FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: erika on January 29, 2009, 08:01:30 PM
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So my asshole cat just bit me on my leg. It's definitely got three good-sized puncture wounds and bruising. I cleaned it with soap and water and alcohol.
Question is, do I *need* to go get medical attention? Some websites say get it immediately, some say wait, etc. etc. Last time I got bit by a cat my hand swelled up like a softball.
Ouch. Halp.
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What the hell is a doctor going to do? Get some iodine.
Then don't sue me when your leg falls off.
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what would they have done in the 1890's? probably die of dysentery.
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I only read the thread title and the opening "So my asshole...". I'm tired.
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Last time they gave me a tetnis shot and some antibiotics.
Blah.
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Cat teeth are bacteria havens. They have grooves in their teeth that intentionally trap a lot of junk in them, so the bite can get pretty infected. I'd maybe make a call to your doctor to see what they say - but I personally wouldn't sweat it (aside from some hydrogen peroxide and a good bandaid).
<-- not a medical professional.
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When was the last time? It does sound like a deep puncture wound with the bruising and everything, but you shouldn't need another tetanus shot if it's been less than five years.
I'm no doctor, but I have had experience with bitey cats and sort of know the protocol. Just keep it clean. You might want to give it another scrub with hydrogen peroxide.
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yeah you'll probably be ok, just keep an eye on it for a while.
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Burt the cat likes to bite me hello all the time, and I've remained mostly okay. I would imagine that any sites alerting you to seek medical attention immediately are probably referring to feral and bodega cats mostly.
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Unfortunately, you will die* regardless of whether you seek medical attention.
*Someday
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Soap, water, and keep an eye out for infection.
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The least the cat can do now is to try and raise medical funds for you on this board.
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(http://erechoveraker.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/poorerika.jpg)
Too soon?
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Haha nice!
Basically I stepped in front of the door while my cat was "fighting" with a stray that was on the porch. I was trying to get rid of the stray but apparently I pissed off our cat who decided to take a 1/4 inch chunk out of my thigh. I hope he enjoyed it.
Woooo kitties.
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This never happened to me personally, but I just remembered this one time my doctor insisted on an X-Ray during an annual check-up because my kitty had really left a bad puncture wound. She doesn't do this often. She usually only gives me warning nips, but every once in a looooooong while I might push it and get a really deep bite from her. Anyhow, he was feeling around the wound and said sometimes bits of teeth or even a whole tooth can get left in the wound sometimes. I don't know. Maybe he was scamming me and wanted to get extra cash or whatever.
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Anyhow, he was feeling around the wound and said sometimes bits of teeth or even a whole tooth can get left in the wound sometimes.
That happened to my dad when I was little. He was bitten on the arm by a stray and weeks later when it finally healed up he noticed it still had a weird bump. He went to the doctor, who made a small incision and found a cat tooth.
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If you get bitten badly, especially on your hand or near other bones, they'll give you an xray to also see if the cat's teeth nicked the bone. If any of the toxins get into your bone, you can get an insane infection and an abscess. So hopefully they weren't scamming you.
Luckily mine is in a fleshy spot and is more yellow-purple-blue than red. So I don't see any sort of infection.
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No, he was a good GP. I was half-joking I remember, it was kind of a raised wound and placed near the knuckle. It was worth checking out, but he didn't find anything in the X-ray. And that was, I don't know, two years ago? It healed fine.
Has your cat tried to apologize to you? My jerk cat nipped me last night in bed. She was purring, so I reached over to give her a pat, and the little jerk nipped me! She didn't break the skin, though. She left the bed and came back to the bedroom door ten minutes later, meowing mournfully. I patted the bed, she jumped up and walked all over me as is her wont, and then she sat down next to my head, snuggled, and licked my hand. She is sweet. And sour sometimes, but mostly sweet.
As I'm sure you know, you should go to the doctor if you see any sign of infection. Hope it heals okay!
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The least the cat can do now is to try and raise medical funds for you on this board.
Brilliant!
You'll know if it is getting infected. I think everyone else is right - you can just keep it clean, and keep an eye on it.
(Also, I believe this is yet more evidence of dogs' superiority! Cats bite their owners on a regular basis?)
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Na, this is only the second time I've been bitten in my whole life. The other time, the kitty was stuck behind a dryer and I tried to pull her out and she got scared and chomped me.
Herc sleeps in our rec room in the basement so he was pretty much down there all night. But I did go visit him for a sec (when I was less mad) and he purred and gave me a head-butt. So I think we're ok. Now I just have to convince the stray kitties not to live on my porch anymore.
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The least the cat can do now is to try and raise medical funds for you on this board.
Brilliant!
You'll know if it is getting infected. I think everyone else is right - you can just keep it clean, and keep an eye on it.
(Also, I believe this is yet more evidence of dogs' superiority! Cats bite their owners on a regular basis?)
I'm not a fan of cats (as you may have already guessed). These stories have done nothing to dissuade me from my views, instead, they've reinforced them.
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Are you a fan of any pets? Because most species do this sort of thing from time to time.
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My cat only bites me when I'm beating him up, and even then we have to be really playing hard for him to lose his mind that much. He's a total sweetheart all the other time (aside from the occasional nursing nip when he's really catnipped up).
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My wife works in a vet-clinic and she would tell you to get some medical attention.
One of the vets who is a surgeon got bit on his hand and it got really infected, he can no longer do surgeries.
I am not trying to freak you out howevers.
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good heavens.
where's your cat collecting the money, paypal? everyone send donations to: 7lbsofflesh4erika@yahoo.com
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Are you a fan of any pets? Because most species do this sort of thing from time to time.
Dogs. The dogs I've owned have never bitten me, but I know that dogs will do this from time to time. Cats frequently seem to bite their owners, and this puzzles me.
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Nah not frequently. In 29 years of owning cats it's happened to me twice. (bitten by my Lhasa-mix once too) But cats are definitely more frightened than dogs and more easily sketched out. Sometimes the "nipping" is just love bites.
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I'm reassured to hear this.
My views are probably biased by my friends' dyspeptic cat Fred, who had the unfortunate custom of biting his owners when he wanted to be fed. I think Fred was the feline equivalent of a sociopath.
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And different cats have different temperaments. Zowie is usually sweet, but she sometimes has a sassy calico princess attitude. Sid, on the other hand, is a very sweet boy and has not bitten or scratched me once!
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Both my cats bite me regularly out of sheer love. Painful, painful love. Another cat of mine liked to chew on my knuckles and would slash me frequently. Yet another, the very crazy Betty, would bite and claw with every intention of maiming even while she was purring ecstatically while being patted. And three others never bit or clawed once in their lives.
That sums up my cat experiences of the last twenty years. I think the results are inconclusive.
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yeah you'll probably be ok, just keep an eye on it for a while.
Not literally, of course.
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I'm not that flexible.