Cat claw cuts with slight oozing of blood need to be injected, and rabies vaccine needs to be administered promptly.
Whether an injection is generally needed depends on factors such as the location of the rabies virus entry point and the rabies virus load, and is also analyzed specifically in relation to the level of exposure.
Immediately after being scratched and bitten by a dog or cat, the wound should be thoroughly rinsed with soap or hand sanitizer for at least 15 minutes, and then the post-exposure prophylaxis process should begin immediately, depending on the exposure level and previous vaccination status.
Normal contact with and feeding of animals and licking of intact skin are classified as Level I exposures and do not require rabies vaccination or immunoglobulin.
A light bite to the skin or only a minor scratch without bleeding is a Class II exposure (mild) and requires treatment of the wound along with rabies vaccination. Within a short time of being bitten, if you cannot tell with the naked eye if the skin is broken, you can swab the exposed area with alcohol and feel pain to indicate that there is a break in the skin.
When the skin is bitten and scratched and there is bleeding, or when the broken skin wound is licked, it is classified as a Class III exposure (severe), and after the wound is treated, an injection of an anti-rabies passive immunization agent, i.e., rabies immune globulin, around the wound is also required prior to vaccination.
It is specifically added here that bite wounds occurring on the head, face, neck, hands and external genitalia are classified as class III exposures.
Therefore, a scratch with bleeding is required to be injected with rabies immunoglobulin and vaccine.