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Stray animals or pets living on the street often have a wilder disposition and can attack people in case of danger, during play, etc. Quite often the wound becomes infected, but dangerous diseases accompanying injury can be prevented.
Let's take a closer look at what to do if you are bitten by a street cat in order to prevent the development of life-threatening consequences.
If you know what to do when an animal bites you, you can avoid many serious consequences.
- Prevention of rabies
— How to recognize the symptoms of rabies?
— Often the disease begins with a picture of a common viral infection, namely:
- General weakness;
- Headache;
- Heat.
The patient may notice redness in the bite area and complain of burning and pain.
These symptoms are gradually accompanied by insomnia, irritability, and fear of air and water. When a person with rabies sees water, the esophagus and respiratory muscles begin to spasm, and a large amount of saliva is released.
In the end, delusions, hallucinations, and paralysis develop. The patient dies within 7-8 days from the onset of the first signs of the disease.
A remedy to relieve the condition before visiting a doctor
When, after a cat bite, the hand is very swollen, and according to all signs it is necessary to seek medical help, but for some reason it has to be postponed, the patient needs to use a special bandage to improve the condition, which will slow down the spread of the inflammatory process. The use of such temporary treatment is possible for no more than 2 days and only as a last resort before visiting a surgeon.
To improve the patient’s condition, it is necessary to apply a bandage to the damaged area, previously washed with laundry soap, heavily soaked in ointment with the antibiotic levomekol and alcohol, or in extreme cases, vodka. During the day, the bandage should be re-moistened with alcohol regularly. It promotes the opening of pores and, as a result, the rapid penetration of the ointment into the tissue. The bandage also reduces heat at the site of swelling. The sore arm must be rested and secured in a sling.
— What is more dangerous: a bite or a scratch, and why?
— Both a bite, a scratch and saliva are dangerous. Remember that the rabies virus enters the body not only from a wound, but also from intact mucous membranes, but the deeper, larger and more numerous the bite wound, the more dangerous it is!
Immediate combination vaccination against rabies is required, which involves the administration of rabies immunoglobulin in addition to the rabies vaccine.
A dog bite, regardless of the size of the wound, except for vital indications, cannot be sutured for 3 days. This is because suturing the wound creates favorable conditions for the rabies virus to enter the nerve endings. After 3 days, the anatomical integrity of the wound can be restored.
Medicines to relieve swelling
If the hand is swollen significantly and over a large area, extending far beyond the area where the cat bit, it is necessary to use antibiotic therapy. Such treatment after a cat bite will stop the progression of inflammation and destroy pathogenic bacteria. In case of severe tissue swelling, external remedies are not enough and oral antibiotics are indicated. If it is possible to visit a doctor, then the site of inflammation is injected with antibiotics. In this case, the effect of the drugs will be observed in maximum concentration directly in the affected tissues.
For internal use, if a cat has bitten, broad-spectrum antibiotics are often prescribed, to which all bacteria that enter the wound from the cat’s mouth along with its saliva are sensitive. Preference is given to the following means :
- amoxicillin,
- lincomycin,
- clavunate,
- ceftriaxone,
- ciprolet.
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Take the medicine for at least 5 days and no more than 10. In most cases, a week of therapy is enough to relieve the inflammatory process and eliminate swelling of the hand after a cat bite. In severe cases, when the arm is swollen and painful, antibiotics can be administered through injections, but in such a situation the patient is usually hospitalized, since there is a serious threat to his health and life.
— Does the animal with rabies show any symptoms?
— Yes, a dog with rabies has certain signs that appear 12-20 days after the bite. The animal's behavior changes: it avoids people, howls, is in no mood, often angry, does not eat, does not drink water, can swallow unusual objects (a piece of wood, rags, nails). After 1-2 days he becomes aggressive, a large amount of saliva comes from his mouth, has an unsteady gait, runs away from home and often gets lost, after 2-3 days paralysis begins, and dies on the 7th or 8th day.
10 days before symptoms of the disease appear, saliva is dangerous because it already contains the rabies virus!
Why are stray animals dangerous?
The main characteristics of cat bites are that they are painful, take a long time to heal, and have a high risk of infection. Street animals are especially dangerous as they are carriers of various infections.
The pain of wounds is due to the significant depth of penetration of teeth and claws - these are peculiar punctures where bacteria enter. In addition, saliva itself provokes swelling and slows down tissue regeneration. The situation becomes more complicated if a person is allergic to the fur and epithelium of felines.
Thus, we can highlight a list of the main factors that make street cats dangerous to humans when attacked:
- fangs leave deep puncture wounds;
- Dirt gets clogged under the claws;
- street cats hunt mice and eat pasture;
- saliva contains opportunistic microorganisms;
- Cat hygiene involves licking their paws and their own fur;
- such animals are rarely vaccinated against rabies.
If a cat bites you on the street, the consequences may be:
- Wound infection. Pathogenic microorganisms penetrate into the tissues with the animal's saliva. If they are not removed during sanitization, they will begin to multiply, because optimal conditions are created for them. Gradually, the infection will not only lead to suppuration of the wound, but can also go beyond its limits, spreading through the bloodstream throughout the body.
