How long after being bitten by a cat?

[SugarBugFerret]

How long does it take after being bitten by a cat does it take to show signs of infection? I am helping a friend who has rescued a little male gray who looks to be about 2 months old. She said she saved him from some cats, but she didn't see a cat actually bite him. I know the bite marks can be very small. She is wanting to release him, but if he might get sick I don't want her to release too soon, and of course more help may be needed. How long should she wait to make sure he is ok? I am digging for antibiotic right now, just in case. I know I have some somewhere...

[SugarBugFerret]

I have 62.5 mg clavamox tabs that expired last month. I'm going to try to get a weight for this little guy.

[SammysMom]

Well, i would think within a week. If he is only 2 months old he needs a couple of months befor release anyway. How long has she had him?

[SugarBugFerret]

She just got him today. He tried to scale the fence to get away from the cats and couldn't quite make it. My friend caught him and at first thought he had an injured hind leg, but she says his leg seems better, and he is using it to climb and hang from the bars of the cage he is in. I've been helping her with the basics, but I didn't know about the cats until this evening. I have a musical to go to tomorrow and I don't want to leave my friend and this little squirrel buddy hanging if we end up with more of a pressing issue.

[FortWorthSquaddy]

Infections can take several days to manifest, but should show up within 10 days if there is a wound to fester. Note that this might look like a boil under the skin, a really bad pimple, or even just an area of flushed irritated warmness. Short of shaving the little guy bald to look for puncture wounds, the safest thing would be a "prophylactic" course of antibiotics, which is generally from 5 to 10 days depending on the medicine in question.
I'll have to look up clavamox/augmentin for squirrels, which is on my other computer, and someone might beat me to it...
Definitely need the weight of the little guy, and a neurological assessment of sorts - make sure he's not acting overstartled, lethargic, walking in circles. Pinch reflex intact on all 4 feet. Injured prey animals prefer to just hide - burrow under some felt, sleep all day, not exploring or jumping.
Please advise?
- Joe in Fort Worth
(Yet even this far west I have an Eastern Grey, named Roo...)