In response to the post Do cats have poison claws? I would have to agree that the answer is “Usually, yes.” I was once attempting to convince a generally wild and non house-loving kittly that it was time to come inside. In the process, he got me with the classic feline assault: Grip with the front claws and rake repeatedly with the rear ones. He managed to score a solid slash to my wrist, which didn’t sever any arteries. It did, of course turn red. Then it got kinda tickly. Then a curious patch of mottled, fiercely itchy skin grew around the site of the now-healed scratch.
It didn’t take much research to discover that the little blighter had given me Ringworm, a fungal skin infection of the Tinea genus (Related to but generally tougher than athletes foot and jock itch.) A mixed assault of over the counter remedies, bleach, and battery acid eventually beat the infection into submission. It was several years, however before I could wear a watch without the fungus making a surprise comeback. (Due, no doubt to the moist microclimate afforded by watchband, preventing sweat evaporation.)To this day I suspect a few viable spores are still in there.
Any other Kitty-induced Ringworm stories out there?
I will add that the staff report on cat claws has not yet been posted on the main page, but those of us that have signed up for the Straight Dope mailing list have received advance notice of its publication.
A link will be forthcoming when the article is posted.
You can absolutely get ringworm from domestic cats. Also salmonella, toxocariasis and a host of other things (even more in tropical areas). Of course you can get a lot more icky things from other humans, but here’s hoping you get more out of those relationships, too.
I’d just like to add that perhaps the most damaging infection you can get from a cat is toxoplasmosis from Toxoplasma gondii. Its oocysts live in cat feces, and you can get transmission by scooping the kitty litter. While most cat owners become infected, the disease is usually subclinical. It can cause congenital abnormalities and a pretty severe encephalitis in the immunocompromised. Some doctors will recommend late-stage AIDS patients get rid of their cats.
Edwino, I’m confused by your statement. My dictionary says that congenital means “existing from birth but not hereditary”. How can someone get a congenital abnormality after they are born? If that is supposed to mean able to be passed to children, that also wouldn’t be congenital, as the word means non-hereditary.
Irishman
Your definition of congenital is correct. Transmission is from maternal infection during pregnancy. It is not a hereditary issue because “hereditary” exclusively refers to a genetic inheritance. Toxoplasmosis has nothing to do with the genome – it is an independent organism which manages to burrow its way across the placenta into the developing fetus and infect it. There are no genetic changes, therefore it is not hereditary, and since it is existing from birth, it is congenital.
[[It can cause congenital abnormalities and a pretty severe encephalitis in the immunocompromised. Some doctors will recommend late-stage AIDS patients get rid of their cats.]]
I think Edwino meant to separate the conditions in that top sentence. Because of the risk of congenital abnormalities, pregnant women are strongly advised to avoid cat feces (get their partners to change the kitty litter). People with compromised immune systems should also avoid such contact. People with HIV disease can have a reactivation of a latent toxoplasmosis infection (so it doesn’t even necessarily do any good to get rid of the cats, unless they’re sure they never had this infection before) - it can go into the central nervous system and is pretty terrible, as Edwino said. - Jill
In response to the Staff Report Do cats have poison claws? the answer (given clearly in the column) is, “No, cats do not have poison claws, nor do they tiny poison sacs in their feet” (W. Haddon might consider finding a better-educated SO). They can (and often do) have septic claws, with various pathogenic organisms on them (but ask a physician some time about the likely consequences of being bitten by a human).
Back in my youth I had cat scratch fever (I even liked that cat). The original blood test came up negative but a biopsy (the most plausable alternative was some form of lymphoma) showed that I was plauged by Ted Nugent disease (this is what most people think of when the subject comes up). I never had any symptoms beyond swollen lymph nodes and the surgery was far worse than the disease.
I also recently had a nice case of ringorm under my watch band (lesson: do NOT shower and leave a damp cloth watch band on your wrist). After several days of largely innefective antifungual treatment I attacked the area with a bleach solution and the problem was on its way out within a few hours.
SDStaff Jill says, if you’re worried about scratches, “…consider de-clawing your cat.”
Similarly, if you’re worried about scratches from a human, you might consider chopping off the first knuckle of each of their fingers.
Keep in mind that if you’re looking for a vet to de-claw your cat, you might have to look around a little, as some vets will not perform the operation, considering it inhumane. With a little work, you’ll find a willing vet. But if vets consider it inhumane, maybe, just maybe, it’s a bad idea.
For a less drastic measure, try trimming the tips of your cat’s claws with a fingernail clipper. (Don’t trim too far back, there are nerves and blood vessels back there. If you’re not sure, ask your vet) Blunted cat claws are much easier on human skin.
Also, try to train your cat not to claw you. If you’re incapable of training your cat not to claw, well…have you considered the lovely array of plush toys available to you? They need no commitment from their owner other than occasional dusting, and if you decide you really want to mutilate their feet, no one’s going to complain.
