Mary Allen
With the purchase of a cat, life comes into the house and wonderful moments await the owners. Of course, cats should not be kept alone either, and yet the little velvet paws also need human attention.
Whether through playing, trips to the garden together, or the beautiful cuddles that we all enjoy and love so much. Between these wonderful moments, however, you should never forget that cats are predators that are not always predictable.
Whether kept alone, although we always advise against it, or in pairs, it can always happen that you play too hard with the animals yourself or that the cat bites you for another reason. Every cat owner who has ever been bitten by his cat knows that the small pointed teeth can cause quite a lot of damage, which unfortunately is still underestimated today.
The cat bite is considered particularly dangerous and should always be treated as the consequences could be very serious. In this article, we report why cat bites are so dangerous, the risks associated with them, and what treatments are now available.
The cat bite in brief
Unfortunately, bite wounds are not uncommon for pet owners, which is mainly due to the fact that we humans often do not correctly understand the behavior and the warning signals emitted by the animals and thus interpret them incorrectly.
In Germany alone, around 30,000 bite wounds are reported to liability insurance companies each year, although experts are certain that the number of unreported cases is far higher. There are more bite wounds from dogs than from cats, although these are harmless and usually heal without any problems.
A dog bite usually only leaves a scar, which unfortunately looks different with a cat bite. Every second cat bite becomes infected, which means that affected owners often even have to have an operation to avoid worse consequences. It doesn’t matter where you were bitten, because the probability of a cat bite igniting is the same everywhere. Furthermore, the cat bite of your own and cared for cat, which maybe even only lives in the house, can become inflamed just as much as that of a street cat.
What are the symptoms of a cat bite?
Cat bites are never to be underestimated and it is actually always advisable to consult a doctor immediately or go to the emergency room of a hospital. Those affected are often given an antibiotic directly to fight the inflammation from the start and to support the body in this fight. The antibiotic should therefore be seen more as a precautionary measure, which is intended to prevent worse consequences. However, it is important to keep an eye on your body, because a cat’s sharp teeth can leave deep wounds, which in the worst case can even reach into the bones or even into the joints.
Waiting after a cat bite is definitely not a good idea, as it can become very dangerous in just a few hours. The typical symptoms that occur with inflammation are, for example, a strong reddening of the bite site and swelling can also often be observed. In addition, those affected naturally also have pain and it often happens that the area around the miracle can no longer be freely moved. Wounds are just as often warm or even feel really hot and pus can also leak out of the wound within a very short time, which also applies to a bloody secretion. Furthermore, it could be observed in the past that the lymph nodes, which are located near the wound, also swell. For example, the lymph nodes in the armpits when the cat bites the arm. Very sensitive people may even go into shock, have a racing heart, or have dizzy spells. It even goes as far as fainting. If you notice that you are getting dizzy, it is always important to lie down and get help from another person and under no circumstances go to the doctor alone.
Cat bite symptoms at a glance:
- pain at the wound;
- Swelling at the wound or nearby lymph nodes;
- reddening of the wound;
- Warmth at the wound;
- Restricted functions of the affected part of the body (arm movement, leg movement, stepping, etc.);
- dizziness;
- tachycardia or increased blood pressure;
- shock;
- fainting;
- Chills or chills;
- Pus or bloody discharge comes out of the wound.
The risk factors and causes of cat bites
A cat bites in a variety of situations, the most common being when playing together. If things get too wild, it can quickly happen that the cat exaggerates. Furthermore, keeping cats can of course lead to attacks that are not always foreseeable. Whether it’s feeding, when the cats can’t wait, or when you go to the vet and the cat has to be put in the transport box and fights back.
In addition, you should of course always leave cats alone when you notice that they need this rest. If you pet the cat when it is sleeping or pick it up, it can also happen that it scratches or bites. Of course, people who don’t have their own cat can also be bitten. So you either just have to visit cat owners or be attacked on the street by a cat that lives there. So there are many situations that can cause a cat bite, so you should always be careful.
Cat bites are so dangerous because the animals carry numerous germs or bacteria in their saliva and these also get into the wound. There they can now lead to bad inflammation. The risk of inflammation is particularly high in the hands, where there are numerous long tendons and tendon sheaths.
The bacteria and viruses that got into the wound via the saliva can now spread through the blood throughout the human body and thus reach both the brain and the heart. Furthermore, the teeth of cats are very long, so that a cat bite can go particularly deep. If a wound goes very deep, there is also little oxygen there, which is an advantage for many bacteria. The anaerobes also multiply without oxygen and can cause great damage.
Examination of a cat bite
Many affected people often don’t think anything bad about a cat bite, which can be a fatal mistake. The question of when is the best time to go to the doctor and whether it is necessary at all is a mistake. So everyone should go to a doctor or the emergency room immediately after the bite and never take it lightly. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, a cat bite can become severely infected within just a few hours. An experienced doctor can now see how bad the bite really is and whether or not it needs to be treated with medication or even a small operation. When you get to the doctor, not only is the wound examined, but the person concerned also has a few questions that should be answered with a clear conscience. This could include the following:
- When exactly did the cat bite?
- When was the last tetanus vaccination? (It is best to take your vaccination card with you)
- Was the cat your own or a stray animal that might be sick? (Especially important for rabies vaccination)
- Is there a known immune deficiency?
- Does the cat have any contagious diseases?
- Have symptoms already appeared or has the wound already been treated?
