you got bit :(

[Critters2]

5. I'm actually afraid that's what it means.

And I'm supposed to leave on vacation in the morning. Dammit!!!

[Shell Beau]

6. That truly sucks. Take care of yourself though.

[Critters2]

7. I'm actually afraid that's what it means.

And I'm supposed to leave on vacation in the morning. Dammit!!!

[Bertha Venation]

18. Agreed. Doc will order rabies shots.

[Catshrink]

20. Makes perfect sense you'd know a thing or two about cat bites!

and scratches from feral critters. How many do you have now?

[Bertha Venation]

31. Right now, no ferals. Strange.

Eleven pets, though. :crazy:

I have had the rabies shots, having been bitten by a stray. It's sad - the stray, if caught, has to be put down. :( Apparently to examine the brain is the only way to test an animal for rabies.

[Catshrink]

37. 11!

I'm nearly overwhelmed with 6! My sister warned me that dogs require a lot more care than cats but I had no idea. But I love my little weiners and couldn't imagine life without them.

Hope you and Mrs. V. are well.

:hi:

[Wapsie B]

2. Damn, I hope you don't have to get rabies shots.

Hope things turn out ok.

[Shell Beau]

3. I hope it is ok. Without knowing 100% if the cat has rabies or not,

you have to be careful. What happens to the cat if you call animal control? Do they come out and try to catch the cat? And if so, what happens to it afterwards?

[Orrex]

4. This space reserved for a Brian Setzer joke

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. When I was bitten by a cat I was told to go to the doc straight away. And it was

_my_ cat!

Hope you and poor kitteh will be ok! :hug:

[Haole Girl]

9. Uh oh

You might need rabies shots if there is rabies in your area. :-( :hug:

[Critters2]

16. That's what I'm afraid of. nt

[aquaman]

10. Had a similar situation happen to me.....

Was bitten by a stray dog that I was trying to help out. The dog ran off, I never saw it again. Had to get rabies shots on the tiny chance that the dog had it.

[Critters2]

15. Is it still a series of shots? How many?

I called the ER, and the nurse acted like it was no big deal. But I'm a bit concerned. If nothing else, I know there's a risk of infection, which is why I applied Neosporin right away.

[NorthernSpy]

40. It's a series of 5 rabies shots spaced out over several weeks...

Modern rabies vaccine is given in the arm, like most vaccinations. You get one of these shots on the first day of therapy. The remaining doses of vaccine are given one by one over the course of several weeks.

Also on the first day of therapy, you receive one or more injections of rabies immunoglobulin, which is ready-made antibodies. These are usually instilled directly into any bite wounds or scratches, or injected into various large muscles. All of the rabies immunoglobulin is administered at the first treatment session. It's a one-time-only thing: you won't see it again at any of your next appointments.


Rabies shots still have a fearsome reputation, but they're not a big deal anymore. They're just like any other vaccination nowadays.

But the rabies immunoglobulin shots can be a different story. The doctor may choose to divide up the total dose of RIg and put a portion of it into each and every toothmark. In a person with multiple bite wounds, this can mean taking dozens of immunoglobulin shots -- one right after the other. But that's a worst case scenario; for most people, the dose of immunoglobulin can be administered in a small number of shots, or even just one. It's really nothing to fear.

[applegrove]

11. Cat bites are notoriously dirty bites. Your doctor will probably put you on antibiotics.

[Shell Beau]

12. Dog bites also. Whoever came up with dog's mouths

are cleaner than human's is a fool.

I also see antibiotics in her future. And quite possibly rabies shots.

[Catshrink]

13. Is your tetanus shot up to date?

A family friend was scratched by a feral cat that lived under her porch. She ended up spending a week in the hospital because she didn't get immediate care. Go to Urgent Care.

[Critters2]

14. No. Dammit. I think the last time I had one was when I went to Africa.

That was like 13 years ago. Shit.

[Catshrink]

17. Oops!

Rabies may be more important for a cat bite, but you need to get that taken care of! Mine was 8 years old when I sliced open my finger last summer. The doc gave me one even though I wasn't due for another two years. He said I need them every 10 years unless I have an injury. In that case, they like to give another shot if it's been more than 5.

[dropkickpa]

19. You should be seen for infection concerns

Cat bites are nasty as hell and get infected very easily. Neosporin is contraindicated for puncture wounds and a bite is in fact a puncture wound. I wouldn't worry about rabies, there hasn't been a recorded case of rabies in a cat in Illinois (your profile says you are in IL) in more than 10 years. If you are in a state wher ethe have been cases of cat rabies, I would consider the post-exposure rabies series. It's not terribly pleasant, but it's not too bad, and cats are the biggest risk for human transfer here in pennsylvania. Here's a link to the CDC's web page describing the post-exposure prophylaxis

http://www.cdc.gov/RABIES/exposure/postexposure.html

For anyone who spends a lot of time around feral or semi feral cats or in animal rescue, I highly reccomend getting vaccinated for rabies, it's a series of three shots, and, should you get bitten by a rabies suspect or positive animal, the post exposure treatment is much shorter and easier. I'm vaccinated!

