kitten bite itches -help please

several months ago i adopted a kitten from a friend's cat's litter. the kittens in the litter lived outside and I took my kitten in when she was about 4 months old. she's six months now and she's had her vaccinations and has been spayed. today she was playing around and bit my foot -not hard, but enough to make it bleed a tiny bit. an hour or so later i noticed it was itching at the bite. i've always heard that itching at a bite sight is a sign of rabies. do kitten/cat bites ever just plain itch sometimes for no reason, or should i be concerned? thanks.

sara

I had a cat once that I was particularly allergic to. I'd itch if she accidentally scratched me while playing, and that sort of thing.

But, as I'm no expert on rabies you might better wait and see if someone else has more information for you.

Good luck!

Sara first of all rabies in humans is quite rare. You would be irritable, have a high fever, your throat would feel scratchy you would be thirsty and yes, your bite would itch, there would also be a rash. You should go to the doctor and get it treated though- cat bites are serious in themselves. They carry a lot of bacteria in their mouths, which is why birds when caught by cats die rather quickly. The itching could be from bacteria not rabies, but go to the doctor or at least call your doctor and let him know you got bit-

When my cats get me with a bite or scratch by accident it always itches for a little bit *shrug* I just wash it real good with warm water and an anti bacterial soap.

Just wash it good with soap and water if you have Witch Hazel use that. It can help with the Itching and may burn a little. I use for cat scratches.



Ashley

thanks, everyone. my family had cats when i was little and they would sometimes playfully nip at me, but i never thought anything of it. to be honest, i'm a little afraid that i'm going to be so embarrassed if i call the doctor because i can just imagine her saying "that's what cuts feel like as they're scabbing, silly" (do they? hmm. don't know.) or even "you've got to be kidding me, you hypocondriac, there hasn't been rabies here in years, crackpot." like i said, this barely broke skin. also when I noticed it was itching (it didn't sink in that it was until i was subconsciously scratching it), I washed it with antibacterial soap and put some alcohol on it. incidentally are even the smallest cat snips dangerous (infection), because my cat is very playful and we're always getting nipped at here. although nothing has been seriously infected, i have some not-so-attractive red scars on my hands now... so, if a little itching is normal sometimes (are there any more of you who have noticed this) and the only likely bad thing that could happen would be some bacterial infection, I may just keep it clean and keep an eye on it.

Sara

Sara,

I'm horribly allergic to kitty bites and scratches. I feel for you. Do keep an eye on it.

chris,

i've never been allergic to cat scratches before --that i remember. i do have very sensitive skin though. maybe that's it.

sara

it just hit me that my tenanus shot may not be up to date. think it is actually. i'll pay a visit to the doc on monday (the soonest i'll have time) unless I'm noticing swelling, of course. or does that sound like too long and risking tetanus, or will a couple of days do it. (i realize we're cat people on here and not doctors, really). it's just that christmas is coming up and the last thing i have time for is worrying over a cat bite.

Sara

I had the same thing if Bijou got carried away playing. I would just wash it and apply polysporin. I would suggest you keep an eye on it though because our daughter got blood poisoning after our cat Simba bit her. He was terrified and we were trying to catch him so he bit pretty hard. He also bit my husband and me, but we were OK. Our daughter had to go to the doctor and get an antibiotic.

As the others said, keep an eye on it and/or see a doctor if you are uncomfortable.

okay, that makes me feel better that i'm not the only one itching after a cat bite. blood poisoning sounds like awful illness. i'm glad to hear your daughter was okay. thanks for your input.

You said that your kitty had it's shots. If it has been inoculated for Rabies there is no way you could get it. Just make sure you don't get infected!

Hi Sara! I got bitten by a feral kitten once while trying to rescue him from vines he got entangled in. More worried about the kitten than myself, I took him to the vet since he was limping and had the thought to ask the vet about the occurance of rabies in the area. He assured me that there hadn't been a reported case in over a year, but to be safe, I had to quarantine the kitten for a few weeks to ensure he didn't show any signs. If you have had the kitten in your house for a few months, there is probably no chance of rabies. The itching can come from the swelling in the wound, a slight allergic reaction, or start of an infection. If it stays red and inflamed, get yourself to a doctor. My husband was bit by an adult cat once and got very sick from it.

