Can rabies be transmitted by a scratch?

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Barbara

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Sorry, this is not cat health but mine. Wasn't sure where to really post but was hoping someone has some info.

Last night a cat showed up at my house. Somehow they always find us! After it looked in my patio door the second time I went out to check on it. Of course, I can't leave a stray alone. He/she ran off but when I called he came back, meowed & walked up to me. I reached out to pet him & he let me touch him but then scratched my arm. He ran off after that so I went inside & washed the area with soap & peroxide. It's just a normal cat scratch, well actually several. I have never seen the cat before & it was dark so I really couldn't tell much about him other than the color. Should I be concerned? I don't want to call animal control or anything like that. Hopefully he belongs to someone & was just stopping by. I was hoping some of you that work with resuces/ferals had some info for me. I hate that I let him scratch me but I must admit I'm a little concerned.

Barbara
 
Hopefully someone will be along shortly that can give you a more definitive answer, but I believe the most you'd have to be concerned with from a scratch is Cat Scratch fever or an infection. How deep are the scratches? Generally, as long as you've washed them out w/soap & water right away, and then cleaned with peroxide, you should be fine. You can put antibiotic ointment on them, but I'd wait until tomorrow to do that-and clean it a few more times today. If you notice any abnormal swelling or redness (you'll probably have a *little* bit), funky smell, or discharge, get to a doctor ASAP!
 
Barbara
It is transmitted thru saliva.

Carl
 
The scratches are not deep & I did read online about it being transferred by saliva but then I started reading if the animal had lick his claws it could be transmitted.

Carl, the cat looked like Petunia....another reason I went after him. DH thought at first she had gotten out somehow. I was thinking to myself the whole time "where am I gonna put another cat?"! :roll: They need to quit finding me!

Thanks for the info!

Barbara
 
Because cats groom themselves with saliva, you have potentially been exposed to all kinds of pathogens, not just rabies. You were correct in cleaning the wound.

Please contact your doctor and discuss if you need an antibiotic in case you wind up with a bacterial infection. You may observe redness, swelling, and discharge if the wound becomes infected; that, of course, means see your doc.

Also, contact your local health department in case they determine you need rabies prophylaxis. The local public health authorities are most likely to have or to get quickly, rabies immune globulin for post-exposure prophylaxis. This is very important, as rabies is almost always fatal in humans and those who have survived have had neurologic impairment afterwards. If there are very few reports of rabies in your area, they may decide you do not need it. If the cat can be captured and quarantined for observation for a month or more, that helps provide warning should it develop symptoms. Note that if public health or animal control does this, the cat will most likely be euthanized and the head taken for analysis (sorry to be so graphic).

For any of us working with or likely to have exposure to feral cats or wildlife, please consider getting vaccinated against rabies. It may be rare in your community, but you don't want to wind up a case!

(Note: I work in public health)
 
For any of us working with or likely to have exposure to feral cats or wildlife, please consider getting vaccinated against rabies. It may be rare in your community, but you don't want to wind up a case!

At my old job, I had really good health insurance (or so I thought). At that time, DW and I were doing a lot of wildlife rehab, and dealt with many raccoon orphans or injuries. I asked our insurance people at work if they would cover pre-exposure shots since we were in danger of exposure. They said no. I asked, "well, if I get bit, will you cover the costs of that, and the treatment if I contract rabies?" They said "sure." I asked "well, the shots are a lot cheaper than the post exposure treatments....wouldn't it make sense to pay for the shots?".......a few seconds of dead silence, and then "well, yes it would be. But we don't cover that". okee-dokie.... luckily, neither of us were ever hurt by any of the wildlife we rehabbed.

Carl
 
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