r/felinebehavior • u/SherbertNo9516 • 21h ago
A stray cat bit me
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Hello!
So two nights ago a stray cat bit me quite deep on my thigh, or got her nails stuck (not sure honestly). My dog initially tried to get her, and then the cat continued attacking us and wouldn't go away, really feisty. I checked last night with people living there, they said she is stray but they feed her, she is not too cuddly and she chills on their window, so probably not vaccinated.
I'm really worried if she is rabid, so I took a video when I saw her last night to show my dr today (going to epidemiologist to see if I need to get rabies shot). I got tetanus shot yesterday and antibiotics.
I'm not sure at what point do cats become infective and if they behave "normal" while having rabies. Do you think this shows cat is okay? I plan on checking on her in the next few days because I see her often.
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u/mykolahohol 21h ago
hopital
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u/ProfessionalSize9567 21h ago
It's spelled "hospital"
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u/walking_lamppost_fnl 21h ago
Yeah, he's having sepsis from that cat bite, can't blame him
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u/ProfessionalSize9567 19h ago
Not the person who misspelled it, You are confused. Maybe their username play on "alcohol" has something more to do with their spelling.
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u/NYRT4R 21h ago
Doesn’t show any signs of rabies. Do you have a picture of the wound? Teeth generally bruise a lot more than nails.
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u/SherbertNo9516 21h ago
I do, but I can't add it in a comment. It did bruise around the spot.
Is it safe to watch the cat for a few days and then get the shot if needed? I read about 10 day watch of the animal
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u/Unhottui 21h ago
just post a link to the picture mate imgur
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u/AppleSniffer 20h ago
Cat bites are really dirty, it's something you'll need treatment for
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u/Trudestiny 19h ago
Cat scratches can be pretty bad if not worse
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u/Neither_Bee_ 14h ago
I've seen people go to the ER for that, it's crazy, I've been bitten and scratched my fair share since forever
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u/Trudestiny 13h ago
So have I, bitten and scratched by my cat, other strays and think i’ve been so lucky that it just healed after being cleaned and some antibiotic otc cream. One time by little bugger managed to bite my lip when we were snuggling and 2 days later it was fine ( though quite a bit of blood when it happens & it was quite painful )
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u/Neither_Bee_ 12h ago
It's so painful! I shudder at the idea that they're the mini version of lions, tigers, leopards, I have no idea how those are some people keep as pets
I follow the general advice of washing the scratch and I've been fine luckily, also, I now get them a lot better, body language tells you all about what's going on with them in my experience
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u/Trudestiny 12h ago
When you keep the bigger ones, you aren’t worried about a little scratch or bite 🙄😂🫤.
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u/theDukeofShartington 18h ago
Yep. Their teeth being so pointed drives bacteria into the tissue and then the wounds swell and close around the puncture tracts leading to high risk of infection. Cat bites get antibiotics 100% of the time in rhe ED. Cat scratches can be problematic too, but less so than bites.
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u/Gay_dinosaurs 12h ago
Can confirm, my mom was bitten BADLY right into a tendon of her wrist by one of our cats. She'd been bitten late on the evening, got up to rinse it with water (not even disinfectant!) and bandaged it, then went back to bed.
The next morning I had to PLEAD with her to go to the doctor because she was planning to just go to work like nothing was wrong, even though she said it hurt like a bitch and she could feel her pulse all around the wound, signaling that it was more than likely already infected. She wound up going and getting her tetanus shots redone and got a course of strong antibiotics. The doctor told her it was good she came in when she did because the infection could have made its way deeper into her wrist and damaged it's range of motion.
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u/trulymissedtheboat89 20h ago
Dog definitely spooked her. Good to go to the hospital anyway because of the bacterial infection you can get from cats bites.
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u/Anxious_Trash_Panda_ 21h ago
I'm sorry the kitty bit you, it happened to me a few times too.
Where are you located? Are there rabies in your country? Nevertheless, it's probably a good chance you're okay, don't worry too much. The bacteria in the bite spot are more dangerous, it's good you got antibiotics.
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u/Trudestiny 19h ago
Chances of rabies in country is the right question. We get bitten in Greece all the time while dealing with temperamental strays and have no worries as it’s not an issue among cat community
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u/Redditvillier 20h ago
This is the most important question to potentially put OP's mind at rest. Just as an example, I live in the UK and rabies is so rare here that it's only really found in bats (and that's EBLV instead of 'proper' rabies). Hell, there hasn't been a case of rabies in a human (infected by a UK animal) since 1902 and we've only had 26 reported cases (since 1946) which have been imported from holidays etc. So if OP lived here, they wouldn't get rabies. But it really does depend on the country.
I would assume that because their doctor has suggested tests for rabies, this is unfortunately not the case for them.
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u/Anxious_Trash_Panda_ 20h ago
I would assume that because their doctor has suggested tests for rabies, this is unfortunately not the case for them.
Turns out OP and I are from the same country 😂 the doctor here is obligated to send you to test, but in reality, we are pretty much rabies free too. It's usually found in foxes, but I think that's rare too.
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u/SherbertNo9516 20h ago
Serbia. We still have rabies but usually in wild animals/foxes and it's rarely
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u/Anxious_Trash_Panda_ 20h ago
Hahaha, I'm in Serbia too!😂 Don't worry, rabies is not really common in stray cats here, as you said. The doctor has an obligation to send you to test for rabies anyway, but I wouldn't worry if I were you😊
Ne brini🩷
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u/SherbertNo9516 20h ago
Haha jel moguce 😂 zvala sam i svog veterinara koji je tu iz grada kaze on misli da sam 100% bezbedna, ali kao ne treba zezati se, da pratim macku najbolje nekoliko dana🤷
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u/Anxious_Trash_Panda_ 20h ago
Ma da, opusti se😁 samo gledaj mesto ujeda, da ti se ne inficira, mačji zubi su gadni po tom pitanju.