In addition to the many questions that the doctor will now ask you, there will of course also be a physical examination. The focus here is primarily on the wound caused by the cat bite. The depth of the wound, for example, plays an important role here, as does whether the wound is clean or not. Any symptoms of the wound, such as swelling or overheating, are also very important and will be checked thoroughly by the doctor. In addition, the lymph nodes in the vicinity of the wound must now also be scanned more precisely. As soon as the doctor considers it important, a smear is also taken from the wound so that any pathogens can be found, although those affected naturally have to wait for the results of the laboratory. In the event of an infection, it is thus possible to determine more precisely which bacteria are involved and which medication can be used specifically for this purpose.
Treatment for a cat bite
A cat bite should always be treated. There is both treatment by the doctor and initial measures that you can carry out yourself at home. How exactly both treatments can look like, we now present in more detail below:
The cat bite treatment at home
Of course, after being bitten by a cat, you can also act directly at home and only then go to the doctor. For example, it is best to cover the wound directly in a sterile manner, for which the compresses, which can be found in a first aid kit, among other things, are best suited. Of course, it’s also possible that the wound was bleeding profusely, which would require you to apply a pressure bandage.
With a pressure bandage, you have to cover the wound with several pads that are stacked. Then they are wrapped exactly once with the gauze bandage. Then put an unopened bandage, which is still in the packaging, on the spot and wrap everything tightly with the rest of the existing gauze bandage. However, please make sure that the bandage is not too tight, because the blood supply should continue to be maintained, otherwise further complications will occur.
If you are in shock, please call for help and lie down, because such a situation should not be underestimated! In this condition, please never go to the doctor alone!
Medical treatment for a cat bite
Of course, the doctor should then continue to provide for the miracles. A bite wound, no matter what animal, should not be closed directly. This is because the bacteria that may be present can otherwise multiply even better due to the lack of oxygen. However, if the cat bite is on the face, the situation is different. This is first thoroughly cleaned and then sealed, which, however, has mainly cosmetic reasons.
Open wound treatment by the doctor
An open wound treatment is usually always the same, at least as long as no inflammation has formed. Here, too, the wound is thoroughly cleaned beforehand to flush out bacteria. Furthermore, this is kept nice and moist with a compress, which is previously soaked in a saline solution. The so-called fat gauze, which is a gauze grid with fat ointment, now ensures that the compress cannot dry out. Those affected can then go home, whereby the wound must be examined again for inflammation the following day. If you feel unwell at home and notice the symptoms of inflammation, you should go straight back to the doctor and not wait until the next day. This treatment is continued until the wound finally closes and heals on its own.
The process of a cat bite that does not become infected:
- cleaning the wound;
- A saline compress will keep the wound moist;
- Fat gauze is additionally used;
- Antibiotics are now prescribed as a precautionary measure for people with a weakened
immune system;
- The wound is checked for inflammation the next day;
- Treatment continues until the wound has healed.
Treatment for cat bite inflammation
If the cat bite has become infected, the treatment described above is unfortunately no longer possible right from the start. Many people can no longer avoid a minor operation. The infected area must now be cut out and thoroughly cleaned. The treatment after the operation is the same as for open wound treatment, although patients also have to take antibiotics. These are mainly products that have a broad spectrum of activity. Furthermore, the bite wound now takes much longer to heal completely and the scar is usually a bit larger.
The course of the disease in a cat bite
A cat bite that takes you straight to the doctor and is then treated professionally is usually harmless after treatment. Small scars may remain here, but diseases are usually not to be expected. Unfortunately, complications can also occur here, although they are very rare. Limiting as well as life-threatening complications can occur, which is mainly due to the fact that the bite of the cat can be particularly deep due to the very sharp and long teeth. This can lead to damage to the tendons, which is particularly noticeable in the hand. If the tendons no longer grow properly, it is possible that affected fingers can only be moved to a limited extent or, in the worst case, no longer at all.
Danger to life after cat bite
Everyone should keep in mind that a cat bite can be fatal in the worst case. Above all, the infections that can occur through a bite wound make it so dangerous. The infection now not only stays directly at the wound, but spreads throughout the body. A cat bite is fatal, especially in cases in which tetanus is triggered by tetanus and the virus that causes rabies.
However, there are vaccines for both diseases, so it is always important to take your vaccination card with you to the doctor in the event of a cat bite so that you can receive a booster vaccination if necessary. You usually get tetanus if vaccination was more than five years ago. When vaccinating against rabies, it is now necessary to check which cat has bitten you. Doctors recommend a rabies vaccination, especially for stray animals, and wait and see for their own cats. It is important to know that rabies is unfortunately always fatal. Of course, people who are already ill and older people with a weak immune system or an ailing heart are particularly at risk, because here infections and severe inflammation can generally be fatal more quickly than in healthy and younger people.
Closing words – please never underestimate cat bites
It can quickly lead to a bite from your own cat or another cat. This bite does not even have to be meant in a bad way, because cats sometimes overreact and play too hard. However, please always go to a doctor and take the time to have the wound properly treated to avoid any risks. Even if you don’t find the cat bite all that bad, it’s always a good idea to play it safe and get a thorough treatment. This is not the safest way from a health point of view, you also worry less now. Due to the many terrible consequences, the cat bite should never be underestimated and taken lightly. Incidentally, you should also take animals that have been bitten by a cat to the vet straight away, because serious consequences can also occur here if the bite is left untreated.