Should I be worried about a scratch from a stray cat?

[Poetic Injustice]

This afternoon, I was sitting down outside when a stray cat comes out from under my chair. It was acting a little weird tugging at my shoelaces, rubbing itself on the chair, I stupidly tried to pet it when it suddenly scratched at my hand.

It wasn't a deep scratch, but it did bleed a little and the cat ran off afterwards.

Now, I went to the hospital and they said they don't give rabies vaccination for such simple scratches,and told me to just get a Tetanus vaccination.

Now I'm just worried because the internet says a scratch can cause rabies. Am I just overthinking it?

 

[Aureon]

I mean, you literally went to the hospital. You're fine.

 

[Fiction]

You are 100% overthinking. If the hospital said you are fine I'm 99.99% sure are fine

 

[Torpedo Vegas]

Get out of here Werecat.

 

[thecouncil]

cat scratch fever.

 

[N64Controller]

I mean if you search l ong enough on the internet it'll probably tell you you have cancer because of the scratch.

 

[cognizant]

I feel tainted just reading this thread. Anyone know how I can get rid of second-hand rabies?

 

[Reckheim]

I feel tainted just reading this thread. Anyone know how I can get rid of second-hand rabies?

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sounds serious, go to the hospital to have it checked out.

 

[KentP]

"It was acting a little weird tugging at my shoelaces, rubbing itself on the chair"

This is 'standard cat', surely?

I'm sure you'll be fine

 

[Red]

Let me get this straight. You didn't trust the medical professionals who saw you in person, so you're now asking advice from anonymous strangers on an online video game forum, to who you've provided a written account. Is that right

 

[Rassilon]

 

[Red]

Seems like the rabies has already set in

 

[CHC]

Local infection is more of a worry than rabies or tetanus. Almost no one gets rabies from cats. Rats, bats, and raccoons are the main carriers in and around developed areas. That said, local infection can still be horrible if the infection gets in your joints and tendons, can even lead to needing surgical intervention.

But if the hospital let you go, you're fine. Like, really. You're fine.

 

[StopMakingSense]

Rabies is primarily transmitted via infected saliva. Non bite exposures are very rare.

 

[Deleted member 3040]

If the hospital said you're alright then it should be fine, right? It doesn't sound like it acted strangely at all from your description, plus rabies doesn't spread as easily via scratches I think (please correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[oledome]

please make sure you've signed up for organ donation

 

[sangreal]

Cat bite? Yes. Cat scratch? No

 

[Reckheim]

please make sure you've signed up for organ donation

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no one wants their Rabies infested liver.

 

[Particle Physicist]

No you shouldn't worry at all. You can't get rabies from a scratch. Rabies is transmitted from saliva getting in contact with a wound.

Also there has not been a single confirmed case of cat-to-human rabies in the U.S. in the past 40 years. There has only been two human rabies cases that have been attributed to cats.

https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/usa/surveillance/domestic_animals.html

 

[oledome]

no one wants their Rabies infested liver.

Click to shrink...

OP, please request a cremation

 

[G.O.O.]

Trust the hospital. Not the internet.

 

[Deleted member 3040]

Sooo, why do so many think it's cool to joke about this if OP is worried about it?

 

[wideface]

You'll be fine, OP.

 

[Lobster Roll]

You went to a hospital, you're good. Whenever I get scratched by my cat, I go and immediately clean it out as thoroughly as I can. You went above and beyond that. To the highest degree. You're gonna be ok.

 

[Shadow]

You'll be fine. See my shadow? I'm 100% a real doctor as you can see. OP, you can trust me.

Seriously though, a cat scratch will be fine in most cases. Most you'd usually have to worry about is an infection. Since you went to the doctor you're 99.99% fine.

 

[Theecliff]

this is how you turn into Catwoman

 

[Shadybiz]

If the hospital said you're good, then it's probably pretty safe to say you're good.

My wife had a tangle with a stray cat some years ago. She did get the rabies shots, but she was also bitten a couple of times; big difference.

 

[Septy]

this is how you turn into Catwoman

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I need to find this cat then.

 

[_ifigured]

Rabies is primarily transmitted via infected saliva. Non bite exposures are very rare.

