Cat Bites And How To Avoid Them

Your cats teeth are very thin and sharp. Your cat will bite when she's extremely agitated or frightened. As many as 40 percent of cat bites become infected and require medical attention.

Approximately 80 percent of all cat bites become infected. The most common type of bite is a puncture wound. If a cat bite bleeds a tremendous amount, your chance of infection is slim. The bleeding flushes the infectious saliva out of the bite mark. But, with their long pointy teeth, a cat bite is more predominantly a puncture wound that doesn't bleed very much, if at all. And by not bleeding this leaves room for infection to develop.

There are some bite wounds that heal quickly, some get infected quickly and some can produce an infection that will be travel through the blood stream and other areas of the body. That is why it is important to pay quick attention to a cat bite.

Anyone who is bitten by their cat and doesn't take proper care of the wound is at risk of developing an infection.

There are some people that are at a more serious risk. And should take precautions.

1.If you are 50 year of age and over.

2.If you have diabetes, circulatory problems, liver disease, alcoholism, or HIV/AIDS.

3.If you have had a mastectomy or organ transplant.

4.If you taking chemotherapy or long-term steroids.

5.If you have had your spleen removed.

If you have any of the above you may be more likely to develop a serious infection than other people. You should take special care to avoid being bitten or scratched. And if you are seek medical attention as soon as possible.

When bitten you should clean the bite mark area immediately. You should do this with plenty of soap and warm water. You want to remove as much saliva as possible. If at all possible sterilize it with a Betadine solution. This is a surgical soap that kills just about everything. You can buy it at any drug store. It is also available in ointment form.

You can soak the wound in Epsom salts or a peroxide solution and warm water. Try to get the wound as clean as possible. The idea is to prevent infection and swelling. Apply antibiotic ointment and cover the wound with gauze or a bandage.

It's greatly recommended that you seek medical treatment for any severe cat bite. The bite can turn into an unpleasant, infected mass in a matter of hours. Treatment includes an IV antibiotic and oral antibiotics.

A bacterial infection can develop, many cats, although they don't have symptoms, may have the Pasteurella multocida bacteria in their mouth, which can cause wound infections.

Getting a tetanus toxiod shot is a good idea, especially if it has been more than 5 years since the last tetanus shot and your cat bite is very deep or is contaminated with dirt.

Rabies are possible, but highly unlikely, surprisingly, more reported rabies cases in the United States involve cats than dogs, although those cases are still much lower than the incidence of rabies in wild animals.

How To Avoid Being Bitten By Your Cat

There are several things you can do to lessen the chances of being bitten or scratched by your cat. First and foremost, pay attention how your cat is acting. If your cat is cowering when you get near her, or flattens her ears, dilates her pupils, twitches her tail slowly, grumbles or hisses, then your cat may be likely to bite or scratch if you attempt to touch her. Secondly, don't force your cat to do something she doesn't want to do. Some cats may not like being picked up or held, especially by people it does not know. If your cat is trying to avoid you or someone, don't force it to interact.

These are just a few suggestions to avoid being bitten. Remember if the bite is serious seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Handling your cat, you will be able to locate your cat's sensitive spots that will require additional careful attention. Usually these are the mouth, paws, ears and backside. When petting the sensitive areas, touch your cat for just one second and immediately reward it with it's favorite treaty. Then touch it for two more seconds. Gradually increase the time of contact required for another treaty. Your cat will learn to happily tolerate prolonged contact in these areas.