Cat Scratch or Cat Bite: Do You Need the Rabies Vaccine?
“It was only a cat, and only a scratch.” That sentence is behind many late presentations at the clinic. Cats carry and transmit rabies, their claws are coated in saliva from grooming, and a scratch that draws blood is classified exactly like a dog bite. This page tells you which cat contacts need the vaccine, which also need rabies immunoglobulin, and what to do in the next hour. Dr. Manuj Sondhi (MRCP UK, MD, DNB), Consultant Physician with a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases & HIV, runs the animal-bite service at Nirvana Clinic, opposite Delta-1 Metro, Greater Noida.
The short version: Cats transmit rabies. A cat scratch or bite that draws blood is a Category III exposure — wound wash, rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) and the full vaccine course. A scratch or nibble without bleeding is Category II — wound wash and the full vaccine course, no RIG. A lick on unbroken skin needs only washing. The vaccine schedule is the same as for dog bites: five doses on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28, or two boosters if you have completed a course before.
Not sure which category your scratch is? Use the Animal Bite Navigator — five questions, one clear next step.
Why Cat Scratches Are Classified Higher Than People Expect
Dogs cause the large majority of rabies exposures in India, and cats are the next most common source. Yet cat contacts are the ones patients most often dismiss. Four reasons the guidelines do not:
Claws carry saliva
Cats groom constantly, so their claws are wet with saliva. Rabies virus is shed in saliva — which is why a scratch, not only a bite, counts as an exposure once the skin is broken.
Punctures are deep and narrow
Cat teeth and claws are fine and sharp. They make small wounds that close over quickly, trapping saliva and bacteria deep in the tissue, where washing reaches less easily.
Most cats around us are unvaccinated
Society cats, cats fed outside shops near Pari Chowk or Delta 1, and cats that wander between Knowledge Park hostels are almost never vaccinated against rabies, and nobody can observe them for ten days.
Kittens are not exempt
A kitten can be infected from its mother or from a stray bite before it ever reaches you. Age is not a reason to skip the assessment — and kittens scratch far more often than adult cats.
What Happened? Find Your Category
The category depends on what the cat did to your skin, not on whether the cat looked healthy or belongs to someone.
| What happened | Category | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Petting or feeding the cat; cat licked skin that was unbroken | I | Wash the area with soap and water. No vaccine. |
| Playful nibble on uncovered skin; scratch or graze with no bleeding | II | 15-minute wound wash + full vaccine course (5 doses). No RIG, unless your immunity is weakened. |
| Scratch or bite with bleeding, however small; lick on a cut or graze; scratch near the eye, nose or mouth; saliva into the eye or mouth | III | 15-minute wound wash + RIG in and around the wound + full vaccine course. |
| Indoor pet cat with a vaccination record | Same rules as above | The category still decides treatment. Vaccination starts; if the cat is alive and healthy after 10 days of observation, the doctor may stop the course. |
| You completed a full rabies vaccine course in the past (with a record) | Any II or III | Two booster doses, day 0 and day 3. No RIG. |
Bites and scratches on the face, head, neck or hands are treated as higher risk whatever the category, because the nerves there are close to the brain and the virus has a shorter distance to travel. For a scratch in those areas, do not wait until tomorrow.
Two Other Cat Problems the Doctor Checks For
Rabies is the reason to come in today. These are the two reasons the visit is still worthwhile even when the rabies risk turns out to be low.
Bacterial infection of the wound
Cat bites become infected considerably more often than dog bites, because the narrow puncture seals bacteria from the cat’s mouth deep under the skin. The hand is the usual site and the most troublesome one. Signs appear within 24–72 hours: spreading redness, swelling, warmth, pus, increasing pain, or fever. The doctor cleans the wound properly, checks whether a tendon or joint is involved, and prescribes an antibiotic course where it is indicated. Puncture wounds are generally not stitched.
Cat-scratch disease
A separate bacterial infection carried by cats, usually kittens, and passed on through a scratch. It shows up as a tender swollen lymph node — in the armpit after a hand scratch, in the neck after a face scratch — one to three weeks after the event, sometimes with a small bump at the scratch site and a mild fever. It is usually mild and settles on its own, but a lump that appears weeks after a scratch should be seen by a doctor, and people with weakened immunity need closer attention.
What to Do Right Now
- Wash the wound for a full 15 minutes under running water with soap. This is the single most effective step and it works for scratches as well as bites. Time it — most people stop after one minute.
- Apply an antiseptic such as povidone-iodine or an alcohol-based solution after washing.
