Im fearing tentatus after cat scratch

[abbas altake]

I took last Tentatus vaccine 10 years ago and day 4 ago my cat  scratch me in leg and it began to drip blood.. It lasted  1 minute and I stopped the blood flow with water. I didn not have any inflammation and now it looks like small dry bruise. Its has been now 4 days and Im really fearing if Im getting tentanus from this. after reading that you can get one from cat... Is it too late to get the vaccine again? My cat is Indoor cat... 

 

[Willowy]

Nope, not too late . You should get a tetanus booster any time you get a deep scratch or cut if it's been more than 5 years from your last booster. And a booster every 10 years even if you don't get cut.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

i would say, if you're concerned you should discuss this with your doctor. better to be overly cautious, than not cautious enough....

that said, you generally would have shown distinct symptoms of infection within the first 24 hours -- not tetanus, just infection. i, personally, am prone to developing cellulitis, so i'm very aware of and cautious with any and all cuts, scratches, and scrapes and am very familiar with signs of infection.

tetanus can come from deep puncture wounds, not generally scratches from cats. however, if you're not current with your tetanus shot (and at 10 years since your last, you may not be current), then you might consider getting another tetanus shot.

again, if you're concerned about possible tetanus, you can't go wrong by discussing this with your doctor. your doctor can examine the scratch, look for signs of infection or anything needing treatment.

 

[abbas altake]

I see. Thankfully its not deep puncture wound because blood came from it and  healed pretty quickly. So if the wound is not  infected are the chance for Tentantus Zero? I will take tentantus booster in next week.. I just Hope IM not  too late because  now its have been  almost  5 day since my cat scratch me... The anxiety is horrible..

 

[Winchester]

I honestly think you're OK, especially since your kitty is an indoor cat. But, if you're really that worried, see your doctor and get the tetanus booster. Since it's been ten years since you had one, you should be able to get your booster with no trouble. But the fact that the scratch is healing and it shows no signs of infection is good news.

A few months ago, when I was taking care of my sister's cats, one of them stuck his claws into my wrist to the point where I actually had the pull the claw out. It was a deep wound and it bled for a while. I took care of it and it healed up well. 

I do think that since you cared for the scratch and your kitty is indoors, you're fine. But.......it never hurts to see your doctor. 

 

[Willowy]

Infection and tetanus are different things. But the risk of tetanus is fairly low for a scratch that's been kept clean, and you probably still have some immunity from your last booster. So try not to worry too much, hopefully your doctor can set your mind at ease!

 

[catlover73]

If you are showing no signs of infection then I agree that you are fine.  It would be a good idea to get a booster shot anyway if you are out date.  You may not even have to go the doctor.  Where I am it can be done by a pharmacist.  I work for a large retail drug store and can get this type of stuff done for free at work.

Years ago one of my friend's was doing private rescue. She had just taken in a new stray and had not taken her to the vet yet for a check-up. This stray was friendly and we were hanging out playing with her in the room my friend was keeping her in.  The cat latched on to my wrist and full-on dug her claws into me with no warning.  I also had to remove the claws from my skin as Winchester pointed out.  This was a deep scratch and it bled quite a bit.  We cleaned it out immediately.  We had to use a stebic pencil designed to stop bleeding from shaving cuts to get the bleeding to stop after it had been cleaned.  My friend was really worried and even offered to take me to the ER to get checked out at her expense.  I did not notice any redness or swelling once the bleeding stopped so I told her that I would keep an eye on it and get medical care if anything happened.  I talked to one of the pharmacists at my work about what happened.  She is also a cat person and had personal experience with this issue. She checked the scratch and it showed no signs of infection.  She personally checked on it every day for two weeks to make sure that there was no infection. She told me what to watch out for.  If I had needed medical treatment she would have told me to go get it.

My friend did take the cat to the vet the next day for a check-up and the cat was given a clean bill of health. I was out of date too and my pharmacist did administer the booster to me once it was clear there was no infection.

My friend figured out that this new cat was people friendly but not at all other cat friendly.  She ended up re-homing the cat with a friend who did not have any other cats.  This friend had also done rescue but had retired because she could not continue financially.  My friend who originally rescued the cat provided the finances so the cat could be an only cat.  The 2nd person eventually adopted this cat out to a family member that was looking to adopt a single cat after a loss. The cat probably lashed out at me because she was over-whelmed by the smells of my cats.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

An you post back and let us know how you are doing. Hope all is okay. :nod: