scratches

Cat scratch fever or disease (CSD) is a bacterial infection caused by Bartonella henselae. Bartonella are a group of gram-negative bacteria that parasitize erythrocytes (red blood cells or RBCs) of the host and are transmitted by arthropods. Most people infected with cat scratch fever have been previously bitten or scratched by a cat. Cat bites are less frequently implemented in transmission than are scratches.