Talk:Cat bite

disappointing at article's apparent negativity
This article appears to be quite negative about the subject, some of my feline friends used to regularly bite, in a playful manner during games of chasings ("tag, you're it")/Attack of the monster hand("protect the tummy!"/Ambush!("Ahhah! another unsuspecting human/appendage is caught."), and as a gentle reminder ie. "hello, i'm here, stop what you are doing and pay attention to me". the way it reads now it is depressing: lead mentions "complications and, very rarely, death" (well i suppose on small mammals, birds etc if the cat is an outdoor moggie, this is quite common:), sections headed "Signs and symptoms", "Infections" "Diagnosis" "Treatments" as if its some sort of disease and not a natural part of cat behaviour, anyway, thats enough of a rant, hopefully someone can bring some balance into this article. Coolabahapple (talk) 16:15, 21 April 2019 (UTC)

With the possible exception of some snakes, cats are probably the animals most likely to attack humans. Although cat bites and scratches, like dog bites and scratches, are non-venomous. (Dog bites and scratches cause more severe flesh wounds and get treatment for those alone), they can have serious complications.

Cats bite and scratch hard and deep, and cat bites and scratches are much less severe than those of dogs -- so long as the teeth or claws are clean. It is safe to assume that the claws of all domestic and feral cats are "dirty" and thus infectious. If you do not know the cat, assume that a nasty infection awaits.

Infected scratches and bites from cats can lead to dangerous infections, especially in people with compromised immune systems.

Infections from cat bites and scratches merit negativity. Pbrower2a (talk) 02:34, 31 October 2022 (UTC)

Yeah, this article was clearly written by people who have never had a pet cat. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:48F8:3028:243D:4381:6478:EA69:75D1 (talk) 16:28, 29 March 2024 (UTC)


 * You seem to be taking this rather personally. The article is focused on medical implications of cat bites. This is not fantasy and such bites can have very real complications. My 70 year old mother was hospitalised this year after getting severely infected after a feral cat attacked her unprovoked. It's important for people to know and understand the risks so they can act accordingly. 202.58.204.234 (talk) 17:35, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

Cats are not venomous, but the consequences of a cat bite or scratch, especially from an unfamiliar cat (especially feral) merit medial attention as if the bites were by a venomous snake. The medical hazards take a long time to manifest, but cat bites and scratches can eventually kill. Rabies is real and so deadly that its #1 vector, dogs, kill more people than all the man-eating predators combined.

Cats have swifter strikes than snakes, and even if a cat scratch or bite does not lead to excruciating pain as does envenomation by snakes, cat bites and scratches are harder to avoid. Those by a cat that one already knows might not be so hazardous because one may have developed some immunity, but those by an unfamiliar cat allow one to develop no certain immunity.

Be safe with cats, especially strange ones. Treat bites and scratches seriously -- as if they had slow-acting venom.Pbrower2a (talk) 18:57, 12 July 2024 (UTC)