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Cat Bite

See Also
1. Animal Bite
2. Dog Bite
Epidemiology
1. Accounts for 5-10% of Animal Bites
2. High infection rate (50%)
Pathophysiology
1. Long slender fangs result in
  1. Puncture Wounds (57-86%)
  2. Superficial abrasions (9-25%)
  3. Lacerations (5-17%)
Causes of secondary infection
1. Pasteurella (53-80% of infections)
  1. Rapidly developing (<24 hours)
  2. Intense inflammation
  3. Possible bone, joint, or tendon involvement
Other complications
1. Cat Scratch Disease
Management
1. See Animal Bite for irrigation and general management
2. Antibiotic coverage
  1. Similar antibiotics as for Dog Bite Infection
  2. All cat bites should receive antibiotics
  3. Amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin) or
  4. Second-generation Cephalosporin
3. DO NOT close punctures or Lacerations over 1-2 cm
  1. Impossible to properly cleaned
4. Cosmetically important wounds < 1-2 cm
  1. Delayed primary closure
References
1. Presutti (1997) Postgrad Med 101(4):243

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This page was written by Scott Moses, MD. This page was last revised before 5/10/08, prior to consistent tracking of revision date. This page was last published on 3/22/2010. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.