Hiv from cat scratch

[littlescared1]

So I was visiting a friend, that works in the sex industry. She has a kitten that is very playful and she was playing with her and got scratched. After about 5 minutes, I got scratched on my finger by the same cat. I don’t know my friend’s status, but if she is poz what are my chances of having hiv from the cat scratch? I am really extremely worried. Thank you for your time.

[Sara_MHModerator]

Your question has been answered that a cat scratch will not transit the virus. Your doctor has also said you are negative.

***  thread closed ***

[littlescared1]

Hello. I took a hiv1 arn quantitative test at 16 days and the result is <30. Does it mean that I have hiv, no? Because on the internet, it says that if the result is <30, it means that hiv is detected. Please respond, I think I am dying here.

[GuitarRox]

Since you had no risk, why did you test?  This event did not even warrant testing. And one thing that I know right off the bat is that YOU shouldn't be trying to read a test result.  Less than 30. Well, that's not a number and means that it could be 0.  That's less than 30. You didn't get HIV from this event, that is for sure.

[AnxiousNoMore]

Your hiv fixation indicates you should seek therapy or maybe talk to your doctor because you are so anxious that you haven't understood anything you were told here. The idea that a cat could give a person hiv is quite silly, when you consider how many hiv infected people have cats that scratch other people, yet no one ever gets hiv that way.

[littlescared1]

I went to my GP, he told me that the test is negative. And also, the person that was scratched by the cat before me took a rapid hiv test today, that was negative also, but again I think that maybe she had not developed antibodies yet and the test could not picked the infection. And I am worried, because I searched so much on the internet, and it says that when the results read viral load <30, it means that the virus is detected, but below the limit of detection. I will took a 4th gen test at 28 days, hope it will come back negative.

[AnxiousNoMore]

Seek therapy. Your hiv fixation is a bit of a mental health illness and no one can solve that from here.

You haven't accepted any of the advice given here and instead you keep telling us that you know better, so I'm not sure why you keep posting questions here. Or why you keep reporting your misinterpreted Google "findings" here.

[littlescared1]

Thank you for your response. I am just so afraid, because I compare the scratches from the cat, with my friend’s blood, as being scratched with infected needles, because they are so sharp. I make all scenarios in my head. My anxiety is over the roof.

[AnxiousNoMore]

Since you didn't answer the QUESTION I will do it for you. "No the cat didn't use a hollow needle to inject when it scratched me and there wasn't a penetrating penis in my vagina or anus either so I had no risk and should accept the science and stop wasting my own time asking repetitive irrelevant questions."

[AnxiousNoMore]

Your situation involves personal contact with an object in air  (cat nails, maybe her fluids, maybe her blood etc. ). You will be happy to learn that you had no risk, because you can't get hiv from personal contact except unprotected penetrating vaginal or anal with a penis, neither of which you did and you didn't share hollow needles to inject with which is the only other way to acquire hiv - there are only 3 ways to get hiv. Analysis of large numbers of infected people over the 40 years of hiv history has proven that people don't get hiv in the way you are worried is a risk.
HIV is a fragile virus in air or saliva and is effectively instantly dead in either air or saliva so the WORST that could happen is dead virus rubbed you, and obviously anything which is dead cannot live again so you are good. Blood and cuts would not be relevant in your situation since the hiv has become effectively dead, so you don't have to worry about them to be sure that you are safe.
There is no reason for a person to test when they are safe. The advice took into consideration that the other person might be positive, so move on and enjoy life instead of thinking about this non-event. hiv prevention is straightforward since there are only 3 ways you can become infected, so next time you wonder if you had a risk, ask yourself this QUESTION. "Did I do any of the 3?" Then after you say "No, I didn't" you will know that it's time to move on back to your happy life.
No one got hiv from what you did during 40 years of hiv history and no one will get it in the next 40 years of your life either.  You can do what you did any time and be safe from hiv.
Her status is irrelevant when you have no exposure.
If you could get hiv from touching then everyone on the planet would have it by now because everyone is cut a few times every month and then they touch other people by mistake or shaking hands.

[littlescared1]

I am so anxious, because I keep thinking that the cat drew blood from my friend when she scratched her and then with the same claws with blood, the cat scratched me. I am trying to forget about it, but I’m having a hard time doing it. So you say I don’t need to get tested, as this is a no risk situation?

[CurfewX]

The only risks for HIV in adults are:
1) Having unprotected anal or vaginal sex, or
2) sharing intravenous needles with IV drug users.

There is NO CHANCE you got HIV from this event, and you do not need to test.  

[littlescared1]

And if the cat scratched my friend and then immediately scratched me, will still be no risk?

[CurfewX]

Please re-read the only risks for HIV that I listed above.  Getting scratched by a cat is not on that list.

[littlescared1]

Hello. I took a hiv1 arn quantitative test at 16 days and the result is <30. Does it mean that I have hiv, no? Because on the internet, it says that if the result is <30, it means that hiv is detected. Please respond, I think I am dying here.