Cats can bite all the way through a human finger or sink their teeth into human flesh all the way to their gum line. Cats bite when they are scared, in pain, confused, when giving birth or just while eating food. Deep penetrating puncture cat bites require a doctor's care and immediate antibiotics. Infection begins immediately and red lines begin to radiate from the bite.
Call Your Doctor
Call your doctor immediately for deep penetrating cat bites. Seventy-five percent of cat bites inflict Pasteurella multocida and septica. Cat bites contain a complex mixture of bacteria, which includes organisms not usually identified in clinical microbiology laboratories. Some cat bites inflict streptococci or staphylococci, but rarer bacteria are often found in cat bites.
Your doctor will usually prescribe a combination of antibiotics for the infection and give you a tetanus booster if necessary. If you were bit by a wild feral cat, you may need anti-rabies treatment.
Clean the Wound
Wash the wound thoroughly with antibacterial soap and warm water to remove as much saliva and bacteria as possible. Run clean water over the wound to rinse. If possible, wash the wound a second time with a povidine or bacitracin solution. Apply antibiotic ointment to the wound and surrounding area to prevent bacteria on the skin from getting into the wound.
Stop the Bleeding
Apply pressure to the wound with a clean cloth. Elevate the wound above heart level to stop the gravitational flow of the blood. Bleeding should stop within 15 minutes. Bleeding removes some of the saliva and bacteria from the wound.
Bandage the Wound
Apply sterile gauze to the wound when the bleeding has almost stopped. The bandage should be tight enough to hold pressure on the wound to prevent further bleeding. The bandage also protects the wound from contamination. When the bleeding has definitely stopped, bandage the wound with clean gauze or a clean dry cloth. Tape the bandage with adhesive medical tape. A band aid might work.
Begin Antibiotics
Start your antibiotics immediately. The antibiotics should start to overcome the infection in about 24 hours. The red lines radiating from the wound should disappear within 48 hours. The pain will subside in about two days and the wound will heal in about a week. Take every antibiotic. Do not stop taking the antibiotics when the pain subsides.
Beware of Complications
Fever, abscesses, swollen lymph glands or swelling at the wound site with drainage requires another visit to the doctor or the emergency room. Bites to the hand are more complicated as the hand has many bones, tendons and joints with less circulating blood. Severe osteomyelitis or septic arthritis can occur in the hand, wrist or elbow. Cat bites to small children are extremely dangerous. A child putting his face on the cat may even result in a fractured bone from a bite.
Tags: bites inflict, Cats bite, clean cloth, from bite,