In one study by the Mayo Clinic, 1 in 3 cat bites to the hand required hospitalization and some required surgery to clean the wound.

These organisms cause infections in cats when inhaled, ingested, or passed into the skin through a wound or scratch. Skin ...

And when you’re bitten by a cat, the pin-size wound tends to seal up quickly, trapping the bacteria and making the tissue beneath the skin a “fertile” ground for infection, Gaillard said.

Denise Smith, 58, from Northampton, treated the cat's leg wound with manuka honey, believing it had healing properties, according to the RSPCA. She was found guilty of causing unnecessary ...