Do I need a tetanus (cat bite)?

lilsis

OK probably already covered somewhere, sorry. But my kitten bit me earlier today and drew blood, first time he's ever drawn blood. Anyway just wondering if I'd need a tetanus for this? Suppose I should give some information. He's a house cat so has never been outside (although I can't be certain about that when he was with his mother, but he was in the house when we went to see him) he's had his vaccinations except for the feline leukeimia one, I didn't see the point when he's a house cat! Anyway anybody know? The cut isn't sore or anything, just not very experienced with cats so I didn't know if I'm supposed to get one just in case like with dog bites.

mr lee

yes,go to your doctor,i had a cat at d vet before and he told if a cat ever bites me go to the doctor for injections

Housemartin

I think it best u go to doc ok..re tetanus,if u've had a tetanus injection in lasst 5 years you're probably ok but all the same I mean cats are always lickin other cats arses and stuff.Ya I'd go to doc

comongethappy

Hi Op,

If you haven't had a tetanus booster in the last 10 years, I'd recommend getting one, just to be on the safe side. Many doctors would recommend it, but I was talking to my vet, and she advised tetanus wasn't a very high risk, it was a misconception. She advised the highest risk is a bacterial infection and some doctor's aren't aware.

Cat's have quite a large amount of bacteria in their mouth, this poses the largest risk. Pasteurella is the bacterium that is of most concern, but staph infections can also occur. Make sure you wash you wound throughly, try to bleed it out a bit if possible. Put antibotic cream on and keep clean. If you notice reddening, increasing soreness, discharge, or if you have headache or flu like symptoms, consult your doctor as you may require an antibotic. With most cases, when treated properly when the bite occurs, risk of infection is lowered.

paul maynooth

I've been bitten and scratched by cats many many times and never had a problem. The cat we have now is a real biter - he's a male and inclined to bite first and ask questions later. He has drawn blood on my hands many times. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

The Sweeper

Cat bites are second only to bites from a human being in terms of likelihood of infection. All cat bites should be taken seriously, especially deep puncture wounds. Anyone with a puncture wound from a cat bite should visit their GP or the emergency department for a course of antibiotics. Superficial grazes and scrapes can be cleaned at home, but punctures have a high danger of infection and really do need to be regarded as potentially hazardous if untreated.