It usually takes 3 to 10 days for a sore to appear at the site of a cat scratch or bite. The lymph glands nearby usually start to swell about 2 weeks after the scratch or bite. Diagnosis is based on symptoms and a history of a scratch by a cat. A blood test can confirm the diagnosis. Anyone can get cat-scratch disease.
Most cases are in children and adolescents.
Persons who own or handle cats are at increased risk. Most people recover on their own within 3 weeks. Tenderness and swelling can be relieved by putting warm soaks or a heating pad on the sore area. Persons with severe pain or symptoms are sometimes treated with antibiotics. A doctor may need to open and drain painful, red lymph glands that contain pus.