I’m thinking the whole bit about cat bites being super infectious is a myth. Does anyone know the real story on this?
No myth.
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/bites/024.html
Their claws also carry a whole host of bacteria.
If it is from a cat fight, the fur hides the wounds and only discovered when pus is observed..the puncture wounds close quickly and infection develops quickly..I have had 2 huge vet bills over infection..wound cleanout surgery.One was shockingly horrible..many stitches.
I now have house cats..I get an occasional nip when combing tangles out of my long haired kitty..I clean the wound with much dedication and put antibiotic ointment on it.
No it is not a myth. I had my own cat scratch me and the next day I had a red streak going up my arm. Blood poisoning. Went to doctor and got antibiotics. Same thing happened to my son.
I’ve had what the doctor called “cat scratch fever” twice, but both times from cat bites. Both were infected within 24 hours. One went through my thumbnail about to the bone, I got both a shot and oral antibiotics for that one. Just oral antibiotics for the other one as it was on the meaty part of my forearm.
Never had it from a cat scratch.
Not to cause any undue alarm, but cats can carry several diseases that are highly communicable and fatal:
1.) FIP: Feline Infectious Peritonitis (incurable for animals once infected, and can be transmitted simply by animals eating from the same food bowl.)
2.) Feline Leukemia (Also incurable once contracted and can be transmitted from sharing the same food bowl.)
3.) Rabies (No explanation required.)
If you're concerned about your dog, I advise you to take the cat to the vet and have blood work done. I live in Los Angeles County and have a vet near me that specializes in felines and only charges $106 (office visit and blood tests). LA is incredibly expensive and most vets charge upwards of $300 for on office visit & blood tests, but if I can find a vet that only charges $106 for the exam and blood tests in LA, I suspect you can do so, too, regardless of where you live.
Bottom line: How much money is your dog worth to you? If the cat has a communicable disease, many of which do not exhibit any symptoms until long after infecting your animal, you will be screwed once symptoms appear. Best to be safe rather than sorry.
My cat is a reclaimed feral. She likes to play but sometimes, without warning, she remembers her wild days and will bite hard enough to draw blood. Her front paws are de-clawed but she will delibertly scratch me with her back claws. So I have been bitten and scratched many times and sometimes it is fairly deep and very bloody but I have never had an infection. I wash and put a bit of Anti-B ointment on and let the healing happen.
My cat is a reclaimed feral. She likes to play but sometimes, without warning, she remembers her wild days and will bite hard enough to draw blood. Her front paws are de-clawed but she will delibertly scratch me with her back claws. So I have been bitten and scratched many times and sometimes it is fairly deep and very bloody but I have never had an infection. I wash and put a bit of Anti-B ointment on and let the healing happen.
Deep BITES can be, since cat teeth are sharp and can carry bacteria down very deeply. Minor bites and scratches, such as you’d get from a cat that gets a bit overexcited and nips or lets their claws out, or a cat instinctively trying to stop a fall, not very likely at all.
They DO get inflamed for a day or so if the skin is broken at all...red, warm, angry looking, and a stinging itch, but it goes away within a few hours to a day...the welt is a giveaway that it’s not actually infected. Someone who doesn’t pick up lots of minor scratches may assume it’s an infection and panic, but I’ve never had anything come of it.
My wife got bit in the wrist by our own cat. She cleaned it up very well with hydrogen peroxide.
She went to the doctor four days later, and was put on antibiotics.
One week later, her wrist was still in pain and was hot to the touch. She went to the Dr. to get it checked out, and they immediately checked her into the hospital and schedule surgery that day.
The tendons in her wrist had become infected and were deteriorating. They opened her wrist, scraped away the diseased portion of her tendon and left the wound open, but packed with gauze for 11 days so that it could be cleaned out daily.
Cat bites are bad news.
Only by experience of over 35 cats in 33, almost 34 years married to an animal loving wife. Just been adopted by another with her two kittens. Mom is “Boots”, with kittens “Skooter”, and “Cooter”. Isolated for now as we are taming the lot for transport to Dr. for neuter/spey as soon as we can.
Been bitten seemingly a thousand times, usually in play, and no serious infections.
Just yesterday “Mr. Buddy” wanted in my lap, missed his mark, and ripped my arm open with his rear claws. Nothing serious there either from that end.
We keep a well stocked emergency First Aid chest with lots of Bactine, gauze bandages, band aids, Neosporin, etc.
Somebody gave me a Siamese cat years ago. I took it outside to show my neighbor and acar drove by. The cat struggled, I held her tighter, and she chomped down on my hand. I held on as long as it could, but she eventually escaped my arms and ran away.
My hand became terribly infected and swollen (and painful). I went to the doctor and the doctor said that I'd better find that cat in case it had rabies. We spread the word in the neighborhood and drove around looking for her. Do you know how many cats sit under cars at night? Dozens in an urban neighborhood where the only parking is in the street. LOL.
We put food out in the driveway and left the garage door ajar. The next morning, I saw my old cat out there guarding the garage door -- behaving very strangely. Lo and behold, the Siamese cat was hiding in the back of the garage on top of a pile of lumber. My husband caught her and brought her in, where we isolated her in a small room.
I had her for 6 more years until she escaped when we were moving.
The biggest problem is that she bit me and incapacitated my hand while I was in the middle of making a hand tucked first Communion dress for my oldest daughter. That sewing project was painful and memorable.
The short answer is YES. Cat bites are highly infectious (as are human bites.)