[no name no slogan]

21. Brian Setzer got out of his cage again?

As long as you don't get an urge to Rock this Town, Rock It Inside Out in the next 48 hours you should be okay.

Seriously, though, go to the doc and get checked. Be safe.

[Orrex]

25. Ahem

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=8699695&mesg_id=8699709

[no name no slogan]

29. CRAP! Should've gone with a Slim Jim Phantom and/or Lee Rocker joke instead.

[Jamastiene]

22. I got bitten by one when I was 12 years old.

I just went on about my business. I knew the neighbors would shoot the cat (or something way worse) if they found out. I didn't tell anybody about it until years later. I never did learn to swim. I wonder if that's why I now have PMDD instead of regular PMS. Hmm...

Maybe, they'll just give you the shots and you won't turn out like I did.

This PSA brought to you by The Council on Warning People to Look Out for Jamastiene. :evilgrin:

[davsand]

23. Any updates? Everything gonna be ok?

Jeesh, Lisa! I sure wish you had been at the dinner last night and not at home! Day-um, girl!

What is your doc telling you?


Laura

[Critters2]

27. You and me both!! But I'm gonna survive.

Antibiotics and tetanus shot. Update below. Thanks, Laura!

[Midlodemocrat]

24. You need to see a doctor immediately. Rabies is always fatal

in humans when the symptoms start. There, to my knowledge, only one person who has ever survived rabies.

GET TO A DOCTOR!!! NOW!!!!

And, I hope I'm scaring you, but I'm sorry. This is important.

[Critters2]

26. Update: Just home from the doc.

He gave me a prescription for a week's worth of Augmentin, and a tetanus shot. Said to wash the wounds with soap and water a couple of times a day, and cover with a light layer of topical anti-biotic. No bandages or anything. He did a search on his laptop, and said the health department doesn't give reason to be concerned about rabies in cats in our county, so no rabies shots.

Thank God. I was really worried about needing rabies shots. But all's well.


Thanks, everyone! My first reaction was to treat it as no big deal, but I did have these nagging fears about infection and rabies. Better safe than sorry!

Now, I'm going to take a week's vacation. Or die trying!! :hi:

[CreekDog]

28. That's a relief. Now go have a great week!

:hi:

[BikeWriter]

33. I'm so glad the Doc was reassuring, and glad you checked!

[annabanana]

30. When I was bitten by a dog (in my youth) the only way they could

determine if the dog was rabid was by killing it and examining it's brain.. I started treatments pending the results. . . NOT pleasent, I assure you.

Can I assume that there has been an improvement?

[Maine-ah]

35. nope. They still do it the same way.

[Orsino]

32. Washing and neosporin aren't enough, probably.

A real puncture wound, as opposed to a graze, can't be cleaned that way.

My own cat put me in the ER twelve years ago, having bitten down to the bone. I washed it, of course, but a day or two later my hand and arm swelled up.

[Critters2]

41. True. I'm on augmentin for a week. nt

[BikeWriter]

34. This "odious cat hater" has been bitten by two who invaded my home.

...while I was stupidly trying to help them. :shrug:

[whistler162]

36. careful you might get Stray Cat Fever.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP-6v8sorK0

Seriously talk to a doctor.

[bobmorr1]

38. bitten by feral kittens

Had a litter of feral kittens bite me. There were 4. I was trying to catch them to have them neutered and given shots. I poured peroxide over the wounds each time. Never got sick or infected. This has happened two other times with feral kittens. I used to be allergic to cats. Not anymore. No other problems from this. Only thing, I now have this craving for tuna all the time. All kidding aside, I am not allergic to cats anymore. My wife thinks the cat bites have cured the allergy.

[NorthernSpy]

39. Notice whether the cat eats or drinks.

A rabid cat or dog usually loses the ability to swallow, and will stop eating or drinking when the virus invades the salivary glands (that's also when the rabies infection becomes transmissible through a catbite or dogbite). From the time that a cat or dog begins to show symptoms, it's usually dead in about a week -- so if that cat is still alive a month from now, then it definitely did not have a transmissible case of rabies at the time it bit you.


However, if you want to be sure right away, then you can have the cat's brain examined for evidence of rabies infection. This service is usually free through state rabies control programs. This involves killing the cat, though.


(Note: the tip about seeing whether the animal can swallow normally does NOT apply to bats, or to judging the likelihood of catching rabies from contact with a bat. Bats apparently have some ability to act as unaffected carriers of the rabies virus. Also, under certain conditions, bats appear to be able to transmit rabies without inflicting a bite, though this is not fully understood. If anyone reading this ever wakes up one night to find a bat in the room -- a common scenario for accidental bat contact -- then the CDC recommends that you receive rabies shots, even if you don't think you've been bitten.)


Also, if for whatever reason you're likely to be in frequent contact with stray animals, then you might want to look into pre-exposure rabies vaccination (a series of three shots often available at travelers' vaccination clinics).