Subject: Infectious scratching
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Posted on: 2010-05-15 05:51:00 UTC
If the infection is carried by saliva, that would allow both biting and scratching to transmit it. Does the original fic ever say anything about transmission? That might give you some answers, though I guess you probably wouldn't have asked if it was mentioned.
In a mission that Lycaenion and I are writing, one of our Agents gets clawed by a Sue. It's a Discworld fic, the Sue is a "werecat" (half werewolf, half cat) and Changed at the time. It's been suggested in canon that the bite of a full werewolf can infect the victim, but we're uncertain if scratches would a) work the same way, and b) work at all.
If it would cause infection, is it likely that Medical could prevent it from actually taking hold (the Agent would be going straight to Medical as soon as she recognised the danger), or would the Agent simply have to work out a way to deal with their new problem?
I'm too late to throw in my two cents again? Does this mean I'm not allowed to overcomplicate things with my personal, ridiculously scientific take on everything? *sad eyes*
Your comments and ideas helped a lot. Thank y'all!
A mix between a cat and a wolf? That must look all kinds of oddness when it's transformed. Why not just simply be a full werecat? *shakes head at the logic!fail of 'Sues*
As for the bite vs. scratch debate, as Neshomeh said, cats do hold a lot of various bacterial organisms behind their claws. There's even a thing called "Cat-Scratch Disease", which affects the lymph nodes. (More information here) I think it's entirely possible, since as we all know, the rules of the Disc are not always the rules of the 'Verse we're used to...
I can't help you with figuring out if it would be canonical, but, even if you decide to infect your agent, I got in ahead of you. Randall's a werewolf, even if he currently has not shown many clues, beyond the heavy-handed trail-sniffing (look here if you have no idea what I'm talking about—it's probably about two thirds of the way down the story). Tell me if you guys decide to turn her into a werewolf. Our agents might get along.
There have been several, actually, though most of them have moved on now.
~Neshomeh
Discworld canon has Angua, a very responsible and vegetarian werewolf, wandering around Ankh-Morpork and having a job involving a lot of contact with the public, never wearing gloves. It doesn't seem she's at all worried about the consequences of accidental scratching. So I'd guess scratches aren't really going to do it on the Disc.
Claws are a cat's primary weapon, just like a wolf's teeth are. (Cats will still bite if they're declawed or they're actually wrestling with or being pinned down by their opponent.) Also, a cat's claws can be sheathed, unlike a dog's; so it would not run the risk of casual contact turning others into were-cats. Being clawed by a were-cat may be equivalent to being bitten by a were-wolf in that sense, so I think it can be justified either way. Discworld is very much driven by the power of stories, anyway.
It might be significant whether or not this particular sue's were-cat status is magical or virus-like; a virus-like transmission would make more sense if there were were-cat saliva making contact with your Agent's blood; but a magical transmission might only require the were-cat to injure their victim for transmission.
I don't think you can say being scratched is the same thing as being bitten, no matter what animal is doing it. Having lived with cats most of my life, I can attest that I've mostly been scratched by accident, generally by way of an escape attempt, and that cats definitely prefer biting over scratching when they mean business. The front claws are there mostly to hold on, not attack. They will use their back claws in an attempt to disembowel prey/enemies, but that's only if they get a grip with teeth and front claws first, and fur (and clothing) serves as a pretty good defense against that move.
As for cats fighting each other, it's basically the same. They bat at each other, but that's only until they can get close enough to bite--unless the other cat runs away first, which is really what everybody wants. All the hissing and spitting and flailing a cat does in a fight is a show of force, an attempt to end the fight before it gets serious enough for biting. The bite is the more serious weapon.
HOWEVER, if we are dealing with an infectious agent, a cat's claws would be far more likely than a wolf's to transmit it. Nothing to do with claws being a cat's main weapon, which they're not, but cats get all kinds of nastiness trapped under their claws--there's a little groove running along the underside, much like the space under our nails. Dirt gets trapped under there, and so does cat saliva when they clean themselves. Also, cat claws are naturally sharper than canine claws, so they're more likely to draw blood when used, exposing the victim to the infectious agent. That's why there's such a thing as cat-scratch fever, but no dog-scratch fever.
But that's if it is a viral agent, of course. On the Disc, it may be some combination of viral and magical, like a viral curse or something. *shrug* As for the power of story, most of the ones I've heard of specify a bite being the vector, if they specify anything at all.
... That's a lot of text. I think I'm done now. ^_^;
~Neshomeh
If the infection is carried by saliva, that would allow both biting and scratching to transmit it. Does the original fic ever say anything about transmission? That might give you some answers, though I guess you probably wouldn't have asked if it was mentioned.
It's possible to become one after being bitten, though.
Well, if you wanted to give your agent a new and potentially comical trait, you certainly could, but otherwise...
I'm quite sure Medical could deal with any infection, and regardless of whether it's sure to transmit the curse, any sensible agent would probably go there for some sort of disinfecting agent anyway... Not that many agents are sensible, but still. ;p