Toddler bitten by friend's outdoor cat

[StoriesInTheSoil]

My toddler was bitten today by his godparent's outdoor cat. This was a provoked attack, as far as I can tell- I'm pretty sure DS managed to pull the cat's tail despite our supervision (I was a foot away from him, he'd just walked behind the chair I was sitting in at the patio table.)

Anyway, he screamed his head off, nursed, calmed down. We cleaned it with an alcohol prep pad (all we had available) then went home where we washed it thoroughly, cleaned it with peroxide, and put antibiotic ointment on it.

I called his nurse practitioner's cell phone (she's a friend of the family and I was rattled by the incident) and she said he'd probably need antibiotics starting tomorrow. She said it wasn't an emergency and not to freak out but that cats have dirty mouths and he could get an infection without antibiotics.

Anyway, this will be his second course of abx in a month. He had bronchitis that was awful and triggered a really scary episode of viral asthma a few weeks ago. I am not a fan of abx in the first place and the first time he had a course of them, he ended up with a yeast diaper rash and gave me thrush followed by systemic yeast. It was terrible.

So, can anyone give me any information on how necessary this is? Is this something that cannot be a wait-and-see sort of deal? I'm nervous but I am having anxiety problems lately so I'm not sure if the nerves are warranted or just hormones.

[sbgrace]

Wow. I'm not a medical professional but I'd be shocked if every cat bite equals oral antibiotics! We had cats growing up and until recently had cats here. I've had my share of bites and never had an infection nor was I ever placed on antibiotics. It is possible though and she's right that cat mouths are dirty.

I can tell you what I would do is pretty much exactly what you've done. I'd monitor but unless I saw infection signs I wouldn't do more. I'd keep that cream going for a little while. I don't expect he'll become infected.

[*Jade*]

I'm pretty sure I've been bitten by cats a good few times, and never needed antibiotics. I would tend to take a wait-and-see approach as well, but then you can take my opinion with a grain of salt since I don't have kids yet, and am not sure how that would change my answer!

[KatWrangler]

Me too. I have never needed abx before. How deep is the wound? Or is it a surface wound?

[WhiteHorse]

Has the cat had its rabies shots? The reason I mention this is because if it is an outdoor cat, there is a possibility and since Rabies is many times fatal, you don't want to wait on that. You have a short window for getting the cat tested if it hasn't had its shot. The abx would be second on my list - check to make sure about the rabies first.

My son was bitten by a dog when he was young and it was a stranger's dog. We never found the dog so we weren't sure it had had its shots. He had to get the rabies series (5 shots over the course of 2 months).

[rhiOrion]

i was a vet assistant for years, and if i'd needed abx for every cat bite i would've been on them non stop!

if it was me i'd keep an eye on it and keep it clean.

[StoriesInTheSoil]

Update: we have now discovered that the cat hasn't had it's rabies shot in 5 years. It was due for one in 2008 and didn't get it.

I'm waiting on a call from the pediatrician. Now I'm terrified my kid is going to have to have a ton of shots

[KatWrangler]

Oh. If it were an indoor cat without rabies vax I'd wait it out. But since it's an outdoor cat and not updated I am more hesitant.

Let us know what your Ped says.

[StoriesInTheSoil]

The cat is quarantined for 10 days. Because the cat has had a vax at some point, we don't have to start any treatment on DS unless the cat shows symptoms in the next 10 days.

My step-dad is a vet and he said that he's only ever had one rabies-related incident and it didn't involve a human, it involved a puppy playing with a dead bat. He said not to worry about it but that we need to go ahead with the ABX to head off any possible infection because DS is so little and he could get sick pretty quickly from a bite from an outdoor cat if it developed an infection.

So, the mutual decision of our family, the veteranarian, the pediatrician, and the cat owners is to quarantine the cat for 10 days and go ahead with abx treatment for any possible infection.

[rhiOrion]

I think that's a fine way to go about it. And just rest assured that your step-dad is right... it's VERY unlikely that this cat has rabies.

For one thing, it's unlikely that an animal as small as a cat was in a fight with a rabid animal and came out unscathed. If you said the cat was always in fights and covered in bites and scratches I might be a little more concerned, but even then it's just very very unlikely.

