Cat bites can be nasty!

[oldbrownhat]

Got this from a musician friend this morning. Turns out he was trying to get his cat into a cage for some reason and it clearly did NOT want to go there!

Hi all,
On Noel's advice Jesse [son] and I drove to St. Paul's emergency... We did all the check in/triage stuff then went to the waiting area where I passed out (why?). That turned out to be advantageous as it sped up the process. I was put on a mobile bed and moved to a corner in the treatment area with Jesse sitting nearby (although I could not see him). They did blood, heart, a fluid drip, intravenous antibiotics, tetanus shot (a hefty one apparently, it'll last ten years she said) and xrays (to see if DJ had left a souvenir tooth fragment...no). I got to bed shortly after midnight (not bad) but the pain was still horrendous so I succumbed and took a couple of ibuprofen. That helped. Pain is significantly less this morning. So, more intravenous antbi tonight, still more tomorrow at noon and more after that 'til they think it is time to give me prescription antibiotics for home. They do take cat bites seriously.

In any case, thanks for all the nag...er support and sensible advice last night.​

DJ seemed nice when I saw him, but I wasn't trying to cram him into a cage!

 

[lihpster]

My mother was an RN. She once had to go into work to have a scratch on her hand cleaned up and sutured. The doc was a little surprised when he asked how it happened. I guess it's not too often that someone reaches into the freezer for a package of steaks and gets scratched by a golden eagle talon. Of course, not too many people are married to a wildlife biologist who sometimes stores things at home.

 

[DWalt]

I have received many cat bites under similar circumstances. But none involved a visit to an ER. If I need to move a recalcitrant cat, I always cover him/her with a heavy towel first. I have a tomcat who always protests strongly when the time comes to clip his claws. A towel is a necessity.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Chicks dig scars.

 

[Rpg]

No experience with cat bites but I’ve had a few dog bites over the years.

I quickly learned to head straight to the doctor for appropriate antibiotics. Not all antibiotics work well on infections from dog bites: on one occasion I got a 3 dose package of antibiotics: 3 pills.

Didn’t work.

My doctor checked with his colleagues and tried amoxicillin. An old antibiotic, but one that works well for infection from a dog bite from my dogs.

Don’t assume any old antibiotic will work for you.

 

[paplinker]

cat scratch fever??

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I47floRRAFs[/ame]

 

[bigwheelzip]

cat scratch fever??

That's a real thing. Forty years ago, a big tough New York Firefighter friend heard his cat being mauled in his backyard by a feral cat. He tried to rescue his cat and got badly scratched by the other one. His body blew up like a balloon and he spent a few weeks in Intensive Care.
He told me the diagnosis of what almost killed him was "Cat Scratch Fever".

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[Rustyt1953]

I've been rescuing cats for over 40 years. I have been perforated and aerated more times than I could possibly tabulate. I never needed more than rubbing alcohol and super glue.

I'm still here.

 

[Kenna]

Had a friend back in high school get bitten by his cat. Didnt think to much about it. He ended up in hospital for a while on antibiotics. Almost lost his thumb!

 

[H Richard]

My wife was bitten by our cat (about 40 years ago), and just washed it out then left for the Merchandise Mart in Chicago for a buying trip. Three days later she gets back in terible shape, arm swollen, red, feverish. Took her to the ER, and in addition to the IV, shots, etc, they called in an Orthopedic Surgeon, to evaluate if she would loose her arm! Was admitted as an I/P, on constant IV antibiotics for 24 hours. Luckily no surgery was needed but we were both worried for a bit.

 

[hsguy]

Unfortunately cat bites are very prone to infection as their teeth are often needle sharp and inject bacteria quite deeply. I had a friend who was a Pathologist almost lose his hand due to his cat biting him despite excellent medical treatment. Cat bites are nothing worth fooling with or ignoring. Interesting information:

What percentage of cat bites get infected?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infection occurs in about 10 to 15 percent of dog bites and up to 50 percent of cat bites. One reason that animal bites often lead to infection is that bites often occur on the fingers or hands. These areas are where the body may have a harder time fighting infection.Mar 22, 2021

 

[Model 19 6"]

My wife wanted a Siamese, we had a cat already. We found one she wanted at the humane society. When we got home the Siamese attacked the other cat. My wife wadded in and the Siamese bit her wrist she held out her arm up with the cat hanging on. We ended up at Docs office,it was a few days but the wife arm cleared up. Then it was to the vet to get cat #1 patched up. I thought it was very funny.

 

[hemiram]

I'm one of the lucky people who seem immune to dog and cat bite problems, but my late mother was a whole different story. Even a "love bite", immediately hit with alcohol and then Neosporin would almost 100% of the time end up getting all swelled up and bright red in only a few hours. All she would do to trigger her cat biting her was to just brush her too long. I tried to teach her to watch the cat's tail and if it started to twich, STOP brushing her. Norma was a very nice cat, but the brushing thing made it difficult to get anyone to take her when mom died. One of the aids at her assisted living place took her and she's still alive at about 17, and doing well.

My long gone cat Orville was a really unhappy patient and he bit me badly several times at the vet's office. He would attack anything that came near him when he was there and for a long time, he held the title of "Worst patient ever". At 25-27 pounds, he was nothing to mess with, even if you were immune to his bites, they still hurt a lot. He looked so innocent..

 

[NYlakesider]

Get a cat or a dog bite in this county and "officials" are notified by the medical people, its a law.

My wife was playing with the cat and got clawed by accident and infection set in. Went to the walk in clinic. Next day she got a call and was told to keep the cat in the house for ten days. At the clinic my wife stated that the cat was a indoor only cat. At the end of the quarantine time the county checked in, all was OK .

Now for the possible bad part, you get one free bite or clawing by a cat or dog no problem. If that animal does another bite or claw it probably will be ordered put down. (its a local law)

 

[wnwitzell]

Senior Pain

This one hurts me on a regular basis…

 

[mmb617]

Pfft, you guys think you have cat bite stories.

I was bitten by this cat many years ago.

When you have a wild animal as a pet sometimes there will be accidents.

His canines punctured deep into my arm and I had to go to the ER. The doctor took one look and asked me what had bit me. He said he'd seen many dog bites and he could tell this wasn't a dog bite.

I thought they'd stitch it but he said deep puncture wounds have to heal from the inside out so it was cleaned, wrapped and left open.

 

[Bro. Dave]

At the risk of getting "lynched" I have to ask "what caliber is best for cats?". For a number of years we lived in the small town where I was pastor and feral cats were a non-trivial problem. They are vicious, voracious, predators by nature and I really think that "domestic cat" is an oxymoron.

 

[Norton 750]

I can elaborate....

 

[SMSgt]

My sister had a large lump develop under her chin. Turned red and painful. A trip to the doctor got her an open incision under her chin for an abscess to drain. Cat scratch fever was the diagnosis. The cat claimed qualified immunity and walked.

 

[LVSteve]

Get a cat or a dog bite in this county and "officials" are notified by the medical people, its a law.

My wife was playing with the cat and got clawed by accident and infection set in. Went to the walk in clinic. Next day she got a call and was told to keep the cat in the house for ten days. At the clinic my wife stated that the cat was a indoor only cat. At the end of the quarantine time the county checked in, all was OK .

Now for the possible bad part, you get one free bite or clawing by a cat or dog no problem. If that animal does another bite or claw it probably will be ordered put down. (its a local law)

Dang, as if NY gun laws weren't bad enough.