Cat scratches / Swelling on human skin

Hey there, this may sound a tad odd but I'm 'lovey dovey' to both my girls and I have noticed a few things, I go to kiss my kitties (noses and/or face-they are indoor cats with shots) and a bit after I kind of get a swelling, I feel it rising and somewhat throbbing at the start then I can literaly feel it get big, It actually looks like I got socked in the lips!

I tried to do some research on scratches/bites but couldn't find anything related to lips that swell. I do notice that I get swelling and itching even on the littlest scratches or bites. But my girlfriend gets it to, and just about everybody I know (my cats are somewhat rowdy ).

I do however have two lip rings on the bottom of my lip. This came up right when I brought up the fact that I swell to my girlfriend, but I continue to deny the fact that it is the reason of the lip rings, because I feel a somewhat swelling on my upper lip, without any piercings. That being the case it rules it out.

When I do get the swelling it lasts about 15-30 minutes at the MOST. That may be over doing it a bit but It defenetely isn't for just 5-10 mins. If anybody has anything to mention about the problem, or anything related to cat scratches / biting, please write I am very curious as to why this is happening and googling it, I just saw stuff on 'cat scratch disease' which besides this happened, I don't have any other symptoms (fever, 2 week old swelling cuts from scratch, ect. ect.)

Again, any information guys, please let me know

And yup I have another question TCS

Sounds like a question for a doctor!! I'm not sure this is a question about the health of a cat.

That is very weird! Maybe you're just allergic to kitty kisses!

I think its an allergy. my mum can't touch the cats noses or else she develops a rash, and swelling also happens.. so.. I think it could be an allergy.. not sure though =)

It sounds like allergies.

I do squirrel rescue... and recently, whenever they climb all over me, they tend to scratch because their nails are so sharp. Anyways, the scratches really swell, and I notice I become more congested and it's definitley allergy related.

If it's itchy and swollen I'd bet you anything is allergy related.

Originally Posted by Plebayo

If it's itchy and swollen I'd bet you anything is allergy related.

Click to expand...

The same thing happened to my sister. She was allergic to cats and fortunately, not to the point that she couldn't live with them, she just had to avoid kitty kisses and be cautious when she played with them (to avoid scratches). The severity of allergies varies in people and some require physical contact to get a reaction.

Yeh, it sounds alergy related to me. I get a small swelling on my skin whenever i get a cat scratch. It could be that cos of the lip piercing the cat allergy is getting under your skin, hence the swelling.

You sound a bit allergic. As far as scratches go, treat them by rinsing them off and applying a bit of antihistimine cream or spray. (Something w/benadryl in it). Taking an allergy pill daily might help too with the swelling. I am allergic to a bunch of things and take allergy pills. The ones avaible over the counter are benadryl (pink) and chloritrimetron (yellow pill). These however may make you drowsy. (Benadryl is the PM in Tylenol PM) The other one that are OTC are Tavist-one (made me a bit drowsy) and claritan (very good). Claritan is the samething as allevert. They make generics for all of these. I would reccomend a trip to the allergist if you really want to know. The two Rx I have tried are allegra and clarinex. Clarinex works for me.

Allergies was my first thought too. But also it is rather unsanitary to be kissing them on the nose or the face in general, as they harbor lots of germs. If you have piercings, you are more at risk for infections, I would think...? So I'd stop kissing them for this reason as well as the allergic reactions.

You may want to think about training your cats to not scratch/bite your hands etc... (It is possible to do, just read up on it here on "The Cat Site"). I just think it may be wise especially if you keep getting these reactions.
I hope you figure it out, must be annoying to get all swollen and all, just for loving your cats!
Good luck to you!

I actully have the same problem...once in a while a cat scratch will bubble up on me........

Alergies is a possibility....another possible reasoning which was told to me was that cats tend to have various bacteria and germs on their claws...this could irritate human skin when it is scratched in there.......

I havent had any serious problems relating to this issue, and it goes away in about 20 minutes.......

My advice would be thourouly wash and scratches you get......if the swelling lasts an extended period of time take a trip up to the ER...(I know cat bites can get infected easily)....and the next time you see your DR ask him what he thinks....

but overall i think it is just a reaction...and as long as there are no extra related problems I wouldnt worry about it......

good luck

It happens to me too, though not 100% of the time. I dab some TCP or Betadine antiseptic on and if it swells, some antihistamine cream. But it never lasts long.

Hi. I read somewhere that it is enzymes in cat saliva that people are usually allergic to, not their fur. But since cats are always grooming, they carry a lot of the enzymes on their fur. If this is in fact true, it would make sense that a kitty's nose/face would have more saliva-type stuff (even though dry & invisible to us) in this area so hence you react only when you kiss them. Just a thought. But whatever the cause, it kinda makes sense to avoid the practise that brings it on. Allergies can be cumulative - that is you can react worse the more you are exposed. So my two cents worth is to try some other form of giving your kitties their lovin's!

I agree here with AussieMum....I`d avoid the practice. If the allergies are agrivated and worsen...you could at some point possible not be able to be around cats at all. Allergies are nothing to ignor. I`d clip their claws or use soft paws to avoid being scratched...and would not kiss them or allow them to bit, even in play.
I have seen some pretty nasty allgeries develope over time in some people and it is turly NOT funny! Allergies can get pretty darn miserable!

Sometimes I get scratched and/or bitten by my cat and my hand swells up wherever my cat scratches me. I'm assuming it is allergies, but I'm not very sure. I'm getting a dog soon, so I might try testing whether it's just cats or if it will happen with any animal. Also the swelling goes away after about 10 minutes.