Cat bites and clean teeth

[Marfy]

Ooh, my second thread already lol.
I have a cat in my home that bites me. The bites become infected.

Would having his teeth cleaned reduce the chance of infection while I try to fix the behavior? (I’m getting tons of good advice here, thank you!)

 

[cmshap]

I have a cat in my home that bites me. The bites become infected.

Would having his teeth cleaned reduce the chance of infection while I try to fix the behavior?

I would doubt it, because cats' mouths naturally contain dangerous bacteria. This article explains it pretty well:

Cat Bite Injuries to Humans | VCA Animal Hospitals

In theory, it might help a little immediately after, but then quickly revert to normal. Like after we brush our teeth and clean out mouth bacteria, it comes right back. Of course, I am no vet or microbiologist... just speculating.

Plus, cleaning a cat's teeth is a stressful event for them. I wouldn't want to stress out a biter more as I am trying to correct the behavior.

 

[Kflowers]

what worked for us. The moment the cat bites hiss at him. Then ignore for awhile. You'll need to practice hissing away from him so it can be strong and loudish. Get a hard krrrich going in the back of your throat if you can. You may accidently spit too, that's all right. It only took one hiss to stop ours from biting. She was about a year old and had been doing it every day since she was about 6 weeks. She was rescued at 6 weeks.

Hissing is the way mother cat and other friend cats tell the kitten/cat. No, stop that right now. It isn't a threat. It's just a no the cat understants.

things that others have tried that did not work for us - shouting, spraying with water (I suppose you carry the spray bottle every where) Changling a can half full of pennies. Pulling away and ignoring the cat.

 

[fionasmom]

Cats have very fine, sharp teeth which, when they bite a human, enter the flesh like a needle. Because they are so sharp and small, the wound immediately closes up, trapping the bacteria inside. Every day normal mouth bacteria is enough to cause an infection. Being bitten by a dog is much less likely to cause the same kind of infection as dogs have bigger teeth and the bite is usually left more open and easier to disinfect and clean.

 

[Marfy]

That makes so much sense!! So it’s the teeth,not the bacteria…well, darn. I can’t fix that.
Thank you for this information!

 

[cmshap]

That makes so much sense!! So it’s the teeth,not the bacteria…well, darn. I can’t fix that.
Thank you for this information!

Well, it's both. It's the bacteria that are implanted in your tissue with needle-like structures. Then your tissue heals over the puncture wounds, and the bacteria gets trapped inside.

 

[CatladyJan]

I've been working with a new cat that was biting me and we have made enourmous progress. You best bet is to wear thick gloves and cover your skin. Hissing, saying "Ouch" loudly, or 'No" and pulling back will help. You also need to pull back and let your cat pursue you. Redirect with toys and you may need to have a time out.
Clean your bites immediately and soak in espom salts for at least a half hour twice a day.

 

[Kflowers]

When you pull back remember that cat teeth are curved and will be hooked into you. You might want to try push in, pull down and back.

 

[Marfy]

I’ll try to remember that.

I saw a documentary on the world’s most efficient predator and it was the housecat, hands down. They do have exceptional weaponry!