Felis Punctatis: Cat Claw-induced Punctures

Abstract

Animal-induced conditions in humans predominantly present as infectious zoonoses. However, trauma-associated injuries from the teeth or claws can also occur. Several zoonotic infections can be transmitted by cats, a common household pet, to their owners. The clinical features of a woman who developed multiple sites of trauma-induced cutaneous punctures from her cat's paws while it was kneading on her clothes-covered abdomen are described. The repetitive insertion and withdrawal of the sharp tips of the cat's claws created distinctive groups of erythematous punctures on the patient's skin. We suggest that Latin nomenclature be used to designate the name for this claw-induced dermatosis that includes not only the causative animal (felis for cat) but also a descriptive term for the skin lesions (punctatis for punctures): felis punctatis.