scratch

[mallgirl12]

I live in a place with raccoons skunks,and the ocassional deer.The street and city have th average amount of people (its not a place with acres of woods and wild).Yesterday I found some stray feral kittens I have seen the adult cat but she is feral too anyway when I was going back to my house to get some food for the kittens (my yard is a little less than an acre) I got scratched by a tree branch that was on the floor,yesterday and today my leg itched and hurt a little but not too much.yesterday i felt like a little loss of balance but maybe that was from the worry (because I have a phobia of doctors).I am scared that I could have gotten rabies or some disease from the branch.The scratch was not deep there was no blood but it was a little red.Because today I was looking some info up and found that you could get rabies from a scratch but rarely.please help with my question because i dont want to get rabies but I dont want to get rabies shots.

[Bridget A. Hewitt, RN]

Hi and thanks for using the forum.

If you did not come in direct contact with the animal, then you are not at risk to develop rabies.  I would recommend that you stop feeding the stray cats, they tend to be tempermental and they will bite.  They are not vaccinated and can carry disease, as well as fleas, ticks, etc.  As far as the scratch is concerned, make sure you clean it, use an antibiotic ointment and a bandage.  It should get better over the next few days.  Hope this helps.  Good luck.

Bridget

[mallgirl12]

thanks I feel better now knowing its going to be fine,its just I have fear of doctors so I get scared easily lol,well thanks for the help.