A: While people usually think that cat bites are less serious than dog bites, the opposite is true. The potential for severe infection is much higher for cat bites than for dog bites, mainly due to the normal bacteria that are in a cat's mouth. The infection rate for cat bites is somewhere between 30% and 50%. Bites to the hand are more likely to become infected than bite wounds elsewhere on the body. Two of the most common bacteria in the cat's mouth are Pasteurella multocida and Capnocytophaga canimorsus and they not only cause a local a local infection but are more likely to cause systemic illnesses. They can cause osteomylelitis (infection of the bone), meningitis, endocarditis (infection of the heart valves), osteoarthritis, septic arthritis and septic shock. Cat's can also transmit tetanus, rabies and tularemia. I personally have known one person who lost the use of her hand due to cat bite and several people who have lost the use of a finger due to an infection in the joint. This is why I recommend an immediate visit to the doctor for a person that has been bitten by a cat where the skin has been broken. Usually antibiotics are prescribed to lessen the chances of an infection, but even with appropriate oral antibiotic therapy some people may still develop infections that require hospitalization, IV antibiotics and possibly even surgery. Due to the public health risk of rabies, a physician is legally required to report a cat bite to the health department and a police report is usually taken.