- Do not squeeze, scrub or press the puncture, and do not try to close it. Cover it loosely with a clean dressing if it is bleeding.
- Do not apply home remedies — no turmeric, chilli, lime, oil, toothpaste or coffee powder. They do nothing against the virus and make the wound harder to assess.
- Note the details: where the cat lives, whether it belongs to anyone, whether it can be watched for 10 days, and the time of the scratch.
- See a doctor today. The first vaccine dose is given at the same visit at Nirvana Clinic, and RIG is arranged the same day if your exposure is Category III.
Go to a hospital emergency department tonight if
- the scratch or bite is on the face, near the eye, on the neck or on the hand and is bleeding
- the puncture is deep, there are several wounds, or bleeding does not stop with pressure
- the cat was behaving strangely, attacked without provocation, or was a stray that cannot be found
- the person scratched is a child under 5, or has weakened immunity
Most hospital emergency departments can clean the wound and start rabies prevention tonight. For everything else: wash now, send us a WhatsApp message (it is read first thing in the morning), and come in when the clinic opens to start the vaccine the same day.
The Vaccine Schedule After a Cat Scratch or Bite
Nirvana Clinic uses the intramuscular five-dose schedule from India’s National Guidelines on Rabies Prophylaxis, with the vaccine in stock so the first dose is given at your first visit. Day 0 is the day of that first injection.
If you have a record of a complete rabies vaccine course in the past, a new scratch or bite needs only two booster doses on day 0 and day 3, with no RIG. If a pet cat is still healthy after 10 days of observation, the doctor may decide the course can stop early. Everything else about doses, late doses and side effects is on the rabies vaccine schedule page.
Scratched days or weeks ago and never vaccinated? It is not too late to start, but it is late — read why today still matters.
Care Led by Dr. Manuj Sondhi
MRCP (UK), MD, DNB · Consultant Physician & Diabetologist
2-year Fellowship in Infectious Diseases & HIV, Tata Memorial Hospital · Visiting Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Fortis Greater Noida
Dr. Sondhi assesses cat scratches and bites, classifies the exposure, starts the vaccine course at the same visit, arranges RIG where it is needed, and treats the wound infection that cats so often cause. He also runs the clinic’s infectious disease service. Read his full profile.
📍 GF-93, Ground Floor, Sun Twilight Complex, opposite Delta-1 Metro Station, Greater Noida 201308 · Mon–Sat 9 AM–8 PM · 5.0 ★ · 350+ Google reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cats carry rabies in India?
Yes. Dogs cause most rabies exposures in India, but cats are the next most common source, and stray and society cats are rarely vaccinated. A cat scratch or bite that breaks the skin is managed with the same rabies prevention as a dog bite.
A kitten scratched me. Do I need the rabies vaccine?
If the scratch broke the skin, yes. Kittens can carry rabies, and their age does not change the category of the exposure. A scratch with bleeding is Category III and needs rabies immunoglobulin as well as the vaccine; a scratch without bleeding is Category II and needs the vaccine course.
My pet cat is vaccinated. Do I still need the rabies vaccine after a scratch?
The category of the wound still decides treatment, so vaccination is started. If your cat is alive and healthy after 10 days of observation, the doctor may stop the course early. Your cat's vaccination record is useful information, but it is not on its own a reason to skip the first dose.
The cat scratch did not bleed. Do I need the vaccine?
A scratch or graze on uncovered skin without bleeding is a Category II exposure under WHO and Indian guidelines, which means wound washing and the full vaccine course. Rabies immunoglobulin is not needed for Category II unless your immune system is weakened.
How soon after a cat scratch should I get the injection?
The same day, after washing the wound for 15 minutes. The vaccine takes about a week to produce protective antibodies, so every day of delay matters, and immunoglobulin for Category III wounds is most useful when given at the first visit.
Do cat scratches and bites need antibiotics?
Often, yes, for bites and deep scratches, because cat punctures become infected considerably more often than dog bites. The doctor decides after cleaning and examining the wound. Spreading redness, swelling, pus or fever within one to three days means the wound needs to be seen again promptly.
I was scratched by a cat weeks ago and never got vaccinated. Is it too late?
No. As long as you have no symptoms, the full vaccine course is started however long ago the scratch happened, because rabies can take weeks to months to develop. It is late, though, so come in today rather than waiting for a convenient day.
Scratched or Bitten by a Cat? Start Rabies Prevention Today
Vaccine in stock, first dose at the same visit, wound checked for infection. Walk in near Delta-1 Metro, or message us first if you are coming from Noida Extension, Gaur City or Pari Chowk.