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My new adopted kitten scratched me. Should I worry about rabies?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Siamese | Female | spayed | 3.6 lbs

Hi, I just adopted a feral Siamese kitten (5 months old) from a shelter. She had all her shots administered 2 days ago. She is very afraid right now and she happened to scratch me. The scratch is mostly superficial but there is a tiny bit of blood. Should I be worried about catching anything from her like rabies?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 14th, 2018

Congrats on your new cat, but I'm sorry you got scratched! Rabies is primarily transmitted though bites and saliva, so you wouldn't get it from Molly via a scratch. Cat scratches can get infected, but this scratch is mostly superficial. I would just wash it with warm water and antiseptic soap, put an antibiotic ointment on your scratch, and cover it with a bandage. You should be fine. Give her some time to get used to your new home, it's a hard adjustment for a kitten. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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I have a found a stray kitten and it is about one month old I think, it is very friendly and carried it home on my shoulder like a baby and its claws keeps on poking my neck, I was wondering if I could get rabies from cat scratches.
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We found a stray kitten. It seems healthy except for a slightly proposed anus. It's been at our house for 4 days. It doesnt show classic signs of rabies. Yesterday it scratched my son under his eye. It was a very tiny scratch and didn't draw blood.
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My kitten of 8 weeks is not vaccinated yet with anything and she scratched me a couple times. Previous to being owned by me, she was owned by somebody who raised her in a domestic household. She doesn't have any signs of being bitten and is not showi
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Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Perhaps I'm only looking for assurance here, but I'll ask anyway. I was scratched by my kitten four months ago. The kitten was around four months old at the time, and had not been vaccinated for rabies. Is it reasonable to think that since my kitten
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My cat scratch me accidentally 1 month ago but the cat is still alive right now does it mean that hes not carriying rabies the time that he scratches me ? He is not afraid of water and always eating and drinking. (He is not vaccinated)
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Hello. Both my male cats are agressive, they are not yet neutered. However when I intervened with the fight I got scratched and bitten. They both had the annual rabies vaccine, but I have not. Also, I have adopted a new stray cat that doesn't have va
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!
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I live in a apartment and there's so many stray cats living in the complex. The neighbors and I feed them. And one of them scratched me. Can I get tabbies from a scratch ?
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Holly is a ten weeks old kitten. I was wondering if she had rabies. She is behaving good and she does not have any scratch marks or bites. But she is very playful and she licks me and scratches me. I am very scared.
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! It is normal for kittens to lick and bite and scratch when playing. If Holly is an indoor kitten and hasn't had any previous bite wounds from other animals she is likely fine. At 10 weeks old she is too young to have the Rabies vaccine but she can soon. I would take her to a vet and discuss your countries Rabies laws on how old she has to be to get it. In the US the average range is 12-16 weeks. In the meantime if you are nervous try to minimize handling and do not allow her to bite or scratch. If she becomes ill or dies then have her tested for Rabies. For her to GIVE you Rabies the virus has to be in the advanced stages (in her salivary glands) and she would show symptoms in 10 days. Again you are likely fine, but consider confining her in a room with food/water and litter box and do not handle her for 10 days. If at day 10 she is fine then you are fine. Then get her vaccinated. Good luck!
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