Animal Bites: A Cat Bite Is Worse Than It Looks

Wash it thoroughly with soap and water. Come in for a deep puncture, a badly torn wound, bleeding you cannot control, or any bite from an animal that was behaving strangely — that last one is a rabies question and it does not wait.

The size of an animal bite has very little to do with how much trouble it causes.

The American College of Emergency Physicians puts it in one sentence:

“Cat bites and scratches are especially prone to infection.”

A dog bite tears and a cat bite punctures, and a puncture is the worse wound: narrow, deep, and sealed over within hours with whatever went in still in there. The bite that looks like two small holes is the one to take seriously, and the bite that looks dramatic is often the more straightforward one.

Wash it, properly and for longer than feels necessary

ACEP’s first aid for a bite that is not an emergency:

“Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water, apply an antibiotic ointment (unless the person has allergies or sensitivities to antibiotics) and cover with a clean bandage.”

Thoroughly is the word doing the work. Soap, running water, and real time — this is mechanical cleaning, and it is the single most useful thing anybody does for a bite before being seen.

Note ACEP’s own parenthesis on the ointment — not if you are allergic or sensitive to antibiotics. And if you are heading for an emergency room anyway, wash it and leave the ointment so the wound can be assessed as it is.

Come in now

ACEP names these:

A deep puncture, or skin badly torn and bleeding — “apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding and get medical attention right away.”

An animal that was behaving strangely. This is the one that changes everything:

“If an animal acts strangely and bites you, go to an emergency department or see your doctor immediately, because the animal may have rabies.”

And ACEP names the species where this matters most: “bats, skunks, raccoons and foxes.”

Note that the trigger is behaviour, not just species. A dog acting out of character counts. An animal that approached rather than fled counts. A bat in a bedroom counts even without an obvious bite — that is a situation to ask about rather than to reason your way out of.

Also come in for:

• Any cat bite, particularly on a hand
• Any bite on the hand, wrist, foot, face, or over a joint — little padding, and tendons immediately beneath
• A bite from a wild or stray animal, or any animal whose vaccination history you do not know
• A bite in a small child, an older adult, or anybody with diabetes or a suppressed immune system
• A human bite that broke the skin — the same infection logic applies
• If you cannot remember your last tetanus shot. ACEP: “A tetanus shot may be required if you have not had one within 10 years.”

Our emergency rooms are open every hour of every day and are walk-in. Go to the nearest one, and if another emergency department is closer, that one is the right answer tonight.

If you are unsure, come in — this list is not exhaustive and you are not expected to assess a rabies risk yourself.

The animal, if it can be done safely

“If possible, capture the animal, if it is safe to do so, so it can be checked for rabies.”

Read both halves of that: “if possible” and “if it is safe to do so.” ACEP hedges it twice and so do we. Do not pursue an animal that has already bitten somebody. A second bite is a worse outcome than an unidentified first one.

What is genuinely useful and safe: whose animal it was, whether it is vaccinated, where it went, and a photograph from a distance. If it is a neighbour’s dog, the owner’s name and vaccination record is worth more than anything else you can bring.

Signs it is becoming infected

ACEP is specific, and says to see a physician immediately for:

Fever, or swelling, redness, pain, a bad smell, or fluid draining from the area.

A bad smell and drainage are the two people wait on. Neither is something to watch for another day.

And pain that increases after the second day is the general rule — a healing wound hurts less each day, which is the same signal set out in when a cut needs more than a bandage.

Questions people actually ask

My own cat scratched me and it is barely visible. Wash it thoroughly. Watch it closely, because ACEP singles out cat bites and scratches as especially prone to infection — and be seen if there is any swelling, spreading redness, or increasing pain, particularly on a hand.

The dog is vaccinated and it was my fault. Good, and the vaccination status genuinely matters. The wound still needs washing, and hands, faces and joints still need looking at.

Do I need a rabies shot? That is a clinical decision made in person, based on the animal, its behaviour, the species and local circumstances. Go and let somebody who can make that call make it. This page will not estimate it for you.

There was a bat in the house and nobody was obviously bitten. Ask about it. Bats are first on ACEP’s list, bat bites can be hard to see, and this is precisely the scenario to raise with a professional rather than to settle at home.

A stray bit my child. Come in. Child, unknown animal, unknown vaccination status — three reasons at once.

It has been two days and it is red and sore. That is on ACEP’s infection list. Be seen today.

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Wash it thoroughly with soap and water, and come in for punctures, hands, cats, children, or any animal that was behaving strangely. Both of our emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year — walk in, no appointment and no referral. Find your nearest emergency room →

Related reading: when a cut needs more than a bandage · which door do you need

Sources

57. Animal Bites — Know When To Go — American College of Emergency Physicians. https://www.emergencyphysicians.org/article/know-when-to-go/animal-bites

This article is general information, not a diagnosis. It gives no doses. If you are unsure, come in — this list is not exhaustive and you are not expected to assess a rabies risk yourself. If it might be an emergency, treat it as one and call 911.