Everything you need to know about cat scratch disease
The cat scratch disease is a bacterial infection that usually occurs after a person experiences scratches from domestic or feral cats, especially from kittens. With the infection occurring wherever cats and fleas are found and affecting around 12,000 people per year in the United States, most of them children under the age of 15, it is important to be properly informed about the condition.
The cat scratch disease is caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae and its symptoms include fever, enlarged, tender lymph nodes that develop 1–3 weeks after exposure, and a scab or pustule at the scratch site. Although treatment with antibiotics is not usually necessary, it can reduce the swelling of the lymph nodes.
In case your immune system is not at its best, such as if you are HIV-positive or are being treated for cancer, you can keep your cat as long as you follow a few simple rules. First of all, keep your cat indoors and avoid playing with it in such a fashion that may lead to scratches.
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Treat the cat with a flea control product recommended by your veterinarian and avoid as much as possible any contact with fleas. In case cat scratches do happen, wash them immediately with soap and water.
While cats can become infected with the bacteria through flea bites, most of them simply carry the bacteria in their blood without getting sick and studies have found that the bacteria can be traced in the blood of up to a third of the healthy cats, especially in kittens.
Unless your pet does become sick, treatment is not recommended, as it is considered safer and more practical to let the pet handle the infection naturally, in 2 to 3 days. However, if your cat starts vomiting, has red eyes, swollen lymph nodes or decreased appetite, you should take it to your vet.
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