# Cat bacteria! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 8, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477 "2006-02-08T00:21:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/21 "2006-02-16T01:26:29Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > …Methicillan… Methicillin. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/22 "2006-02-16T01:46:53Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > Back to the OP…are you able to test and see if the staph is Methicillan resistant? Yup, screened it for MRSA and it was _not_ resistant. Otherwise I think I’d be more worried. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/23 "2006-02-16T02:04:48Z")
Couple of questions from someone who has 5 cats: Are these scary-sounding bacteria cause for concern? Or are they standard in cats’ mouths? I should probably know this but I don’t. Someone, I can’t remember who, told me that cats’ mouths are effectively poisonous due to all the fun things that grow in there. Say my cat bit a mouse but not fatally. Would the bacteria that got into the wound be able to kill the mouse thereafter? Or is this basically true of any bite wound? Have you cultured the bacteria on cats’ nails? My cats often accidentally scratch me when jumping off my lap or running across me. They rarely, if ever, bite me, though, and usually the scratches heal fine. However, on Monday I got a deep nail puncture in the back of my hand that has a quarter-size red mark around it and my hand is starting to ache… ☹ Cause for concern? I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/24 "2006-02-16T02:22:00Z")
Ah. I was rooting for _Fusobacterium_. Micro was a long time ago, but the names bring back memories. Vlad/Igor, MT(ASCP) ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/25 "2006-02-16T02:42:09Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > Couple of questions from someone who has 5 cats: > > Are these scary-sounding bacteria cause for concern? Or are they standard in cats’ mouths? I should probably know this but I don’t. > > Someone, I can’t remember who, told me that cats’ mouths are effectively poisonous due to all the fun things that grow in there. Say my cat bit a mouse but not fatally. Would the bacteria that got into the wound be able to kill the mouse thereafter? Or is this basically true of any bite wound? > > Have you cultured the bacteria on cats’ nails? My cats often accidentally scratch me when jumping off my lap or running across me. They rarely, if ever, bite me, though, and usually the scratches heal fine. However, on Monday I got a deep nail puncture in the back of my hand that has a quarter-size red mark around it and my hand is starting to ache… ☹ Cause for concern? I hope not. The stuff I found is standard for kitty mouths, but that doesn’t mean it can’t cause an infection in a bite wound. Any bacteria can cause an infection, really, and these aren’t any worse or more dangerous than others. Not sure about the mouse-killing power of the cat bacteria, though. Never heard anything about that, but I suppose there could be some truth to it. Cats can have all sorts of becteria on their nails from walking around everywhere, and from the sound of things, you’ve probably got a little infection going on in your hand, if it’s red and hurting. Might be time to see a doctor? ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/26 "2006-02-16T02:49:37Z")
[Cat Scratch Fever](http://familydoctor.org/024.xml) And not the Nugent kind. Unless you’re going insane–then it might be. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/27 "2006-02-17T01:00:28Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > Dennis was probably your cat and not your next door neighbor, right? Yes, and Bubba the cat sneezed in my face at 5:00 this morning. I wonder if this stuff will grow in my nose. My throat is a little scratchy… ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/28 "2006-02-17T16:05:15Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > Have you cultured the bacteria on cats’ nails? My cats often accidentally scratch me when jumping off my lap or running across me. They rarely, if ever, bite me, though, and usually the scratches heal fine. However, on Monday I got a deep nail puncture in the back of my hand that has a quarter-size red mark around it and my hand is starting to ache… ☹ Cause for concern? I hope not. I would say that if your hand is beginning to resemble your username, you should probably get the wound treated. Sounds like it’s definitely got at least a local infection. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477/29 "2006-02-18T06:28:19Z")
> [@Mama Zappa](#): > > I would say that if your hand is beginning to resemble your username, you should probably get the wound treated. Sounds like it’s definitely got at least a local infection. What’s totally ironic here is that today, a new intake feral male cat randomly attacked my face. He was very friendly, sitting in my lap, purring, and then, he was the Alien face-hugger, no warning, no nothing. Scared the crap out of me. I have three punctures within an inch of my eye, a deep puncture in my cheek, and a scalp laceration. Blood was everywhere, I had the ER visit, black eye, swollen face, everything. So that hole in the back of my hand now looks like a mere scratch. Got some Augmentin, have to wait to see if the cat shows signs of rabies next week. :eek: He probably doesn’t have it, but you never know. This attack happened at 5pm, and at 1:30am it’s still bleeding and/or oozing all this mostly clear fluid. Freaky. My eye is swelling shut, I have an ice pack on it as we speak. Good thing I’m off next week; I look terrible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-bacteria/343477.md?page=1)