[Crafty]

I'm glad you're going with the abx- cat mouths ARE filthy, especially outdoor cats (and I say this as someone who has five cats and has volunteered at a just-for-cats shelter. I absolutely love cats). Who knows what the cat is carrying, what on earth he's been eating/licking/licking off himself, etc. An indoor cat/your own indoor cat, I wouldn't have worried as much, but an outdoor cat that isn't familiar to you, I wouldn't wait and see when it came to a wound like that. Speedy healing to your ds.

[sbgrace]

Do probiotics (culturelle is good) three hours after each antibiotic dose and, if possible, half way between doses as well. Continue probiotics for at least two weeks after. Then switch to a colonizing form of probiotic (Klaire labs makes an excellent infant one).

[Otto]

I concur that the antibiotics are a sound choice. Both I and one of the vets at the local practice have been hospitalized for (ultimately infected) cat bites that were addressed with the wait-and-see approach. There's no point risking a Calvin Coolidge, Jr., routine when it comes to a significant bite.

[DeerMother]

How stressful. Cat scratch disease came to my mind. I don't know how to link on my phone, google it if you haven't already. It shouldn't be an issue ( from my brief reading on the subject) unless S is immune-compromised because of his issues last month.
I have been bit and scratched a number of times with frequent but mild infection. I'd keep it covered and liberally use abx ointment.

[beckyand3littlemonsters]

None of my mums cat's had any vaccinations and i was bitten and scratched countless times actually with the one cat i used to look after when i lived at home my arms would be covered in scratches and cat teeth marks because i would play with her a lot and she would cling on to my arm with her teeth and claws, i've never had any problems well other than being a bit sore afterwards but it was usually because i provoked it by scratching the floor to get her to go after my hand and then spinning her round on her back while she chewed on my hand

[happysmileylady]

What type of cat bite is it? Is it more of a puncture type of wound from the "fangs" or more like a glancing blow/scratch.

I currently have 3 cats. I have grown up around all sorts of cats. I have had many "glancing blow" type of cat bites that are no big deal.

However, a few years ago, DH and I came back from our 2 week vacation to discover our pets and house were completely infested with fleas. While waiting for our ordered supplies to take care of it, I got a flea shampoo to try to at least give the cats some relief. Mistake-cats hate baths. It is the one and only time my oldest cat (now 7) has ever bitten me or anyone else.

It was a puncture wound type of bite, her tooth actually got stuck for a moment. It hurt, but actually not as bad as you would think. I washed it, alcoholed it, put a bandaid on it and went about my business. Six hours later, my thumb (where she bit me) had actually swollen to almost twice it's size. I ended up going to the ER because by this time it was late and the dr office was closed and I was not about to allow the thumb and hand to continue swelling overnight. They gave me oral antibiotics, and told me that had I waited until morning they would have had to admit me and put me on an IV.

Cat bites are nothing to mess around with, especially if it's more like a puncture wound. Their mouths are filthy. The way it was explained to me was that if it's fine, then it's fine, but if it gets infected, it can get bad fast.

[ledzepplon]

I think doing the antibiotics is a wise move. I was bitten by my cat--a puncture-type wound to my thumb--and it became seriously infected very quickly. And he was an indoor cat.

[womenswisdom]

I concur with the decision to start antibiotics if it was a puncture wound. I have personally been bitten in the foot (aggressively) by a cat I was petsitting, immediately went to urgent care, hand the wound cleaned and started oral AB. The next day, my foot was so swollen I literally couldn't walk on it and I ended up on IV AB for 2 days. I have also been bitten elsewhere in my work at a cat-only hospital and I always, always flush the wound thoroughly (like, under the skin) and if it's deep, start oral AB. I otherwise rarely take AB or any other meds. I have worked in the field for 13 years and have seen enough bites become infected that I don't take any chances. If I get a bite that is superficial (like you would get while playing with a cat, or a "warning bite"), I don't do all this, but a puncture wound, inflicted in defense or aggression, definitely. Cats carry a specific type of bacteria in their mouths that makes infection from their bites much more likely, and their teeth are shaped so that with a puncture wound, the bacteria is basically injected deep under the skin where it is difficult to wash out.