I often itch from one of the cats' biting, although rarely do they break the skin. The only time I've ever gotten ill from a cat was when Esse nailed me badly near my eye...but that was significant infection, and happened really fast. I was surprised at how fast I got ill, too. Something like 8-10 hours and I needed to have the bite lanced (really disgusting and smelly), disinfected, and massive doses of antibiotics. Let me stress again that it happened fast. Not slow, but really quickly. Overnight.

One thing I've noticed in my life is that blood itches. If I cut myself, but don't wash the blood off (skydiving accident, or rose bush attacks, or a rambunctious kitty getting a tad too rambunctious in their play with me...something like that...) I've noticed that if the blood is left to dry there, or rubbed away rather than washing up, it can become itchy. Not a bad itch, but still, annoying. And then even after I wash, it stays irritated. Dunno why, I've got clean blood and all, but still...it's what happens with me.

Try washing the whole area very well, with an antibacterial soap if you have some. If not, use some vinegar, which kills most surface bacteria. Apply some neo-sporin, if you've got it, or some antibacterial cream. If you haven't got any of that, try some aloe. Then stick a bandaid on it, so you remember to not itch it, and watch for infection sypmtoms (although I don't think you've got any, or it would've likely showed up by now...). If there are some, then get thee to a Dr. right away, to heck with Christmas.

best-
Michele

Originally Posted by DragonLady

You said that your kitty had it's shots. If it has been inoculated for Rabies there is no way you could get it.

Just make sure you don't get infected!

Click to expand...

well, she came from out in the country (outside), so theoretically she could have been exposed there (in which case the after-the-fact rabies vaccine wouldn't work), but i really doubt she was exposed since there hasn't been any dog or cat rabies around here in years. but that does set my mind at ease a lot. thanks!

sara

You mentioned that the scratches barely broke the skin. I have found that it is the light scratches that itch the most.):- The deeper ones don't itch until they are healing. The time you have to worry about tetenus though, is for a deep cut or puncture wound that can close over quickly. The tetenus baccillus requires an 'anaerobic' environment which means that it is deep inside the body where oxygen can't get to it. Small scratches don't allow that type of environment. Hydrogen Peroxide is another good solution to use on shallow cuts and nips - it puts oxygen into the cut edges of the skin and prevents the possibility of an anaerobic environment for a tetenus germ to live. A good antibacterial lotion or cream around the area is also useful. Just keep an eye on the scratches. If they start turning red and getting really sore or hot, then check with the doctor. If the skin is punctured and starts to grow over the wound, it can become infected and will also get red, hot and itchy. You do need to see a doctor if that happens.

Deep puncture wounds, especially from cats, are very serious and almost always will require antibiotics - the sooner the better:-).

Surface scratches and cats are a way of life. Usually there aren't any problems, but it is good to be aware of them and make sure they heal quickly as they should.

Kathryn

Originally Posted by Kathryn41

You mentioned that the scratches barely broke the skin. I have found that it is the light scratches that itch the most.):-

Click to expand...

thanks, kathryn. she actually bit me though, on the top center of my foot. as close as the two little hole marks are together, it looks like it was her bottom teeth and not the top ones (goodness knows how she managed that). in any case, it definitely broke skin, but didn't really bleed much --which i've heard is actually a not-so-great thing sice the blood can't flush it out. so, i'm going after that shot on monday. it's a teeny bit red around them and a little tender in a bruised kind feeling. if it gets worse, i may just end up going to see somenoe about it tomorrow, but that usually means the more expensive e-room and not my general practitioner who is working during the week. anyway, i guess i'm going into christmas with a shot starting out the week. whoo-hoo, and fun-fun!

sara

got my shot. all's well that ends well.