- Gangrene. Most often, gangrene is caused by anaerobic bacteria. It is characterized by severe swelling, inflammation and necrotic changes in tissues. Ultimately, amputation of the injured finger, arm, or leg may be required.
- Tetanus. This disease is very life-threatening. It develops when anaerobic microorganisms penetrate into a puncture wound and produce toxic substances. The result is painful cramps and paralysis, which can lead to death.
- Rabies. This is the most dangerous complication, as it inevitably leads to the death of both the attacked animal and the injured person. Rabies infection leads to general paralysis, and the disease develops very rapidly - on average within 1 week. Moreover, it can have a long incubation period, up to several months or years.
Signs of rabies in an animal
The greatest danger that even a light bite from a street cat can provoke is rabies. There is almost never a guarantee that the animal is absolutely healthy and has the appropriate vaccinations that protect it from transmission of infection.
The main signs of rabies in cats are presented in the table:
| Symptom and photo | Short description |
| Aggressive behavior
| An animal may be defending itself, its territory, or its offspring, but aggression for no apparent reason should make you wary. It is this symptom that becomes the main reason for attacks on people or other animals. |
| Suppression of fear
| A cat may ignore its self-preservation instincts, rush at people and dogs, and not respond to attempts to scare it away. |
| Salivation
| In infected individuals, the production of saliva is disrupted, causing excess saliva to leak out, forming foam around the mouth. |
| Photophobia
| Bright lights and flashes cause discomfort and cause a strong feeling of fear. |
| Fear of sharp sounds
| Pops, clicks, and any loud and sharp sounds also provoke panic in the cat. |
| Hydrophobia
| The animal perceives the sight of water negatively, does not drink and in every possible way avoids contact with liquids. |
| Eating inedible objects
| A cat can chew branches and other inedible objects while playing or for hygiene, but eating earth, stones, and small objects is a clear deviation from the norm. |
| Difficulty swallowing
| Due to spasms, swallowing becomes difficult and the cat becomes unable to eat normally. |
| Refusal to eat
| The very sight of normal food provokes spasms and becomes unbearable, so the cat loses its appetite and avoids feeding. |
| Convulsions
| Damage to the central nervous system provokes muscle spasms, initially the animal’s limbs fail, then it is struck by complete paralysis and death occurs. |
If the animal that bit you behaved suspiciously or looked unwell, it is better to play it safe and get a rabies vaccination. The cat should be monitored if possible. The best option is to catch an aggressive animal and transfer it to a veterinary clinic for quarantine until the circumstances are clarified.
Additional tests will be carried out there and, if necessary, preventive vaccination will be carried out. The death of a cat, accompanied by a characteristic change in condition, confirms the diagnosis and requires a full course of injections for the affected person.
— When does death occur and what is the reason?
— In the event of a bite or scratch from a sick animal, when the patient does not contact the rabies service in a timely manner, therefore does not vaccinate and becomes infected with rabies, then medicine is no longer powerless.
It is important that readers realize that symptomatic rabies cannot be treated. Even today, modern medicine has not found a drug that will save an already sick patient.
The only way to prevent rabies is timely vaccination.
Signs of rabies in humans after a cat bite
After a cat bite, a person may develop violent and paralytic forms of rabies, which differ in signs of infection.
Violent form
Experts distinguish 3 stages of violent rabies in humans.
The initial (depressive) stage of the disease is characterized by the following clinical signs:
- burning, itching, increased sensitivity of the skin, nagging pain in the area of the wound or already formed scar;
- redness or inflammation of the scar;
- low-grade fever;
- apathy;
- sleep disturbance;
- decreased appetite;
- feeling of dryness in the mouth;
- increased anxiety, unreasonable fears;
- sudden mood swings;
- headaches and muscle pain.
Note! If the virus enters the human body through wounds on the face, then already at the first stage of rabies, hallucinations and other symptoms of mental disorders appear.
The depressive stage lasts from 1 to 3 days. By the end of the third day, apathy is gradually replaced by bouts of causeless irritability. A person experiences a feeling of chest compression, increased heart rate and respiratory movements without physical exertion.
The second stage (excitement) is characterized by the classic symptoms that manifest rabies after a person has been bitten by an infected cat:
- Rabies. This symptom is caused by a very painful spasm of the swallowing muscles. Against the background of mental disorders and an increase in the intensity of the pain syndrome, any reminder of water causes a strong contraction of the muscles of the pharynx, which complicates the breathing process. A person instinctively tries to avoid both direct and visual contact with any type of liquid, since he sees external factors as a source of suffering,
- Photo-, aero- and acoustic phobia are explained by increased sensitivity and heightened reaction to external stimuli.
- A frozen gaze, when a person looks at one point for a long time with bulging eyes. Damage to the nerves provokes severe dilation of the pupils and exophthalmos, in which the eyes protrude from their sockets.
- Hypersalivation caused by damage to the salivary glands.
The most striking symptom in a person after being bitten by a rabid cat is an attack of uncontrollable aggression. It is caused by violent psychomotor agitation, which is accompanied by frightening hallucinations.
