Lets Talk about how Cat-Scratch Fever affects Pet Owners.

Hello friends, welcome to today's episode on learning about our lovely pets, their infections, and how they can affect the life span of our pets and affect our lives as well. Today, I will be writing about a fever that can be passed to us by our pets (majorly cats), in today's post, I will be sharing about Cat-scratch fever, this type of fever is an infection caused by a certain bacteria Bartonella henselae, the infection can be passed down to humans if the cat licks an open wound on the skin or bites or scratches a human, it is more common in children and teens.

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Cats get the infection through the scratch or bite of an infected flea, they can also pick it up by fighting with cats who have it already, the infection is common in around 40% of kittens and cats who carry Bartonella henselae in their mouth or underneath their claws. Most cats that are infected would not show symptoms at the beginning until the situation gets really serious and the pet begins to find it difficult to breath or they get an infection in their eyes, mouth or their urinary tract. The moment an infected cat bites or scratches someone strong enough to penetrate through the skin, the bacteria penetrates through the skin this way.Infection is also possible when a cat cat licks an open wound, sore or scab.

You stand a greater chance of catching the cat scratch disease if you engage in any of the following;

Allow your cat to lick an open wound.
Failure to clean or treat any open wound once you get them.
Getting around a flea infestation.
Being around cats that are aggressive and are bound to give some deep scratch.

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Have you been recently scratched or licked by a cat and you are getting scared already, just relax a little bit, it is not even that deep because not everyone who has been licked or scratched by a cat needs to rush to the hospital, once you get infected with the Cat-Scratch fever, it will come with symptoms which may not out rightly start to show, it could take days before it begins to show. Infection starts to show with a red bumb first then followed by a sore or a blister at the point of the scratch or the bite, it may not even necessarily hurt but it would most likely have a crust and would contain pus. The issue with the point of scratch or bite is that, it does not heal it rather gets worse over time.

There is a swollen or painful gland, particularly under the arms, but that is, if only the scratch happens on the arm or hand, there could also be swelling in the groin if the scratch happens on the foot or the leg. Flu-like symptoms like; joint pain, headache, reduced appetite, fatigue and fever, body rash is another symptom of the disease.

To confirm the presence of cat-scratch disease, blood tests, blood culture and sometimes lymph node fluid aspiration or biopsy. The disease cannot be transferred from one person to another, so when there is a contact of the same family member, it could be transfer from the same infected animal.These safety tips could prevent the occurrence of cat scratch disease;

Train your kids never to stay too close with unfamiliar cats, because as a result of the cats getting exposed with external factor, it would be easier for them to contact fleas and CSD.
Playing with a family pet should be done with care as well, this will prevent any form of scratch from happening at all. Also ensure their nails are well trimmed and reduced appropriately to a moderate level.
Ensure that you an your kids wash hands after a pet has been handled.
Keep your pet and your house free from fleas.
Immediately after a scratch, wash the affected region with soap and water and then get a treatment, the same procedure should be applied in case of a scratch or a bite.
If you have a weak immune system or you are old with an health issue, go for one that is at least a year old as young kittens have a higher tendency of getting a CSD.

Most cases of cat scratch fever would not lead to any type of complication except the affected human has a weak immune system (an example are those who have HIV/AIDS, diabetes, chemotherapy treatments), complications that can arise from cat scratch fever are;

Bacillary angiomatosis: A skin disorder which is characterized by a red, elevated lesions surrounded by a scaly ring, the condition may be a more widespread one involving internal organs.

Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome: This condition involves a red, irritating, painful eye with a close similarity to conjunctivitis, fever and swollen lymph nodes in front of the ear and on the same side.

Treating Cat-Scratch Fever.

With a strong immune system, it is highly possible for CSD to go away on it's own , but before it does, take over the counter anti-inflammatory medications, a hot compress, sodium will help ease the swelling. Antibiotics can be prescribed by an expert to prevent the infection from spreading to other parts of the body. You should immediately see a doctor when the bite or the scratch does not seem to be healing, a red region around the bite that continues to grow in size, when your baby has a fever lasting for more than a few days or continues to bite or scratch.