# Take cat bites seriously!!



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Twice now I have had a serious cat bite. The first time was in 2002 when within 12 hours I found myself in the ER on a morphine drip for pain. That stay in the hospital lasted almost a week with surgery to finally drain the infection and a month long recovery.

The second time was yesterday. I was putting a cat back into it's kennel at the shelter I volunteer at when he turned and chomped down on my arm! HARD!! :surprise: It was quite painful and I knew it was bad so after scrubbing it for 10 minutes with an antibiotic solution, I hightailed it to the Urgent Care center near there, not wanting a repeat of 2002! The doctor gave me an antibiotic shot in the rump, a tetanus shot and a prescription for an additional 10 days of antibiotics! This may have saved me a repeat of 2002. Today, there is pain and swelling but nothing like 2002. Moral of the story is ALWAYS take a cat bite seriously!


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Ouch! I've had only two cat bites in forty-five years of cat ownership....yes, one was trying to get a Russian Blue/Manx in his carrier after a serious gash in his throat by a weasel, and he bit me in the fleshy party of the hand between my thumb and forefinger. I didn't know how serious cat bites could be back then, and my main concern was to get the cat to the vet, where he had to have his neck flushed and stitched and was pumped full with antibiotics. It wasn't until the next day my hand swelled up like a mitt and had to get antibiotic and tetanus shots, and antibiotic pills from my doc. Yes, always tend to a cat bite immediately.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Doc told me that antibiotics need to be started within 24 hours! In my case it was only 2 hours but still, it hurt like a big dog all night long. Tonight all is much much better. All I need is an OTC Advil to take the edge off.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

Yow!


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## eldercat (Jul 3, 2015)

Yes indeed, cat bites are bad news. We had a local man die of one that he neglected to have treated. When the red streaks ran up his arm he went to the doc, but it was too late, the thing had gone septic and he didn't make it. No fooling around with that injury! Hope your bite is healing.

Scratches can be very tricky too. Cat Scratch Fever is apparently a real thing.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

I am glad you took action to take care of yourself.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I am completely pain free today and there is almost no bruising! It's been 6 days since the bite. I feel blessed to have dodged that bullet!


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## tghsmith (Dec 9, 2010)

glad to hear, I still tell people about the Christmas day night that I spent in an ER room getting IV antibiotics.. easy to remember when I last had a tetanus shot...


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