Cat Scratch Disease Warning

[asta]

I just read the message about kissing your pet and I want to pass along a warning and, hopefully, save you the trouble that we are going through. I just found out this afternoon that my 18 year old daughter probably has cat scratch disease. One of her eyes has been swollen and extremely red all week. She also has swollen lymph nodes in front of her ear. It has not responded to an antibiotic and on the second trip to the doctor, he asked if she had handled a kitten recently. Apparently she had played with kittens at a friends house about 10 days ago. I have been reading about this on the internet and am extremely concerned about the length of time it may take her to get over this and the possibility that it could damage her eyesight. She is distraught over how frightful her eye looks. What a mess just from handling a kitten! Apparently only cats younger than 2 years can carry the bacteria that causes this disease. It also can't be passed from person to person. You only get it from contact with young cats. Please be careful and make sure your children are also!

 

[MizlurksaLot]

Some one mentioned this on the other thread. I had heard about it, but I didn't know much so I looked it up. It said that you get it by being bitten or scratched. I don't kiss my cat on the lips, but can you get it this way too? Or just by handling a cat?

 

[asta]

It is probably contracted most often from a scratch but you can also get it if the kitten has been bitten by fleas that would then leave drops of dried blood in its fur. Your hands then are contaminated from touching the cat. I think there could also be a risk from the kittens saliva but I'm not sure. It is best to just make sure you aren't scratched and to wash your hands after handling a kitten. The articles also stress that cats older that two years don't carry the bacteria that cause the disease. Another suggestion is to adopt an older cat if you have children.

 

[preshi]

My cat gave me that by scratching me after she used the litterbox. They said I had mono (which I already had before), cat scratch or Leukemia...isn't that nice?

Just like mono... I was tired, swollen lymph nodes. Totally crazy!

for your daughter I was her age when I got it and it just drained me!

 

[asta]

Thanks for your kind words. My daughter is just hoping her eye is normal before she starts college in August. I don't want to worry her but I'm major concerned about the possibility of damage to her optic nerve. She is taking three different drugs over the weekend and if things aren't better by Monday, she will have to see an eye specialist. I love cats but this is a real nightmare.

 

[Jasminesmommy]

my son had this when he was 2. His left side of the neck was swollen and looked like he had 2 golf balls comming out of his neck. they put a pick line in and had to give meds 3 times a day through the IV and it took about 3 weeks to go away.
hope your daughter gets better soon.

 

[phorsenuf]

My son had this too when he was younger. They actually ended up removing the lymph node in his neck it got so bad. He said the tumor was the size of a large olive. Aside from the enlarged lymph node though he wasn't sick, just a swollen neck.