Can You Actually Get Cat Scratch Fever?

I’ve been scratched by a lot of cats over the years. My fault, of course. Not theirs. I got too close, too familiar, touched them in a way they didn’t like or surprised them. Sometimes they scratched me by accident. Other times they warned me that I was doing something they didn’t like and when I didn’t heed their warnings — ears back, side eye, body low to the ground, etc. — I suffered the consequences. 

Most of the scratches were superficial wounds with little to no blood and no scarring. There were some bad ones, though. Like when I was a kid and I chased my mom’s cat Sophie into a corner, and she literally climbed up my arm to get away from me, shredding my skin and leaving multiple keratin sheaths wedged inside the cuts. I cried as my mom removed them with tweezers, but you better believe I never chased Sophie (or any other cat) ever again! 

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Then there was the time my friend Amy’s cat, Maddie, swatted at me while I was petting her flank (a risky spot on any cat). The gash she gave me was so deep I probably needed a stitch, had I acquiesced to going to the hospital. It was seriously deep. 

And then, just a few years ago, a feral cat I was fostering ripped a six-inch slit down my wrist when I tried to put him in his cage. That one was really bad, but I washed it right after it happened and bandaged it up and eventually it was fine, though it did take a few weeks to fully heal and left a not-insignificant scar in its place. 

I was fortunate, though. None of my cat scratches ever got infected. My mom, however, was not so lucky. Once, when I was in college, Sophie gave her a terrible scratch after my mom surprised her while she slept on the bathroom floor. Sophie had never scratched my mom before, but she went berserk and, in her panic, shredded my mom’s forearm before running off. My mom cleaned and bandaged her wounds, but a week later she was in urgent care with an infection and a fever: cat scratch fever. 

What is cat scratch fever?

When my mom told me she had cat scratch fever, I was shocked. I had no idea it was a real thing. I thought it was just a sex metaphor created by Ted Nugent in 1977. But my mom was sick enough that she needed a full round of antibiotics and actually took to her bed for a day. 

“Cat scratch fever, or cat scratch disease (CSD), is an infection caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae,” says Dr. Steven Goldberg,chief medical officer at HealthTrackRx. “It’s usually transmitted through a scratch, bite, or lick from an infected cat, especially kittens. While the bacteria don’t make cats sick, they can spread to humans and cause swollen lymph nodes (often near the arms, neck, or jaw) and mild flu-like symptoms.” My mother also developed a rash on her arm, as did I when I was scratched by my feral foster.

Come to think of it… I didn’t feel great after that scratch. I was super busy at the time and just chalked it up to exhaustion, but who knows? Maybe I had a case of cat scratch fever, too.

Fortunately, not all cats carry the bacteria that causes CSD. They get it from fleas, so if your cat stays inside and flea-free, they (and you) should be fine. “For infection to occur, the bacteria must enter through broken skin,” Dr. Goldberg says. “Most scratches from healthy cats never cause illness. And you can lower your risk by washing your hands after handling cats, cleaning scratches right away, keeping up with flea treatments, and avoiding rough play.”

Symptoms

According to Dr. Goldberg, CSD symptoms usually appear within three to 14 days of infection and can include:

• A small bump or blister at the site

• Swollen lymph nodes near the injury

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Headache 

“In rare cases, cat scratch fever can cause more serious problems like eye inflammation, brain swelling, or liver issues, especially in people with weakened immune systems,” says Dr. Goldberg, but for most people, the symptoms are mild. 

Treatment

Most cases clear up on their own, but some do require the administration of antibiotics like azithromycin. For people with compromised immune systems, though, the infection can spread and lead to serious problems, so if fever and swelling persist, Dr. Goldberg recommends seeing a doctor. 

How concerned should you really be?

Not very, it turns out. “The risk is low for most people,” says Dr. Goldberg, adding that symptoms are typically mild. “Awareness and good hygiene are key, especially for children, immunocompromised individuals, and cat owners with frequent kitten contact.”

If you do get scratched by an infected cat, treat it like you would any other cut: “Clean the area immediately with soap and warm water, apply antiseptic, and monitor for redness or swelling,” Dr. Goldberg says. You really only need to seek medical care if you develop a fever or swollen lymph nodes. 

If you want to reduce your risk overall, Dr. Goldberg suggests keeping your cat’s nails trimmed so they are not so likely to break the skin if and when they scratch you, and do what you can to eliminate fleas.

Other cat-transmitted diseases

Of course, CSD is not the only infection you can get from your cat. “Though it’s rare, cats can pass along other infections,” Dr. Goldberg says. These include:

• Toxoplasmosis – a parasitic infection, especially concerning during pregnancy

• Ringworm – a common fungal skin infection in kittens

• Rabies – extremely rare but serious and even life-threatening

• Campylobacter and Salmonella – which can cause diarrhea and are often linked to contaminated litter or raw food

• Pasteurella multocida – can cause skin infections from bites 

Fortunately, limiting your exposure to these diseases is fairly easy to do. “With regular vet care, good hygiene, and gentle handling, the risks of these transmitted diseases are extremely low,” Dr. Goldberg says. 

So, try not to stress. You are unlikely to catch anything from your cat (CSD or otherwise) and if you do, it will likely either clear up on its own or can be treated by a doctor. If you’re immunocompromised or pregnant, go see a doctor sooner rather than later. But otherwise, if you are a healthy adult, and your cat scratches or bites you and breaks the skin, clean it, keep an eye on it, and stay calm. You should be just fine.