My pet cat punctured me with his teeth when I tried to separate him when he was fighting. What do I do

Question

I was breaking up a fight between the two that sometimes fight, and my boy cat suddenly bit me hard and punctured my right hand with his teeth, I have 4 of his teeth marks, I did feel one or two of his teeth break the skin and go in. It was like slo-mo I was so surprised. It was bleeding and has been oozing clear liquid off and on four hours. I initially cleaned it with alcohol.. then bandaged it and had to leave for 7 hours. Im back.. anything I can do for it?? Its sore and also oozing clear a little bit.. very slowly tho. It also looks a little puffy, ever so slightly, compared to my left hand.

Answer 1

Cat bites should be a seen by a professional.. especially if your cat hasn't had its rabies shot

Or you can just let it be and see what happens. Put neosporin on it and what not. I know that when I worked in a boarding facility and at a vet clinic it was mandatory to go to an emergency clinic whenever a cat bit someone.

Answer 2

I've been in the same situation, both at home and at work (I work at a veterinary hospital and have 5 cats). It sounds like you have an infection brewing. Cat bites are nasty. Their teeth are notorious for harboring bacteria. I would suggest seeing a doctor or even going to the ER. You need antibiotics ASAP. If you let it fester, it will just get worse. The puffiness is infection, along if it's reddish and feels warm. Keep it clean and get some betadine (from a drugstore) and dilute it with warm water and soak for as long as you can until you can get to  a doc. Good Luck!

Answer 3

It's happened to me many times. It is very painful, and it will be for a week or so. Clean it well with disinfectant. Nothing much else you can do, apart from precaution treatment for tetanus and infection (anti-tetanus serum, if you are not vaccinated, and antibiotics for 4 days). I never do these, but I tell you what a doctor would recommend.

Answer 4

Clean the wound thoroughly with antibacterial soap and warm water for about fifteen minutes.  Then apply antibiotic ointment, (such as Neosporin, polysporin or bacitracin) and a bandage.  Watch carefully for any signs of increasing redness, swelling or local warmth.  See a physician immediately if these signs of infection occur.  Bite wounds on the hand area are the most prone to infection.

Answer 5

Go to the Accident department today.

Cats mouths harbour certain bacteria which react swiftly, and very nastily to cause a septacaemia reaction. The teeth drive the bacteria in and things can get very nasty, very quickly.

Delay of 24 hours has meant hospital stays for at least 2 people I know.

Go get the antibiotic you need.

Answer 6

talk to your doctor and contact the vet on that kind of behavior because you don't want it to get worse

Answer 7

It should be fine..the puffiness is just the swollen part should go away in a few days..the clear stuff is your body trying to push the germs out, keep gauze with some neosporin on it?

But of course it'll be sore...no hard feelings toward the cat though he would never want to hurt you I'm sure. Just defending his self from the other cat.

Hope it helps!

Answer 8

My dog and my cousin cat were fight and my cousin got into the middle and her cat bite the **** out of her ( his teeth hit the bone in her thumb) ...and all i could do was to lock the dog up and told him he was bad...but the cat was just trying to defend himself and i mean its not like we could do anything to the cat...you have to let them work it out that what I've learned...don't get in the middle and,,,also keep washing it with like alcohol...use a anti-bacterial cream...and if u think that there's like anything in there....go to Walgreen's and get a drawing cream and it cleans it out...well if that doesn't help don't wait to long go to the DOC

Answer 9

I was bitten on two separate occasions by my previous cat during visits to the vet.  Each time blood was drawn and my hand swelled up quite a bit, so that the skin was very smooth. (I jokingly referred to it as having hand botox).    I didn't bother going to the doctor, I just kept cleaning the wounds with antiseptic and within two weeks my hand was back to normal.  

If you have a throbbing sensation in your hand, it probably means you've got an infection, in which case you might want to visit your doctor for some antibiotics.

You may have heard horror stories of bites becoming infected and causing serious health problems, but remember that these incidents are only newsworthy because they are rare.  Thousands of vet clinic and shelter workers worldwide get bitten by cats, without any serious after effects.

The link below has information and advice on how to treat cat bites, which may help reassure you.

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/2306887...

Next time your cats are fighting, try distracting them with a loud noise or throw a small cushion or towel between them.  Never use your hands to intervene.

Hope your hand feels better soon.

Answer 10

I know for a fact that a cat bite can be very dangerous. I saw a show on Animal Planet about a lady who got bit by her cat. The lady on the show had her hand swell up so bad from infection within a day or two that they thought they might have to amputate it to prevent the infection from spreading!!  Cats have bacteria in their saliva that can cause HORRIBLE infection and you may need to take antibiotics.If you have health insurance I would go get it looked at by a physician. If you don't, I would keep it very clean, put some neosporin on it and wait and see if it gets any worse. Good luck!

heres a link to some info:

http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Ato...

Answer 11

If you do not have a current tetanus & would go for a booster.  Let your doctor know that you were bitten by a cat.

When I worked as a vet. tech. 12 yrs. ago I got cat bit on the arm.  I went to the doctor & they cleaned it out real good & updated my tetanus shot.

Answer 12

I get bit all the time ..just clean it good  use Betadine ..it will be ok!