Those of us who keep pet cats or pet dogs often play with them in our spare time. Sometimes pet cats scratch their owners with their sharp claws, which can be very hurtful to the owner. Pet dogs are known for their loyalty among pets, so we are not afraid they will harm their owners. Dogs will even protect their owners with no regard for themselves. So what should you do if you are scratched by your own cat?

When a cat scratches you and there is only minor bleeding, don’t rush to stop the bleeding. You can use clean water to wash the wound, rinsing off bacteria or viruses on the cat's claws. After washing off all the blood, disinfect with alcohol. This is just a temporary treatment; after rinsing the viruses off, you still need to go to the hospital or health clinic for vaccination. From our experience, it seems only dog bites cause rabies, but actually cat bites can also cause rabies, so timely vaccination is necessary.

During the vaccination process, if the cat scratch wound is very deep, antiviral medication must be administered. This medication might cause allergies in some people, so cooperate with the doctor for an allergy test. After cleaning the wound, don’t wrap it with gauze as it may affect wound healing; keep the wound breathable. During recovery, the diet should be light and avoid spicy or irritating foods. Also, pay attention to wound hygiene and keep the body warm.

So how can you stop a cat from scratching people? Once the cat is familiar with the owner, try trimming the cat’s nails. If the cat doesn’t cooperate, you can ask the pet store staff to do it, which is safer for the owner’s family. If trimming the nails doesn’t work, you can buy nail caps for cats from the pet store. After putting them on, the sharp claws are no longer visible. Cat nail caps are glued to the cat’s nails with adhesive. Because the nail caps are very soft, they don’t affect the cat’s daily activities, and cats who get used to nail caps won’t reject wearing them.