Pet AdoptionHealth & Wellness

Should I worry if a cat scratches me ?

Cat scratches are a normal and expected thing when raising cats, and you must prepare for it and learn how to treat it. It is done in those cases.

Although cats are cute creatures and are bred in many Arab homes, care is a duty and taking care of the animal you deal with or raising is important so that you do not expect to be infected with any harmful diseases, here we will talk aboutWhat to do and what to know if cat scratches occur and what to do.

For example, if you keep a cat in your home, you will surely pet it a lot, despite the familiarity that occurs between the cat and its owner, and although cats are pets ; However, we can say that care is a duty and prevention is better than treatment.

Your pet kitty can be the cause of many diseases that you do not know or expect, and our discussion today will focus on talking about cat scratches only, because it is assumed that if you are raising a cat, you must know that it needs specialized care.

Such as vaccinations and not contacting places where diseases are likely to be transmitted and have special foods, here I will mention some steps that you must take when exposed to any scratch from any cat:

  • If you get any of the cat scratches, the first thing to do is find out how deep the wound is. If the wound is deep, it is serious and requires immediate treatment. It should be noted that the severity of the wound has nothing to do with the extent of pain you feel.
  • If the wound is superficial, then there is no problem in treating it at home. But if the wound is deep, it is necessary to go to the nearest hospital; Whichever cat has scratched you.
  • You must know the cat that was scratched by it. If it is a cat from the street or you do not know it, it is recommended that you go to the nearest hospital to make sure that you have not been infected and conduct the necessary medical examinations and procedures. It is more necessary to go if the cat has bitten you with its claws.
  • Whereas if the cat that scratched or even bit you was from home, you should know some important information about the cat, such as where does the cat spend most of its time? Is her health good or not? Besides, do you take the serum for cats or not? Based on the answers to these questions, it is determined whether you will go to the hospital, whatever the degree of the wound, or not.

Wound assessment

Before anything, you must know whether the scratch is of a serious type or not, and based on that, you will determine, after performing the quick procedures, whether you will go to the hospital or not.

Cat scratch treatment

The first step that you must take is to wash your hands with warm water and soap until your hands are clean and you can deal with the wound, and do not forget to clean your hands from all areas such as nails and between fingers.

Then grab the scratch and put it under water for a period of time, and of course avoid warm water.

The next step is to rinse the scratch with water and gently clean everything around it and dry it with a towel. Then you have to apply one of the ointments intended for cat scratches and mild diseases such as this, and there is no need to take any oral medications or antibiotics, the scratching is simple and with time and the topical cream will improve.

Cat bite serum

Cat bite serum is a medicine or tetanus injection to be more specific. It is taken by someone who has been bitten or scratched by cats to recover from the negative symptoms of a scratch or bite, and it is very similar to a dog bite serum, in addition to that it is intended to protect against rabies and its complications.

When is cat serum taken?

Cat serum is taken if anyone has been scratched by a cat and the wound is very serious, a, as we said if the scratch or bite was from a cat of unknown origin, and an anti-rabies vaccine is taken once in a person’s life.

Cat scratch disease

Cat scratch disease is one of the diseases that are transmitted from cats to humans upon contact and manipulation, and 40% of cats are infected with this disease without showing clear symptoms, so infection from cats with this disease is not far away, especially if you have a cat in At home, this disease is found in cats infested with fleas .

And there are some symptoms on cats, such as red eyes and mouth, and some pain in the heart.

Symptoms that appear on a person with cat scratches

  • The first evidence of infection with this disease is the swelling of the scratch in the affected hand.
  • After that, the different symptoms appear more, such as swelling appears in some places of the lymph nodes, such as the armpits, between the thighs and in the neck, and other diseases begin to appear, such as sore throat and eyes, and the emergence of symptoms of fever from sweating and nausea.
  • At this stage and upon discovering these injuries, the patient must go to the hospital, because if he does not go, there will be health complications such as the transmission of pain to the spleen and liver, along with some other areas, and it is unfortunate that not treating this disease and detecting it early can lead to death.
  • Cat scratch disease is particularly common in immunocompromised individuals, so you should not hesitate to go to the doctor if you are immunocompromised and have been scratched by a cat.
  • This disease is discovered by examining tissues or making a culture of bacteria and then taking the necessary treatment. We must remember that this disease has its original source in exposure to cat scratches or bites, so care is required from the beginning.

After being scratched

After being scratched by a cat, you must:

  1. It is sure if you have any disease, and you should be careful if you feel a severe headache or fever, or swelling of the skin and any rashes, because if you have these symptoms, there is a good chance that these are symptoms of cat scratch disease.
  2. You must make sure that you have not contracted ringworm, which is one of the diseases transmitted by cats, and its symptoms are the appearance of some spots on the skin accompanied by severe itching.
  3. If the scratching pain and swelling increases, produces pus, and is accompanied by a high fever, these symptoms could be the result of a bacterial infection from the cat that scratched you.

Avoid getting scratched

In order to avoid getting cat scratches, you need to do some things, such as:

  • Avoid petting your cat aggressively or aggressively, as this can motivate her to be violent with you.
  • It’s best to trim your cat’s nails every week so that the cat scratches aren’t too hard or too painful.
  • It’s also a good idea to keep your cat clean and give it its own serum, so that if it has been exposed to cat scratch disease, the stage does not progress and additional symptoms develop.
  • If your cat scratches you, don’t punish or scold her , as this is a natural defensive behaviour.
  • Be careful not to come into contact with any unidentified cats or street cats.

Cat scratches are not the worst thing that may happen to you when dealing with cats, but it may be an early thing to carry many diseases that may affect your health, so do not neglect it and do not exaggerate it, but keep it in mind.

This article contains medical advice, although these tips were written by professionals and are safe and harmless to use for most ordinary people, but they are not a substitute for the advice of your personal doctor, Use it at your own risk.

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