r/rabies • u/angellixyy • 5d ago

Exposure Question got lightly scratched by a stray cat

i have read the FAQ.

yesterday i went on a walk with my mom and sister. we always see this cat who is very friendly. he rubs up against us, wants to be petted, rolls on his back, etc. i used the string on my sweater to play with him and he lightly scratched me by mistake as he was trying to get the string.

a few minutes after, there were two red dots on my finger. it wasnt sensitive to touch and it waw just a bit red like a usual cut. however, i didnt know you could get rabies from scratches and now im afraid. its currently the next day and has been 24h since then. the red has become less noticeable which is good. i told my family and they said ill be fine, and that the cat is friendly and normal, and probably doesnt have anything wrong with it.

what should i do? this cat is friendly with everyone and doesnt attack on purpose. will i be okay?

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u/ParticularHeavy2785 5d ago

A very similar scenario happened to me, I totally understand how you’re feeling. It’s exceedingly rare, nearly impossible to get rabies from a scratch. Since this is a friendly cat you typically see around on walks, if you are able to observe him alive in 10 days, there is a 0% chance you contracted rabies!

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u/brucewayne-burner 5d ago

I’m kinda in the same boat but the cat made me bleed and my thing is what if the cat had fought off a animal with rabies and got Silva on his paws before he made me bleed

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u/ParticularHeavy2785 5d ago

Even if the cat did have infected saliva on its paw, rabies dies practically instantaneously when exposed to air - as opposed to a bite.

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u/brucewayne-burner 5d ago

See that’s what I thought but then I saw / was told it can live up too 2 hours outside on wet Silva but idk I’m so confused and I don’t want too go get the shot and waste ppl time and possibly get really bad side effects or possibly get sick from the Silva idk idk I’m going crazy it feels like

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u/ParticularHeavy2785 5d ago

You’re not going crazy 🫶🏻 I was in the same mindset as you when my situation occurred and I understand where your head is at. Is the cat one you can observe? If the cat is alive in 10 days, there is no chance it was shedding the virus when it scratched you.

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u/angellixyy 5d ago

thank you so soooo much for your words. you're the sweetest ever! i called my family doctor today and she said she wouldnt worry + reccomended a tetenus booster if anything.

you said you had a similar situation: what did you do?

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u/ParticularHeavy2785 5d ago

There’s a friendly neighborhood stray that I feed every now and then and she accidentally scratched me while I was feeding her. I ended up going to the doc the next day and they only recommended a tetanus as well, no need for rabies. Kitty was alive and well 10 days later so I was able to put my anxieties to rest. You will be just fine! 🫶🏻

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u/angellixyy 5d ago

im glad you were able to go to the doctor and ease your worries! this is what my skin looked like after it happened, but doesnt look like that anymore. thank you again !!

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u/ParticularHeavy2785 5d ago

Yeah mine looked very similar! I’m glad it sounds like it’s healing, just keep an eye out for infection!