Do You Need an Injection if Bitten by a Kitten Causing Bleeding? For Safety, It Is Recommended to Handle It This Way
The solution to this matter depends on the severity of the bite. If there is only slight damage to the epidermis, then just rinse with clean water, and wash with Walch hand sanitizer or Dettol. For extra caution, you can apply some Chlortetracycline ointment, Polysporin, or Erythromycin ointment on the wound.
If the bite causes bleeding points, you must immediately rinse the wound with plenty of clean water, squeeze out the saliva left by the cat inside the wound, and repeatedly wash the wound with alkaline substances (soap). Continue washing until the wound turns white. Do not avoid this because of pain; the deeper and more thorough the wash, the better. (Usually for 20~30 minutes). Finally, apply some iodine to disinfect the wound, which should be sufficient.
Regarding whether you need a vaccine injection. My viewpoint is, if you are certain the bite causing bleeding is from a stray or rabid cat, then basically do not hesitate—go get vaccinated immediately. Also, pay attention to the tetanus injection. If it’s a bite from a household cat, usually you handle it as described above. Generally, vaccination is not necessary. However, there are exceptions: if the bite is on the face, limbs near the central nervous system region, and the damage is relatively severe, vaccination is still recommended. A small tip: if your cat is confirmed to be a long-term hidden carrier of the rabies virus, even if you have vaccinated it before, that only guarantees the cat will not fall ill; it doesn’t mean you won’t get sick after being bitten.
Additional information: There are two types of rabies vaccination targets. One is post-exposure prevention—scratches, bites; the other is pre-exposure prevention—without scratches or bites.
① Post-bite prevention. If bitten or scratched by any species suspected of contact with the rabies virus, causing skin damage or mucous membranes being licked, vaccination must be done this time.
② Pre-bite prevention. Workers in epidemic areas with a high risk of being bitten or exposed to the virus, people who frequently come into contact with other mammals, and children and elderly in severely affected areas all need preventive rabies vaccination.
