Do cats have rabies virus in their paws?

On the 6th of this month, I was petting my cat at home. The cat was in my arms and it was about to fall off. It scratched me with its claws, causing two scratches on the top of my knees.

Two scratches

At that time, both scratches were bleeding and a little painful. The first moment I took out my phone and searched Baidu to see if there was anything wrong with being scratched by a cat. The doctor’s answer was that if you bleed, it is a level three exposure, which is the most serious exposure, and you may be infected with rabies virus.
After searching on Douyin, it said that a cat was scratched. Only a cat that is scratched or bitten during the onset of rabies will get rabies. Generally, as long as domestic cats do not come into contact with other night cats, such as being bitten, they will hardly be infected with rabies virus. If a cat is infected with this virus, it will generally not survive more than ten days, so it will There are self-assessment methods such as the ten-day observation method. In fact, after you are bitten or scratched by a cat, if the cat is fine after ten days and a half, then you are basically fine too.
The statement on the Internet also said that the rabies virus is generally not found on the paws of cats, but is present in its body fluids and secretions. However, because cats lick their own paws, there is a possibility that rabies virus may be present on the cat’s paws.
Because I was afraid of death, I went to get rabies vaccine. If you are bitten or scratched by a cat, bitten by a dog, etc., it is safer to get vaccinated. After all, if you are really infected with rabies virus, once you get sick, the mortality rate is 100%.

There are currently three possible fatalities from being caught by a cat: rabies, cat-scratch disease, and tetanus. The following is a detailed description of the following infection methods and treatment methods.

Rabies

As we all know, rabies is an acute infectious disease that is common to humans and animals. It is more common in carnivorous animals such as dogs, wolves, and cats. People are often infected by bites from diseased animals. Clinical manifestations include unique hydrophobia, fear of wind, pharyngeal muscle spasm, progressive paralysis, etc. Because the symptoms of hydrophobia are more prominent, this disease is also called hydrophobia.
However, rabies is mainly transmitted through saliva and is infected through the scratches and licks of mucous membranes and skin of infected animals. Therefore, two conditions are required to get rabies: first, the biting animal has been infected with rabies virus, and second, the quantity and virulence of the virus are sufficient to cause the disease.
Cat’s paws generally do not contain rabies virus. Unless it is infected with rabies virus + has just finished licking its paws + scratches you immediately after licking its paws, it may infect humans. The possibility of infection is also very small. Firstly, the amount of virus may Not much. Secondly, the rabies virus cannot be exposed to the air for a long time, otherwise it will lose its activity.
As long as you keep a cat at home, you don’t have to worry about rabies virus, unless an infected bat recently flew into your home and happened to bite your cat. The sick cat generally lives no more than 10 days, so it is recognized internationally. According to the ten-day observation method, the bitten cat needs several injections of rabies vaccine (after the first three injections, if the cat is still healthy, the next two injections are not necessary). If it is bitten by a wild cat, because The life status of wild cats cannot be observed at any time. Generally, it is recommended to give 5 injections. Serum injection is required for particularly severe cases.
In addition, it is recommended that those who keep cats indoors do not need to take the rabies vaccine for cats every year, because it will cause kidney damage, but once every three years is enough.

cat scratch disease

Cat-scratch disease is an infectious disease caused by Bartonella henselae (a slender, polymorphic rod-shaped bacterium) that invades the human body after being scratched and bitten by cats. The clinical manifestations are variable, but it is characterized by local skin lesions and regional lymph node drainage. Swelling is the main feature and the course of the disease is self-limiting.
The disease is mostly self-limiting. Symptoms usually appear within 2 weeks and heal within 2 to 4 months. Treatment is mainly symptomatic. Symptoms generally include: mild fever and fatigue; gastrointestinal symptoms such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain accompanied by weight loss; headache, splenomegaly, sore throat, and conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis with enlarged preauricular lymph nodes is one of the important characteristics of cat-scratch disease. The prognosis of this disease is good. Except for those complicated by severe encephalopathy, it is rarely fatal and the fatality rate is <1%.
Bartonella infection in cats usually comes from flea bites and is not fatal to cats. Kittens are more affected than adult cats. Many cats have Bartonella bacteria in their blood, and the cat may or may not become ill at this time. Therefore, blood tests can be used to diagnose whether cats are sick. If your cat is regularly dewormed and the house is kept clean, there is basically no need to worry about this disease.
Therefore, avoid being scratched or bitten when in contact with cats and dogs. If you are scratched or bitten, you can use iodine tincture for local disinfection. Infected cats or patients can be treated with ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and rifampin.

Tetanus

Tetanus is a specific infection in which Clostridium tetani invades the human body through skin or mucous membrane wounds, grows and reproduces in a hypoxic environment, produces toxins and causes muscle spasm. Tetanus toxin mainly attacks motor neurons in the nervous system, so the disease is clinically characterized by trismus, paroxysmal spasms, and tonic spasms. The main muscle groups affected include psoas muscles, dorsal spinae muscles, abdominal muscles, Limb muscles, etc.
So not only serious scratches by cats, but also any kind of deep trauma that is contaminated, may lead to tetanus. Especially if you touch rusty iron after you have a wound, you are more susceptible to infection. If the condition is serious and not treated, the mortality rate is close to 100%. Everyone knows Bethune. He died in Huangshikou Village, Tang County, Hebei Province because his left middle finger was cut and infected by a scalpel while rescuing the wounded, and then developed septicemia. Treatment failed.
Therefore, being scratched by a cat is not terrible. As long as you take precautions and disinfect with iodophor promptly after being scratched by a cat, it is a minor case. Rabies can also be prevented through vaccination.