Cat is a great creature to have in your house. They have no problems living with human beings. As a matter of fact, most pet owners consider it a part of their family. However, there is always a possibility that your beloved pet could turn into a troublesome maniac on a given day. One often experiences this dark side in their pets when they are taken to a veterinarian for some treatment.

One would be surprised to know that more than 40% of the cat’s bites get infectious, which is why medical attention is a must. A person gets infected merely within 24 hours of the bite. The bacteria present in the cat’s mouth passes into the wound making it pretty much fatal to have without any kind of treatment. One might experience severe nerve damage, and can end up in a hospital bed. Wild cat bite can also cause rabies in some cases. However, the risk of developing this condition is fairly low.

Upon being bitten, the first thing you need to do is clean the bite, and monitor it to check if you were infected. Any possible signs of infection should be reported to the doctor immediately.

Let’s have a look at the step by step instructions one can follow to cure cat bites.

First and foremost, clean the cat bite area nicely with the help of a soap and water. You can use hydrogen peroxide as well for the cleaning purpose.

The next thing you need to do is stop bleeding by putting pressure on the wound. Remember to hold the wound over the heart as a precautionary measure.

Cover the wound with a clean bandage and monitor the wound for any possible symptoms of infection.

Get yourself a tetanus injection if you haven’t had it in the last 5 years.

In most cases, if one follows the above mentioned directions, then the wound will heal on its own, provided the wound hasn’t been infected. One can also take Tylenol or ibuprofen to reduce the soreness, if any.

If you experience swelling, fever or drastic redness in the affected area then you will need to head towards a doctor immediately. Cat bites which haven’t reached the infectious stage are relatively easy to treat. If one gets infection then the doctor will prescribe appropriate medication depending upon your condition. There are plenty of medications out there in the market which can help one heal cat bites. However, doctor’s advice is a must before getting started with any kind of medication. We certainly do not want to worsen the condition due to our own ignorance.

An apparently harmless creature, cats usually gets into an aggressive mode when it’s frightened. In such instances, it might bite even its owner. There have cases where the pet owners have been on the receiving end of this situation. Although there is no real risk in most cases, but one needs to take special care if they have small children in their house.

Jason Ladock

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