What Causes Puncture Wounds On Forehead After A Cat Scratch?

Posted on Tue, 12 May 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 12 May 2015 Answered on

Mon, 1 Jun 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Hello. I got a series of nasty cat scratches on my forehead, eyebrows and temples last night from my cat. I am up to date on my tetnus shots (two years ago) but I am concerned about the level of bacteria that could have entered my system since the puncture wounds on my temples/forehead were rather deep.

The bleeding was limited, and I washed it well with hydrogen peroxide and then slept with neosporin/antibiotic ointment covering the area.

I have a bad headache, and wondering if there is anything else that I should be doing since I know septicimia can be a problem.

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (5 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Antibiotic should be considered.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

As this is face which is quite close to the brain, I would consider antibiotic intake. Especially if you are sure that the scratches are deep. Cats has many strange and pathological bacteria under nails which can cause hard to heal infection of soft tissues. Usually symptoms like redness and swelling appear few days after the injury.
Clindamicine 300 mg 3 times a day or at least Amoxicilline 1000 mg twice a day would be a reasonable idea.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar