So it happened, the first time in over a year, I got bitten by a cat. Lovely and deep of course.

How? I was drying a cat, and the cat was getting scared, then relaxed over my arm and, of course, I trusted it, and then I got a quick bite.

It’s always my fault. I always learn from each cat bite, really, that’s how I learned. The hard way.

This time I was too busy chatting to the client and ignored signs. We all make mistakes.

I decided to share exactly how I clean a cat bite and prevent infection (as much as possible).

A cat bite is a high risk when grooming, It is a workplace health and safety risk.   Ideally, we should have controlled the hazard.

Cat= Hazard  

Risk=Cat bite

Control= muzzle or send home.

Step 1) Remove the hazard.  Now there is an incident, we now need to remove the hazard, so quickly cage to cat so it cannot bite you anymore.

Step 2) Flush the wound. Flush with FRESH saline for as long as possible. Do not use tap water. Do not introduce anything that is not saline or a disinfectant. You can now clean the wound with a STERILE gauze and either chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide. I personally use hydrogen peroxide. Cat’s teeth have huge amounts of bacteria, we need to make sure we remove as much of this as possible.

Step 3) Take an antibiotic now! You should have some on hand being a high-risk situation. The quicker you take antibiotics the quicker your body can start fighting the bacteria.

Step 4) Do not close the wound unless you continue grooming.  If it is a bite wound, you should stop and go straight to the doctor!  Remember each minute you keep working, is more chance you will have a huge infection.  If a doctor is not available right away, go to a walk-in clinic, or to the emergency department.

Step 5) Follow the doctors’ directions. If you feel a fever coming on, the wound feels hot and red is spreading or feel faint you must go to emergency, even if you only saw a doctor an hour ago. No questions. Draw around the redness of the infection site, your doctor usually does this, but if you wash it off draw it again, as any chance of spread can lead to surgery if you leave it too long. Some people require Intravenous (IV) antibiotics straight away, as always follow a doctor’s directions, and if you feel like its not enough, again, straight to emergency.

Please do not leave a bite wound. Even a deep scratch can cause a large infection, always treat scratches straight away too and watch for infection.

While working with animals, tetanus immunisations should be up to date, and if applicable, steps taken to prevent and treat in case of other diseases such as rabies.

Business owners should have policies and procedures set out for the employees, included addressing wounds. An incident report should be filled, and if insurance is being used, the insurance agency contacted, and steps taken for claiming.

Learn more about first aid in First Aid for the Cat Groomer and a mini first aid section in Clipping the Feline Online Courses.

Who am I?

I am Lexie Goldsmith. Master Cat Groomer (London Cat Grooming School), International Certified Master Cat Groomer (IPG) and Qualified Vet Nurse with over 15 years experience in cat grooming.

My slow introduction and low-stress handling techniques have been proven over 15 years of grooming cats without sedation and many happy clients, being the go-to cat groomer in my state.

I am contacted regularly by people all over the world wanting to learn cat grooming from me, and this makes me excited to see students now grooming cats with my videos, instructions and support.

Come join me on your cat grooming journey, I promise you will not be disappointed, I have a 30-day money-back guarantee for all courses.

Learncatgrooming.com.au