[Yusf]

No! My little cat his scratched me. There WS little very blood as the cut was like pin pricks at 3 places. I washed my finger then put savlon cream. Do I need to take injections against rabis. My sis was also srcatched the next day. She put shaving lotion as antiseptic. She has a smaller wound. She is preety sure that there was no blood. But it was followed by redness and pain which disappeared later. Will she need to take injections as well? PS help. V r worried. I know that it is incurable if late.

[Wondergirl]

Is your cat an outdoor cat? If so, has she been acting strange or sick? (drinking lots of water, drooling)

[Yusf]

It was out door once. About 15 days ago, I found it starving in front of our house. I fed it and that's how I got it. It is still little now. I do not find any thing abnormal in it. I mean it seems normal when it stays with me. I saw it drinking water only twice from the day I got it till today. But I can say u, it used to eat rice in the 1st 2 days. Then it refused to eat rice and ate nothing without meat, bone and fish bone.
It scratched me yesterday and my sis today.

[Wondergirl]

Don't let the cat eat bones, especially not chicken bones.

Keep the scratches clean and watch them for swelling and redness.

Can you take the cat to a vet for a checkup? Or you get a tetanus shot (we are supposed to have one every ten years, I think).

[Yusf]

Hmp. I used to feed it chicken bones :( . Should I check whether its mad? Do u think it will get mad so quickly after a scratch? Do v HV chance of having tetanus? And what about rabbis? U know, 20 hours after the scratch, my sister feels pain when touched and has redness a small area near the scratch. :(

[Alty]

Since you have the animal that scratched you it's much easier to test the cat for rabies than it is to get rabies injections for a human. You'll need to take her to the vet right away and have her tested for rabies. If she does have them, you'll need the injections, which are very painful.

[ScottGem]

A scratch from a claw is unlikely to cause rabies because no bodily fluids were exchanged. However, as Alty said it's a simple matter to take the cat to a Vet and have it tested.

[Wondergirl]

Rabies comes from a rabid animal BITE, not a scratch. If there were dirt and germs on the cat's claw, you might get an infection, but that can be treated with soap and water and maybe a topical antibiotic, if needed.

[Wondergirl]

A feral cat I was trying to trap had raked my right arm with his claws. I went to my doctor that same day, and after he cleaned the wounds, he gave me a tetanus shot, not knowing where the cat had been and what had been on the cat's claws.

The OP mentioned his sister's scratches were red and painful. I had asked how his were. And he also asked about tetanus.

Often called lockjaw, tetanus is a bacterial infection that causes painful muscle spasms and can lead to death. The tetanus vaccine has made tetanus a preventable disease. Thanks to its widespread use, lockjaw has become very rare in the U.S. Even so, many adults in the U.S. need to be vaccinated against tetanus.

You cannot get tetanus from another person. You can get it through a cut or other wound. Tetanus bacteria are commonly present in soil, dust, water, and manure. The tetanus bacteria can infect you even through a tiny scratch. But you are more likely to get tetanus through deep punctures from wounds created by nails or knives. The bacteria travels via blood or nerves to your central nervous system.

Tetanus Questions and Answers

[J_9]

There is no accurate testing for rabies in live animals. The cat would have to be euthanized and the brain would have to be tested.

[Alty]

There is no accurate testing for rabies in live animals. The cat would have to be euthanized and the brain would have to be tested.

J, what are the chances that the OP has rabies, since he/she was scratched, not bitten?

[J_9]

Practically none. Zero, zilch, nada. Rabies is transmitted through saliva. Since there is no saliva on the claws, the OP could not have contracted Rabies.

Rabies is transmitted through a bite only.

[Alty]

That's what I thought. But when the OP first posted I really didn't know that the animal had to be dead to test for rabies. I thought it was a simple trip to the vet, a few blood tests, and voilà, so why not set your mind at ease if you're worried about this?

But a scratch, not likely that you'll get rabies from that. Then again, anything is possible, isn't it. Cat's lick their paws all the time, to clean themselves, so saliva could be present on the paws. Is that a concern?

[J_9]

No, there is no chance that the OP could get rabies from a scratch, even if cats lick their paws. It is from a BITE.

The OP needs to wash the area well with an antibacterial soap then apply an antibacterial ointment.

There are other issues involved with cat scratches though. Cat Scratch Fever for one.

[Alty]

Thank you J. I've gotten an education from this thread. All the things I thought I knew, I didn't know at all. I really believed an animal could be tested for rabies without killing it. I also thought that since it's a cat, saliva contact is possible with a scratch because of a cats cleaning habits.

Thank you so much for being patient with me, and explaining why I was wrong.

[J_9]

I have to recant. It is remotely possible to get rabies through a scratch, but extremely rare.

Scratches, abrasions, open wounds, or mucous membranes contaminated with saliva or other potentially infectious material (such as brain tissue) from a rabid animal constitute non-bite exposures.

CDC - Transmission: Exposure to the Virus - Rabies

However, this is extremely horrendously rare. The OP should really have nothing to worry about.

[Yusf]

Does that mean I can lead my life normally? That's a relief.
But wonder girl has said about taking tetanus injections. Let me tell you details. My wound is healing fine. There is no sign of damage. But my sisters scratch is red, and hurts when touched. I applied shaving lotion (anticeptic) 24 hrs after the scratch and found it still burns on application. Is it sth to worry? Note that v both have washed your scratches and applied savlon (me) and shaving lotion (my sis) immediately.
BTW, the initials of my name is {removed for privacy} not OP. ;)

[ScottGem]

First, OP stands for original poster (or original post). Its shorthand to refer to the person who started the thread (or the first post) rather than by name.

Second, If your scratch is healing nicely, then no worries. If your sister's is still inflamed, it may need to be treated by a doctor. But the possibility of rabies, is almost none.

[ScottGem]

It is remotely possible to get rabies through a scratch, but extremely rare.

That's what I thought, I was surprised to see no one had said that before I posted. Didn't know the animal had to be put down for testing though.

[Yusf]

Do v still HV the risk of tetanus? How many days do v HV to take injections for tetanus?
Today, I and my friend was solving a math problem. It sat near our feet. Suddenly my friend was tugged at his sock by the cat. I then showed my pen to it to test its aggression. It tried to scratch me. I removed my arm. Then it scratched the pen and kept biting it until it slipped out of its grip. Is it sign of increased aggression? Is it something to worry about? It also tried twice to grab my leg by its paws. Is it aggression or its just being playful? It is to b noted that it did sth similar to pen biting hours before scratching me. Then it rcvd bad treatment for its scratch for a day.