Congratulations to Jill on another fine Staff Report.
Given the septic nature of domestic kitties, I’m wondering to what extent that extends to their wild relatives. I recall the case of Karl Akeley, who was a collector and taxidermist for the American Museum of Natural History in the 1920’s. On one expedition to Africa, he was attacked by a leopard, and although severely mauled he managed to kill it with his bare hands. (The animal had seized his arm, but he killed it by shoving his fist down its throat until it choked.) IIRC, the sepsis that soon set in was more of a threat to his survival than the wounds themselves, but I don’t know offhand if the injuries produced by the fangs or claws were worse. (Akeley, BTW, also by some miracle survived being pounded into the ground by an elephant.) I have a book on circus animals at home, including big cats - I’ll have a look tonight if it has anything to say on maulings.
One predator that does apparently employ sepsis to its own advantage is the Komodo Dragon of Indonesia. These giant lizards often don’t kill their prey - deer and pigs - outright. Instead they bite it once and then let it go. Their mouths are so full of bacteria that the animal eventually succumbs to infection, and the lizard will trail it for days until that happens.
The only mammal that does have a poisonous claw of sorts is the male Platypus, which has a venomous spur on the hind foot. (Male Echidnas also have spurs but the venom sac is non-functional.)
I don’t think the original question was about a specific disease that’s related to cat scratches. I think the question was really how come, when a cat scratches you, even if it does not scratch you deep enough to make you bleed, the wound gets all puffy and red and irritated looking, much more so than a comparative injury caused by a knife or a piece of paper. Is the answer to that one as simple as Cats Have Dirty Claws? I mean, I guess that is to be expected, given that they scratch around in their litterboxes & stuff, but I still feel as though there should be more to it…
[[Is the answer to that one as simple as Cats Have Dirty Claws? I mean, I guess that is to be expected, given that they scratch around in their litterboxes & stuff, but I still feel as though there should be more to it…]]
Do cats have poison claws? No. Do they have dirty claws and can they pass diseases via these claws? Yes. I’m not convinced cat scratches, otherwise, cause any more inflammation than other kinds of cuts and scratches.
Yet another thing I saw in clinics was bacillary angiomatosis in an HIV patient caused by Bartonella henselae. This can be quite serious and lead to all kinds of nasty sequelae – blood filled cysts in the liver, bacteremia, endocarditis, bone lesions, etc.
Not only is declawing considered inhumane by many, as Sengkelat says, but it is actually illegal in some enlightened countries, including Great Britain.
I have three cats with very active clawing behaviors, resulting in a shredded couch and frequent bodily scratches. I considered declawing them, but after I read that declawing can cause a cat great stress because it can no longer engage in the instinctive claw-sharpening behavior, I decided to just live with it. The fingernail clippers are perfectly effective if things get out of hand. Declawing your cat is tantamount to saying “I can’t be bothered to take five minutes to clip claws once a week, so I’ll amputate my cat’s fingertips.”
Perhaps if a person cannot deal with clawing, he should have thought a little harder before acquiring his cat. Everyone knows that cats have claws and that they scratch and damage things. People who get cats anywhere but from a shelter and then immediately declaw them are engaging in some really cruel behavior, IMO.
A friend of mine uses these little rubber claw caps she ordered from somewhere online. They come in colors and stay on for about a month, then you start finding them around the house. They’re very small, but make it possible to cope with a bit of “play” from your critter, or keep a couch.
That said, they weren’t for me. I’d say you need a pretty easy going cat, and mine wouldn’t put up with the application. It was very gentle (I watched her do it once) but her cat loves to lay in her lap on his back and she just massages a paw and claws extend, then she pops the little claw condom on in a jiffy. My cat will lay in my lap on his back, but as soon as I touch his paw he thinks, “Great! Dad wants to play Alien1”
In any case, these things don’t seem to bother her cat – at least, he doesn’t seem any more neurotic than any house cat I’ve ever met. He gets to pretend to claw the furniture or various passing legs. She gets to avoid infection and have a nice couch.
I don’t want to actively shill for anyone, so I’ll leave it to you to track them down online if you like. To be honest, I can’t recall off the top of my head what they were called anyway. But I do recall that they weren’t cheap. (Though, compared to what?)
Hey Colibri- I was just about to bring up this topic. Mr Karl’s experience is not unusual. As noted in ‘Death in the Long Grass’ by Peter Capstick (highly entertaining I might add) large cats often contain a suprising amount of putrefying meat around their claws and wedged into their respective ‘sockets.’ Many survivors of kitty attacks in africa are later overrun with secondary infection that requires huge doses of antibiotics to combat. Although this may be a pleasant side effect of an attack, I don’t know of any large cat that uses it as a hunting/kill method re. the komodo dragon.
I’m not sure if this parallels the domestic situation, but it just gives me one more reason to hate the little buggers.