What's the rabies risk from a cat bite versus a cat scratch?

Rabies is primarily transmitted via saliva. While the virus could be present on the kittens claws from grooming, rabies is typically transmitted via bite wounds. I would recommend that you take the kitten to a veterinarian for thorough examination. If the kitten is healthy, acting normally and has no bite wounds on his body, rabies is less of a concern. Kittens can, however, carry parasites and scratches can lead to infections such as cat scratch fever. I would clean the scratches well and consult with your doctor if you have concerns.

With bite wounds there is a risk of Rabies (although I believe Australia has strict quarantine procedures and may be Rabies free now) as well as bacterial infections both from bites/scratches and your own skin bacteria. Any wound needs to be thoroughly cleaned and evaluated by your primary care provider/MD.

The good news is that rabies is transmitted through bites/saliva and not scratches. If Ming was infected and shedding the rabies virus a month ago, then he would have died from the disease by now. Considering all of this, I think you should be safe, but it's best to consult with your physician if you have any further concerns. Below is a link to more information about rabies. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html I hope that helps and all is well.

No you cannot get rabies from a scratch unless 1) the cat had rabies and 2) the cat's saliva entered the scratch wound. However potentially you could get infected with a disease called cat scratch fever or just get a general wound infection. I would have the scratch examined by your health provider, especially if it looks infected or red. Should you develop a fever or get ill, you need to see your doctor as well.

It is very unlikely a healthy, 1 year old cat would have rabies and transmission through scratches is also extremely rare; but there are numerous other infections which can be spread by deep scratch wounds from cats. I recommend you get the wound checked by a physician and also that you encourage your friend to get the cat vaccinated also!

No - cat scratch disease is a bacterial infection and rabies is a viral infection spread primarily from by bites from an infected animal and is quite rare from cats. You must contact your human doctor/physician for your own healthcare advice - your local doctor should be aware of the potential risks in your area and what, if any treatment is recommended.

You should contact the health department or animal control in your area regarding your bite - they might recommend a quarantine for your cat to be sure there is no concern for rabies. No vaccine is 100% effective so while it is unlikely that the unvaccinated cat could transmit rabies to your cat it is possible. You should also probably contact your physician - cat bites often get infected!

If your rabies vaccine is current then you have very little risk. Rabies is transferred via saliva so if there was no bite then highly unlikely. It does have potential risk to get infected if deep enough. Make sure to keep it clean though until it heals

There's never anything wrong for seeking reassurance, particularly with something as serious as rabies. Rabies is transmitted through saliva, so scratches are not a major concern with respect to rabies transmission. That said, it's never wrong to take extra precautions to quarantine for 10 days. The reason the quarantine is 10 days long is that if an animal is infected with rabies and is actively secreting the virus through its saliva, it would be severely neurologically impaired or dead by the end of the 10 day period. At this point, both you and the kitten are in the clear!

Hello, this is a question best asked of a physician, not a veterinarian. In general, rabies is not transmitted by scratches as the virus is contained within the saliva. There is always a very small chance that some of the cats saliva was on your skin & the scratch drove it into the tissues, but this is very unlikely. Was the cat acting in a wild & unexplained way? There is a difference in a cat that may scratch out of fear or being defensive vs. being in the furious stage of rabies infection. I assume that the rabies vaccine that you speak of was for you, correct? If so, follow your physicians recommendations, but again, a scratch is very unlikely to infect you with the virus. Cats can be fed minimum amounts of human food, & this includes just about any meat, fish or vegetable we eat. Cats require specific amino acids in their diet which they get from fortified pet ( cat ) foods & hunting, so receiving only human food may not provide everything a cat needs. Make sure your cat