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 Rubystars |
Blackie Scratched me |
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Posts: 23 May 25, 2009 14:28:20 Littermate |
It was just a very minor scratch, just enough to barely break the skin. I washed it really well and put hand sanitizer and lysol spray on it too.
Still, it makes me nervous. What should I watch for? Edited by Suse: Added search tags.
Last Edited By: sniksnak May 25, 2009 15:29:54.
Edited 1 time.
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sniksnak |
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Posts: 22577 May 25, 2009 15:35:01 FF&F Staff |
There's absolutely nothing to worry about if you've disinfected the scratch, even if Blackie is infected.
You do not need to get rid of him. The illness is relatively rare and usually mild, and a few steps can go a long way toward limiting your chances of contracting the disease. Washing your hands after handling or playing with any cat is the foremost priority in prevention. Keeping the house and Blackie free of fleas will reduce the risk that he could become infected with the bacteria in the first place. If you suspect that someone in your family has caught cat scratch disease from him, you don't need to worry that he will have to be put to sleep. Talk with your veterinarian about the problem. Here is a link about Cat Scratch Disease: 
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Rubystars |
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Posts: 23 May 25, 2009 15:56:09 Littermate |
Thanks for the post. Blackie is a feral female cat that I've been feeding. I got my hand too close to the food bowl trying to move it a little closer to
her and she took a swipe at my hand. I don't think she wanted to hurt me. She just BARELY scratched me. It didn't even bleed but a tiny amount of blood
came up to the surface of the skin, not enough to even form a drop and bleed out though. There are three very minor places where it broke the skin on the back
of my hand. I was worried because she's feral and I don't know what kind of things she could have gotten into outside.
I love Blackie and right after she finished her food I brought another can out for her and her babies to share, which they ate. I'm thinking since I'm going to start TNRing them it wouldn't hurt me to go ahead and get a tetanus shot anyway. I put some neosporin on the scratches earlier because it was hurting a little and you can barely see them now. I hope they stay unobtrusive. I'm going to try to go to the doctor on Wednesday and go get a tetanus shot because I'm not sure if it's been 10 years or not since my last one. The last time I had one, my dog had bitten the back of my hand when I broke up a fight, and I think it may have been more than 10 years ago, so I think I'd better go ahead and get a tetanus shot just to be on the safe side. Do you think that I could still get cat scratch disease if I cleaned it well? One time one of my sister's cats scratched me lightly like that while I was playing with him and I washed it and everything was ok and I went back to playing. |
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sniksnak |
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Posts: 22577 May 25, 2009 16:01:47 FF&F Staff |
I keep my pro-rabies and tetanus shots up to date since I deal with ferals every single day.
I've been dealing with feral cats for over 25 years and have yet to contract CSD. My arms look like a vet's - I can't remember which scar belongs to which cat, much less what year. CSD is something I don't even think about. In fact, I've never known anyone who has had it.
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Rubystars |
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Posts: 23 May 25, 2009 16:08:04 Littermate |
How much does a pre-exposure rabies shot cost, and should I get one? Can you get rabies from just a scratch, or would you have to be bitten?
I'm 99% sure she doesn't have rabies because we've been feeding her for months and I think they don't live long with rabies. |
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sniksnak |
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Posts: 22577 May 25, 2009 16:19:33 FF&F Staff |
No, rabies is contracted by the bite of another rabid animal. Here's a link about rabies in the cat:
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/rabies.html It's been so many years since I had the initial pre-exposure shots that I can't remember what I paid for them. Plus, if I could remember, I'm sure that inflation has shot the price way, way up from that many years ago. But my vaccine is $25 and has been for the past 3 years. I'm sure that cost will vary by locale - I'm in Louisiana.
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Rubystars |
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Posts: 23 May 25, 2009 16:25:35 Littermate |
Thank you so much! I feel so much better! I think it's great that there are people like you who love animals so much and have learned so much to be able to
help someone like me who is still learning everything. I figure the observation period is usually 10 days anyway so if I keep feeding her then I'll know
she's just fine as far as that goes anyway.
I really want her kittens to grow faster so they can be 2 lbs soon. I want to catch them and help them by getting them neutered and spayed. I don't know what gender her babies are but I hope they're toms so they have an easier surgery. It's ok either way though. Her last baby (Smokepaw) that we knew about from her previous litter died from being hit by a car before I could do anything so I'm praying that these babies will be ok. It was kind of frustrating because Blackie and Smokepaw survived Hurricane Ike and then that happened. Now that she's got three more babies I really want to help her and them so this cycle doesn't continue. There's also a cute tom I want to get fixed named Whitenose. |
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sniksnak |
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Posts: 22577 May 26, 2009 07:18:33 FF&F Staff |
I don't know about Texas, Wendy, but Louisiana hasn't had any dogs or cats that have been identified as rabid since the year 2000. I don't worry
about rabies in the cats and occasional dogs I come across. As I've mentioned before, it's the wildlife that I interact with that concerns me. However,
I keep my pre-rabies and tetanus shots up to date to err on the side of caution.
Please note that female cats can and do go into heat and can become pregnant as little as 48 hours after delivering a litter. As for determining the gender of the kittens, scroll down on the following to page to Anatomy. Perhaps that will help. 
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/howto15.html
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Rubystars |
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Posts: 23 May 27, 2009 00:27:51 Littermate |
Thanks for the pictures. One reason I don't know the gender of the kittens is that they run away too quickly for me to get a good look! I'm shocked
that she could already be pregnant again. It makes me feel sad that when we spay her that she might already be pregnant though I know it's the best thing
for her to just remove them. The thought of little growing kittens inside her dying does upset me though even though I know in that case it would be the right
thing to do.
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sniksnak |
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Posts: 22577 May 27, 2009 08:36:52 FF&F Staff |
I know, Hon, but it's a necessary evil. It breaks my heart when I know that a feral mom is pregnant and I take her in for spaying, but I know that she will
be healthy when she returns to me and there will less kittens to perhaps never find a home.
There will never be a complete resolution until cat guardians become responsible care givers - by spaying and neutering their cats. As more kittens are born each year, more stray and/or feral cats will appear, and the feline overpopulation problem will continue. That is why aborting is just a small part of a greater issue: Spay and neuter ALL pets.
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Rubystars |
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Posts: 23 May 29, 2009 13:41:07 Littermate |
 I guess I just never thought I'd be in the business of killing
kittens. I'm trying to see it as saving Blackie from a life of having litter after litter and plus saving potential kittens from a life on the street, but
it still makes me feel upset. She has a friend cat named Whitenose who always hangs around who we think might be pregnant too. This is really hard for me and
last night I felt like crying thinking of how they feel warm and safe in their mother then being removed and dying.
Maybe that's a little too dramatic but my mind can do that sometimes. It won't stop me from catching them but I can't help how I feel. |
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