Kittens and children are a lot less compatible than you would think. Most pregnant women are aware of the risks associated with cat feces during pregnancy, which in a worst-case scenario can lead to such severe complications as cerebral palsy in the unborn child. This awareness of the risks tends to relax, though, after the child has reached the toddler stage, to be replaced by a consciousness of the positive benefits to the child of keeping a pet.

Those who have lived with cats and especially kittens will know how common it is to be scratched and bitten by a playful pet. Most owners will minimize the risks, because in their experience nothing bad has ever come of a cat scratch. However, if people are better informed of the risks, they would not necessarily take these injuries so lightly. More than half all cat bites result in infection of some kind, most commonly from the Pasteurella multocida bacteria, which form part of the normal flora of cats.

A local infection, at the site of the wound only, can lead to swelling or the formation of puss. This in itself is not always dangerous, but may lead to complications, perhaps with the joints becoming infected, or even the whole lymphatic system being invaded. Clearly those more at risk to such forms of infection are the very young, the elderly or those with suppressed immunosufficiency, such as cancer patients on medication and AIDS sufferers.

Cat scratch disease is an infectious illness associated with cat scratches, bites, or exposure to cat saliva. The bacteria Afipia felis and Bartonella henselae do not necessarily provoke symptoms in the carrier cat. But complications arising from infections with these bacteria can lead to nasty complications in humans, not just locally where the skin has been torn. CSD is perhaps the most common cause of chronic lymph node swelling in children, a feverous infection lasting up to two months.

Children under nine years of age are especially vulnerable to scratches and bites in the face and neck regions, most especially from kittens, which happen to be the most likely carriers of the Bartonella henselae group of organisms. Thus the advice is not to let children play too roughly with kittens – and any scratches or bites should be washed immediately with soap and warm water.

Osteomyelitis or septic arthritis from cat bites is not uncommon. The synovial capsules of the joints are usually completely sterile and infection at these points is both extremely painful and potentially very harmful. Osteomyelitis and septic arthritis can affect any joint or bone, but most commonly involve the lower limbs. Both are most commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus and require urgent treatment. The initial symptoms are tenderness and an unwillingness to use the joint or limb in question. Swelling and redness do not necessarily appear straight away.

Some authorities claim that fleas carry B. henselae bacteria, but the evidence is not conclusive. Nevertheless, it makes sense to keep fleas in check to guard against unnecessary risks. Cats should never be allowed to lick any wounds you or your child may have, as the saliva is where the bacteria come from.

If you or your child are bitten or scratched by a cat, at the first signs of any symptoms such as swelling, pustules, fatigue, fever, headache or swollen glands, consult your physician.