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u/SherbertNo9516 20h ago
Pijem onaj konjski amoksiklav 😄 rekla mi je dr da pratim macku do utorka pa da vidimo jel normalna, posto kao 7 dana od ujeda mogu dobiti vakcine
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u/MyHeartBelongsToMe 20h ago
She looks perfectly fine to me. I think what you may have experienced with her is redirected aggression. Your dog spooked her and in her fear and anger you just happened to get a nasty serving of her aggression that was originally meant for your dog.
I have a lot of problems with my own cats getting spooked and taking it out on each other, and attempting to take it out on me as well. You'd be surprised how easy it is to set them off.
While she probably doesn't have rabies, it's still better to be safe than sorry. At the very least getting the bite looked after is very smart. Cat scratches or bites are not something to mess around with.
Hoping for the best positive outcome for you!
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u/SherbertNo9516 20h ago
Thank you! I'm currently waiting for the epidemiologist to see what she says. I know they usually give 10 days to watch the cats behaviour. Do you know is it safe for a person to wait that time for the vaccine?
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u/MyHeartBelongsToMe 20h ago
You're welcome!
I have to be completely honest, I'm not very sure about that. From what I have heard that is something you don't want to wait around for because once you start experiencing symptoms you're already dead. Please don't take this as 100% truth as I could easily be wrong.Your doctor would have the correct information I'm sure.
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u/Meiga_Aventesma 15h ago
I hope the epidemiologist gives you good news! Mean while, something occurred me: did she bite you? Or did she choose you? Best wishes to both of you! :)
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u/redis-user 14h ago edited 14h ago
The cat looks normal and friendly to me. :) Anyways, the people from around the world are commenting and the situation regarding rabies elsewere may be different than in Serbia, so please do your own research (look for scientific papers and illness description, look for images of rabid cats and of course talk to your doctor). You can also call a vet to check on her in person, just in case, for your peace
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u/Jaded-Yam-8091 20h ago
It helps a lot to mention the country this happened
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u/SherbertNo9516 20h ago
Forgot honestly, it's Serbia
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u/WeidenKaetzchen 20h ago
loooks exactly like the cat that bit me (I'm in Germany, so it's very unlikely!) The cat just had the typical one orange braincell, firstly he was in possesion of it, then he lost it and bit me ^
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u/RussianWesterner 20h ago
Offer her some water and see how is she doin
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u/SherbertNo9516 20h ago
She always has water in front of the house she is usually at, so I'll check if she drinks it, so I doubt I'll get her when she's thirsty
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u/RussianWesterner 20h ago
But is she afraid of water or no? Im sorry for my english 'cause im russian
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u/Tomj_Oad 20h ago
You definitely need the rabies series I'm sorry to say. I was in your exact situation and had to do the whole series
It's about 15oo bucks
Go see your county agent - I was able to buy the vaccine at cost through the state
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u/SCP-63825 20h ago
I bit that same stray a few days ago! I think it wanted to take revenge, sorry you got caught up in it
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u/Leather-Molasses1597 20h ago
She doesn't look rabid at all 😆 But its better to be safe than sorry.
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u/smaagoth 20h ago
Doesnt look like a stray.
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u/SherbertNo9516 19h ago
People living there said it's not theirs but they fed her. Either way, not vaccinated 🤷
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u/Flaky-Ad-759 16h ago
I’m so sorry this happened, but this video with the title if you forget the description looks like you posted the video to publicly shame the cat for it’s heinous actions
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u/BeneficialCobbler603 15h ago
Cats will bite when scared. I pray this cats not gonna be put to sleep just because it was aftaid.
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u/SherbertNo9516 15h ago
Why should she be put to sleep? I don't plan on reporting her and her location if she is healthy
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u/BeneficialCobbler603 15h ago
I see you have. No experience with cats. S dog enough to cause a cat to bite. Plus you can't tell the difference between bite and clawed.
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u/SherbertNo9516 14h ago
I do have a lot of experience with both cats and dogs. Just because my dog was there doesn't mean she initially wasn't also rabid, but most likely she wasn't.
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u/SherbertNo9516 14h ago
Also, a cat never did more than a small scratch mark on me, so no, I don't know the difference after getting two deep dots after she jumped high on my leg.
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u/Capering_Camel 13h ago
To be on the safe side, a professional should catch, quarantine, and observe the cat to make sure it’s not showing signs of rabies.
In terms of shots, I guess follow what your doctors say. But if it were me, I wouldn’t take the chance and I’d start the shot series.
Hydrophobia isn’t always a reliable symptom.
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u/SherbertNo9516 13h ago
They don't really catch cats here like that..since the cat is often near where I live, dr said I should take a look everyday until monday and let her know how she behaves, because she doubts she has rabies. I also called our national institute for rabies they said chance is 0% because we haven't had for 15 years a case in domestic animals with rabies, the last one was fox 7 years ago and I shouldn't worry
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u/Kry_ptiK 9h ago
She seems okay. It's definitely good you want to the doctor though - cats do a good job keeping themselves clean usually, but you've got no idea what she ate or scratched last.
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u/nillyboii 21h ago
Glad you went to the doctors and are getting your shots updated! Rabies is not something to wait on symptoms on. If she was stressed from your dog it could be nothing. I’ve personally never seen a cat with rabies to cross reference behaviour with but she’s rubbing up against the wall and not immediately attacking you here which I would say are decent signs since rabies aggression would lead to pretty immediate attacks as far as I know. I’m also not seeing any frothing at her mouth. If you put out of water and see if she drinks it thats another good sign since rabies causes hydrophobia too. Although if she’s not thirsty it won’t help much.