At such moments, a person throws himself at living and inanimate objects, bites, tears clothes, spits, and harms himself and others. During the period between such attacks, consciousness clears, when the patient can adequately reason and assess the situation. But soon the attacks are repeated with renewed vigor.
Important! At the peak of a rabies attack, death may occur from cardiac arrest or paralysis of the respiratory center.
The duration of the excitation stage lasts no more than 2-3 days.
The third stage, which is characterized by the development of paralysis, is caused by extensive damage to the cortex and subcortical formations of the brain. Manifestations of this stage of rabies in humans after a cat bite are the following symptoms:
- convulsions;
- stopping attacks of hydrophobia;
- absence of attacks of aggression;
- increase in temperature to 41-42°C;
- pressure decreases to the minimum permissible values;
- tachycardia increases.
Muscular paralysis quickly spreads from the site of the bite and covers the entire body within 10-15 hours. Then a coma sets in and the person dies from paralysis of the respiratory center or heart muscles.
Paralytic form
With this form of rabies, the bitten person has no symptoms of apathy or agitation. A long latent period is followed by the appearance of paralysis, coma and death.
Important! In children, the incubation period for rabies is usually less than 7 days. After this, symptoms such as drowsiness, apathy, convulsions, paralysis, coma and death occur. The clinical stage lasts 1 day.
Possible complications
The most dangerous complication that can occur after an animal bite is blood poisoning. This is possible when the infection gets into the deep layers of tissue. Sepsis can be fatal, so neglecting treatment is not recommended. Another serious complication is infection with tetanus and the rabies virus. Both pathologies are not amenable to therapeutic correction. In addition, tendons and muscles may be injured, resulting in limited motor activity of the affected limb.
Attention! With advanced purulent processes, mandatory drainage and rinsing of the cavity is required. To avoid such a consequence, it is important to begin antiseptic treatment immediately after the incident.
Treatment
As already mentioned, only a physician can choose the correct treatment. A person can only provide first aid to himself.
Drug therapy
In addition to the necessary vaccinations (against rabies and tetanus), the doctor may prescribe antibiotics:
- antibiotics of the penicillin group;
- doxycycline;
- ceftriaxone;
- fluoroquinol.
Other options are possible; the prescription of antibiotics and their dosage is entirely within the competence of the doctor and depends not only on the symptoms, but also on the age of the patient, his contraindications, and concomitant diseases . Pregnant and lactating women are especially careful when prescribing medications. Only Ceftriaxone is considered relatively safe for them (excluding the first trimester of pregnancy).
Also, for local treatment of suppuration and inflammation, the doctor may prescribe an antimicrobial ointment such as Levomekol. In case of a large accumulation of pus, it may be necessary to clean the wound, and if blood vessels or tendons have been damaged, they may need to be sutured.
Levomekol is prescribed if the wound is infected and begins to fester
Folk recipes
Traditional recipes cannot replace medications, much less vaccinations. However, if the bite occurred far from civilization, in a remote village, where there is no way to seek help, it is worth trying to maintain health in at least this way. You can also use traditional methods in addition to the main treatment, but you must first consult with your doctor.
- Dried yarrow herb is a folk antibacterial remedy, including one that affects certain types of staphylococci and streptococci. You can take it orally as an infusion (2 tablespoons per glass for an adult) or make compresses on inflamed areas.
- To relieve swelling, you can make lotions with infusions of chamomile and calendula.
- To treat the wound, you can use tincture of calendula or chlorophyllipt.
- Crushed leaves of meadowsweet (meadowsweet) can be applied to the wound, which reduces inflammation.
- You can apply a compress of plantain leaves to the bitten area (first douse them with boiling water); in winter, you can use dried leaves, after steaming them with a small amount of hot water and cooling them.
- Cut aloe leaves are a traditional anti-inflammatory remedy and can be applied to the wound.
To speed up the healing of wounds and scratches, you can lubricate them with aloe juice or apply cut leaves.
Why do cats bite their owners?
Often the reason for an attempt on your life is the release of adrenaline, but not by your cat, but by you. Are you so deeply upset that you cry your eyes out? Have you lost your nerves and are you starting to scream? Are you unable to cope with an important task and are tearing out your vest and hair in a panic? Be ready to attack!
Cats are very sensitive to the psycho-emotional background in the house and the state of the people living in it. And if the cat is also very attached to its owners (and this most often happens!), then it is “infected” by the negativity that spills out of you.
Not knowing what to do with the “gift” that has fallen on her, the cat does what seems most acceptable to her in the current alarming situation - she bites the first one that comes to her hand, excuse me, on the tooth.
Sometimes the cat tries to calm you down with a bite, to distract you from thoughts that, in your cat’s opinion, are causing you to behave inappropriately - you cry for too long or, conversely, you can’t calm down from choking laughter. The cat does the same thing a person would do if he caught another in a hysterical state: sharp unexpected pain or sudden fear causes the person’s nervous system to instantly mobilize. A cat bite causes exactly this reaction and you, distracted by the pain, calm down.
