Has anyone ever had Cat scratch disease or cat scratch fever? BB scratched my upper arm about 2 weeks ago , last week I had a horrible migraine went to the doctor and got meds and it went away and I have been fine! This morning I woke up with the same headache and a huge knot under my arm and I feel horrible! I was just wondering if anyone has had this and if an indoor only cat can give it to you? I know it is transfered from fleas but she has been on a flea preventative since she was of age to have it and we keep her on it know because our dog goes in and out and we dont want him to give her fleas although we have all hardwood floors and he is on frontline as well! If someone knows anything about this can you help me please? I was going to go to the doctor today but I honestly dont think I can stand to get out in the heat!

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The bacteria on the claws will come from the litter tray - regardless of whether they are indoors. How is the scratch itself has it healed? You may need a tetanus jab.
I would go back to the docs if you think it could be related - if there is any infection then this is a serious thing that needs looking into, better to be safe then sorry.

the scratch has healed and I just had a tdap shot not long ago! I think I am going to go tomorrow and get antibiotics the knot under my arm has grown to about the size of a golf ball!

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I don't want to alarm you, however this man got scratched rather deep and maybe even bitten from an outside feral cat that got in the house through the cat door and stupidly insisted on playing with it. He wouldn't listen to me and go to the doctor in a few days after it looked infected. When I told him either he went or I would call an ambulance he finally did and it was swollen, infected, and had to be drained. He was given 10 shots to take and strong anti-biotics or they would put him in the hospital. I'm not going to keep on with this story, just the end. He died from this cat scratch believe it or not because he was so stubborn and stupid. I know this to be true because he was my ex-husband. Please don't ignore any scratches if it turns red and swells up.

I also have personal experience with how dangerous this can be - My Dad was attacked by a feral cat that got into his utility room in Ireland. He was trying to persuade it out through the open door and it attacked his hand - Biting his hand and scratching his wrist.
The GP gave it a quick clean and dressing, then sent him home. A few days later it looked better, but then it started to go red and swollen on the wrist. He was taken to hospital by a nurse friend, and the doctor actually cut his arm open on the bed in the ward to relieve the swelling and infection! It appears the infection had got into his bloodstream as the original GP didn't clean it properly, and now Dads life was at risk!
He was put onto an IV drip, and had very strong antibiotics pumped in for ten days - No penicillin as he's allergic - a break for 5 days, then another IV for ten more days. Kept in hospital for over a month until they were sure it was cured!
My Dad very nearly lost his life over this - so PLEASE don't take a chance it will be OK - First sign of odd swelling / itchyness / redness - Straight to ED or GP and don't take no for an answer!

omg Charlene thats awful My mom's best friend had an insect bit that got infected - they couldn't save her either as she had septicaemia I am so so OTT about everything now because of that.

I also know of a breeder who got scratched by one of her stud cats and nearly lost her hand

However, it is always the scratch/bite area that gets inflamed. If the area in question is okay then it could be co-incidental. But get it checked as you never know what it is.

High dose antibiotics are in order.

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Lollo

I dont have any scratches that are not healed or I havent had any that were infected at all. I always clean a scratch even a minor scratch as soon as it happens but previously working as a nurse noticed these symptoms as cat scratch disease although I dont have an infected scratch! Anyways with my lymphnodes being swollen not only under my arm but on my back and the inside of my upper leg I know I have some kind of infection! I am getting an antibiotic shot this afternoon and RX for antibiotics and taking BB to have her tested I was informed by the vet that if she test positive for it they can give her antibiotics to kill the bacteria even though she just had three antibiotic shots for her operation! This is crazy I never knew a cat scratch could be so dangerous . I am so sorry to all of you who have lost loved ones to this it just seems like such a minor problem and maybe that is why people dont think of it as urgent of life threatning! Thanks for all of your responses!

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I recently got scratched pretty deep by my male Bengal. He has never been mean before but there were female cats involved anyway it looks puffy and red but the redness could be early bruses? Do you get shots for bites like you do if you step on a rusty nail?

Welcome to the forum. You have resurrected a topic that is 4 years old! Any time you have a deep scratch from a cat, you want to clean it with soap and water and apply first aid ointment on it. It is natural for the skin to redden and appear bruised. If the redness feels warmer to the touch, it can signify an infection and you would need to go to the doctor for it. I don't believe cats have tetanus, so a shot like that would not be necessary. And even if they did, the shot is good for 10 years.