I was just watching Judge Judy, and they had a cat bite case. I thought there were a few good things to learn from it.
Basically, a man saw a cat outside of his apartment building that looked a lot like his cat. Thinking it was his cat, he picked it up, then realized it wasn't. The cat had a tag with the owner's name and phone number, so his wife called the owner (who lived in the same complex, but another building). Before she got there, the cat had bitten and scratched him.
The man said he cleaned the wound with iodine, peroxide, and bleach, and it appeared to heal. A couple of weeks later it flared up, and to cut to the point, was terribly infected and required 4 surgeries. He was suing for $5000 for medical bills, pain, & suffering.
The woman's only defense was that she felt he shouldn't have picked up her cat. She lost the case, and was ordered to pay the $5000.
Things I found of interest here:
1) A good reminder of why not to let the cats get outside. I don't believe the guy was suing her maliciously, but he had a tremendous amount of medical bills, and as she was the cat's owner, she was ultimately responsible.
2) A very good reminder of why to visit the doctor immediately after a bad cat bite. The guy's doctor said he would have been dead in 2 weeks if he had not come in.
3) The woman did not have homeowner's insurance, which (I believe ??) will cover pet bites. I don't know if renter's insurance does, but it may be something to look into.
4) She had signed a contract when she moved into the apartment, stating that she would be responsible for any damage caused by pets. This was interpreted as including bites in the show.
Anyhow, thought I'd share with others that may find it interesting.
Basically, a man saw a cat outside of his apartment building that looked a lot like his cat. Thinking it was his cat, he picked it up, then realized it wasn't. The cat had a tag with the owner's name and phone number, so his wife called the owner (who lived in the same complex, but another building). Before she got there, the cat had bitten and scratched him.
The man said he cleaned the wound with iodine, peroxide, and bleach, and it appeared to heal. A couple of weeks later it flared up, and to cut to the point, was terribly infected and required 4 surgeries. He was suing for $5000 for medical bills, pain, & suffering.
The woman's only defense was that she felt he shouldn't have picked up her cat. She lost the case, and was ordered to pay the $5000.
Things I found of interest here:
1) A good reminder of why not to let the cats get outside. I don't believe the guy was suing her maliciously, but he had a tremendous amount of medical bills, and as she was the cat's owner, she was ultimately responsible.
2) A very good reminder of why to visit the doctor immediately after a bad cat bite. The guy's doctor said he would have been dead in 2 weeks if he had not come in.
3) The woman did not have homeowner's insurance, which (I believe ??) will cover pet bites. I don't know if renter's insurance does, but it may be something to look into.
4) She had signed a contract when she moved into the apartment, stating that she would be responsible for any damage caused by pets. This was interpreted as including bites in the show.
Anyhow, thought I'd share with others that may find it interesting.
