While feeding my cat it ran off and I pulled it hard, and it scratched my skin, drawing a little blood. I’m rinsing with water; it’s usually well-behaved and once when I stepped on it it didn’t scratch or bite. I’m afraid of rabies — it was vaccinated before but long ago. Do I need the vaccine?

Generally, the chance of a household cat carrying the virus is relatively small, and the probability of a person being infected with rabies from a cat scratch is very low, but the wound should still be cleaned and disinfected promptly. Based on your description, the cat has not been vaccinated for a long time, so it is hard to guarantee it is not carrying the rabies virus. For safety, after being scratched by a cat it is best to go to a hospital promptly to get the rabies vaccine.

Besides getting the rabies vaccine promptly, you should also treat the wound immediately: after being scratched, rinse the wound promptly with 20% soapy water, and after cleaning use povidone-iodine or alcohol to disinfect.