Cat bite

When I got a cat bite (from my house cat) my vet made me rush to the ER. The ER gave me a technic shot and antibiotics for a week. I was told cat bites can be very serious because of a bacteria in the cats mouth that can cause a issue infection. Id rather be safe then sorry. At least call your pediatrician ♥️

I would definitely check and see if there is a bite mark and broken skin and call a nurses line if there is one available through your insurance, doctor, or state. Animal bites are dangerous because of bacteria so I would be worried to wait until tomorrow

Exactly what Jillian said. My husband got bit on his foot, and it was horrible. We went to urgent care and they did a tetanus shot and antibiotics. I'd personally take my son to the er if that happened, but that's just me.

If it’s broken skin you need to clean it asap especially if it didn’t bleed! Don’t wait because she needs to sleep

I'd check if your cat broke the skin. If your baby isn't freaking out, the cat probably didn't but good to check. That's really good info for the pediatrician. For something that wasn't a scratch, didn't break the skin it's likely just make sure to clean and wash. But if it broke the skin it's a lot more concerning. Not a Dr, just had plenty of cat bites and scratches over the years

Trying to get her to sleep so you can't look at her head? The "nibble" depends on if it broke skin or not. So you need to look at it. If it doesn't leave a mark then she is fine maybe just wash the saliva off her head. If it left a mark then she will need to see a doctor because cat bites get infected easily.

Is the skin broken, if not, no biggie. If yes, you do need to visit the Drs. I'm a lifelong cat owner and a cat foster. The unfortunate part about cats is that when they bite, if they break the skin, they have a bunch of shady bacteria in their mouth and their teeth are really good at leaving it in your skin. Antibiotics are prob all that's needed, but you should get it checked if the skin broke.

If he is bleeding bad yea or looks infected. Also is your cat vaccinated. Does he hunt? If he’s up to date with rabies vaccine and doesn’t hunt it should be fine. Ik my cat bites rats and kills them but doesn’t go near the baby.

@Nathalie both my cats are indoor only and vaxxed, there isn’t a puncture wound and it’s not bleeding

Wash the area with soap either way. Cats harbor very serious bacterias in their saliva. If the skin is broken then you need to Immediately go to the ER or Urgent Care. I was a vet tech for many years and have seen how an infection from a cat bite can set in within 3-4 hours of not getting it properly treated. Cats teeth are sharp like needles and they are meant to inject that bacteria into your flesh under the bite which makes it very hard for us to flush it out with normal cleaning methods. If you clean the area and don't see any broken skin then just be mindful of fever or a heat rash in that area for the next couple of days. If you notice any of these things then you should go to the pediatrician.

Also just for the future you should start redirecting this behavior in your cat. I have had many cats who have done this and while I know it's not mean it's still what I would consider inappropriate behavior. As your child gets older it might also become a problem. It's relatively easy to fix...if they want attention and they start to nibble tap them on the nose with your pointer finger and say No or make a buzzer sound at the same time. Then when they rub on you or do a head bump next time overly praise it so that they recognize that this is a better way to get your attention.

Now I’m freaking out about my cats nibbling and accidentally scratching my daughter😭😭

It doesn’t matter if your cat is vaxxed or indoors. Cat’s mouths have loads of bacteria and bites get easily infected. If it didn’t break skin, fine but just so you know if it happens ever again or if it ever breaks your skin

No puncture, no problem.

If they’re vaccinated there’s less of a chance of diseases like rabies being spread and if there’s no bleeding. But if there’s an open wound then there can be an infection. You just have to wash the area that your son got bitten. And with hunting some cats that hunt can get toxoplasmosis that’s why it’s a risk. But it is only spread by touching their litter or poop and not washing your hands. Sometimes cats can have parasites too that’s why the bites can be dangerous. But if your cat doesn’t hunt or eat raw meat there’s less chance of parasites.

@Alexus yup that’s why I mentioned hunting. Like my cat is vaxxed but she hunts which means she bites rats and gets dirty. Just vaccinations prevents chances of rabies getting spread

But like any animal, pet, or even humans have bacteria in our mouths

@Nathalie vaccination isn't really a factor here. Vaccines help to prevent feline related viruses, which aren't teansmissible to humans (except of course rabies) It's an indoor cat that she's had for over a week, I assume, so if it had rabies (a virus), they'd know by now. Mice and rats rarely are carriers of rabies, so hunting doesn't matter. Parasites aren't spread by biting or scratching. Only concern for OP would be infection if there's a puncture. But yes, toxoplasmosis is spread through poop by hunting mice, but not a concern if you wash after cleaning the litter. No concern at all for a kitten nibble.

@Heather I see!

Yea makes sense. I would change her litter and scoop it when pregnant but I never got toxoplasmosis. Even tho she caught rats when I was pregnant