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cats are constantly licking their paws so rabid saliva could have been coating its claws at the time of attack. rabies confirmed.

 

[Deleted member 8561]

no one wants their Rabies infested liver.

Click to shrink...

 

[MarcelRguez]

At worst, you'll get a fungus infection, which is bothersome (especially if you have pets) but nothing serious. Don't worry, just go back to the doctor in a few days if the wound starts to itch.

 

[T002 Tyrant]

You shouldn't be too worried, bites with saliva are more likely to cause rabies.

Also Poetic Injustice I can't recommend the Ada app enough, it's far better than just googling things if you're the kind of person who google's symptoms!

 

[Walter White Walker]

You went to a hospital because a cat scratched you? Talk about overkill.

 

[Bradford]

ITT: Cats trying to fool the human.

OP, you're gonna need to amputate it to stop yourself from becoming one of them. Quick, before the infection spreads!

 

[Deleted member 41178]

Lol, this is peak Era. Going to a hospital because of a cat scratch and then questioning the advice of professionals.

This is amazing.

 

[Perfect Chaos]

It was acting a little weird tugging at my shoelaces, rubbing itself on the chair

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It's a cat, dude.

 

[Deleted member 5334]

Honestly, if you are legit worried, which honestly is a really scary thing and I don't blame you, you should push the issue at the hospital to request for it.

That aside, I had to get rabies shots for a scratch to the face when I was about 5 or so. We couldn't find the cat and as a precaution, they gave me the full course of shots. I've mostly blocked out the actual shots from memory, but they were still giving it in the stomach at that point, which apparently from what I was told, was pretty damn painful. Nowadays, when I had to get additional booster shots (that's a story in itself I don't feel like getting into it), they just gave it in the shoulders.

As users said, it's largely the saliva that you have to be worried about rather than the scratches. That aside, if you don't feel comfortable with not getting the shots, you can absolutely request it. It's odd that the hospital is telling you otherwise, given mine did this for me as a precaution for a later incident (with two booster shots, since I'd already had gone through the process years earlier).

 

[Queen Calanthe]

I am sorry, I am really sorry to be that guy,

OP are you white?

 

[WeAreStarStuff]

I'm sure you're fine.

I understand your paranoia though when it comes to hospital diagnosis. I once had meningitis from Lyme Disease and the first hospital I went to told me that I had a stomach bug... 🤷‍♂️

 

[Lonewulfeus]

A rabid cat wouldn't have played with your shoelace and rubbed on your chair, thats 100% normal cat behavior.

 

[subpar spatula]

A rabid cat would most likely do more to you.

Basic alcohol cream will do on the wound.

 

[Nude_Tayne]

Click to shrink...

And now that song is playing in my head.

 

[Dust]

Oh god, you reminded me of my ex who thought she got brain parasite from petting stray cat (she had just a flu).

 

[Hayvic]

Go to youtube and search for "rabies patient".

Edit: You can in fact get rabies from scratches but the odds are extremely small even if the animal is infected. The severity of the wound does not matter in this case. It is enough that the skin has been breached. Assuming you're in the US you have nothing to worry about. Now if you're in India for example there is ample reason to panic.

 

[Poetic Injustice]

I am sorry, I am really sorry to be that guy,

OP are you white?

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No. I am not.

 

[Poetic Injustice]

Also, this incident was on my mind where a boy died in his mother's arms because he didn't get the rabies vaccination on time.

https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/09/l...-by-anti-rabies-vaccine-shortage-authorities/

 

[CallMeShaft]

I got scratched by a stray that was missing an eye last year and didn't bother getting it checked out because it's very rare to get any illness, let alone rabies, from a simple scratch.

Having said that, maybe I'm in a rabies induced coma right now and have just imagined that a year went by.

 

[Deleted member 19003]

I got scratched by a stray that was missing an eye last year and didn't bother getting it checked out because it's very rare to get any illness, let alone rabies, from a simple scratch.

Having said that, maybe I'm in a rabies induced coma right now and have just imagined that a year went by.

Click to shrink...

 

[Linus815]

seriously, you dont trust doctors but you'd trust some people on the internet?

 

[Lupercal]

All according to Meowkaku.