A surface wound such as a scratch can generally be treated at home by rinsing the area with water and applying an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin. But any puncture wound should be seen by a doctor. Cat bites are less frequent than dog bites, but cat teeth are sharper and carry a higher risk of infection. Puncture wounds are difficult to clean completely, and bacteria can become sealed inside as the wound heals, leading to infection. That’s what happened to Dawn Bothun. Her cat “Binks” thought he was protecting the family Pomeranian from a pit bull. In fact, the two dogs were just playing, but Binks leapt to the Pomeranian’s defense. When Dawn reached in, the cat struck. “Four deep punctures,” Dawn said. It hurt, but she thought, “it’ll heal. No big deal.” It turned out to be a very big deal. A week later her entire arm was swollen and red. She went to her doctor who sent her straight to the emergency room at the Mayo Clinic. Dawn needed intravenous antibiotics and seven surgeries to remove the infection. “It was scary,” Dawn remembers. “I cried every night before surgery.” Injuries to hands and joints should also be seen by a doctor, as well as any wound that results in serious bleeding, numbness, or loss of function. Rabies is very rare among cats and dogs in the U.S., but a bite from a wild animal such as a skunk, raccoon, or bat should be seen by a doctor.
