Some of you may know I recently took in one of my ferals, a pregnant female I've named Juliet. I say "took in" because I did not trap her, she came into my home to eat of her own volition, and I simply closed the door behind her. I thought she was about to deliver and I wanted her to be safe. I called and scheduled an appt with my vet to get her checked.
If I approached her slowly and quietly she would let me get close enough to touch her, but not to stroke or pet her. I knew getting her into a carrier would be a challenge, but I had no idea it would turn into such an ordeal. In the process she of course became aggitated and defensive, and I sustained at least two bites and several scratches, especially to my right hand (dominant side, of course
) I did a quick rinse, applied some band-aids and we were off to the vet.
Three hours later (about 5pm), my finger was starting to swell and the first knuckle was getting stiff. I PM'd a forum friend whom I was certain had experience in this area in the hope she would have some advice on a home remedy. Her immediate reply, in bold type, was to get to an ER or doctor NOW. Not exactly what I wanted to hear since I am currently uninsured, but I trusted her advice, so I was in a quandry. I hemmed and hawed about it and rationalized, but every bit of info I found on the net only reconfirmed her warning. I even found a site that had surgery and post-op pictures of an infected bite eerily similar to mine. That scared me. I told myself if I wasn't better by morning I'd go to the Student Health Service as soon as they opened. in the interim I tried several folk remedies - epsom salts,elevating the hand, ice for the swelling, antibiotic ointment. . . in hindsight these probably did more harm than good.
I awoke at 3am and realized that my finger was now PAINfully swollen and the trip to the ER could not be avoided. Getting dressed was difficult, turning the key in the ignition was nigh impossible. I figured my hand was worth a few dollars in debt
so off I went. There I received IV antibiotics (Unacin), a prescription for oral antibiotics (Augmentin), a splint to protect my now prodigious digit, and strict orders to call an orthopedist as soon as their office opened to schedule an appt with the PA to check the bite that afternoon. I was cautioned that if it was not improving by then, I may need surgery!
At 1:30 I met Kristi, the PA who had consulted with my ER doc, and found out she has four formerly stray cats, so she was very empathetic. She said the finger looked OK, and as long as the swelling and redness did not spread further I would not need surgery. She had an X-ray done to confirm there were no teeth in the bite, marked the outer edges of the inflammation and gave me their direct number to call her back in the morning.
The ER had to report the bite to Animal Control, so I will need to return their call this morning. Thankfully, since Juliet is contained at the vet's office (I opted to have her spayed), the doc did not order rabies vaccines for me, but AC will still need to follow-up the report.
I wanted to tell my story so you all would know what CAN happen with a severe cat bite. Wildcat feral or sweet-natured pet, they can both become infected VERY quickly (remember I showed signs after only 3 hours). First priority is to clean the wound thoroughly. All the sites I visited recommended soap and warm water for 10-15 minutes - this was my first mistake. Call a doctor immediately if you show any sign of infection - redness, swelling or moderate to severe pain. My second mistake.
Please send some forum magic my way that the antibiotics have begun their work and I'm past the worst of it. And again my thanks to MA for her heartfelt concern and sage advice.
If I approached her slowly and quietly she would let me get close enough to touch her, but not to stroke or pet her. I knew getting her into a carrier would be a challenge, but I had no idea it would turn into such an ordeal. In the process she of course became aggitated and defensive, and I sustained at least two bites and several scratches, especially to my right hand (dominant side, of course
Three hours later (about 5pm), my finger was starting to swell and the first knuckle was getting stiff. I PM'd a forum friend whom I was certain had experience in this area in the hope she would have some advice on a home remedy. Her immediate reply, in bold type, was to get to an ER or doctor NOW. Not exactly what I wanted to hear since I am currently uninsured, but I trusted her advice, so I was in a quandry. I hemmed and hawed about it and rationalized, but every bit of info I found on the net only reconfirmed her warning. I even found a site that had surgery and post-op pictures of an infected bite eerily similar to mine. That scared me. I told myself if I wasn't better by morning I'd go to the Student Health Service as soon as they opened. in the interim I tried several folk remedies - epsom salts,elevating the hand, ice for the swelling, antibiotic ointment. . . in hindsight these probably did more harm than good.
I awoke at 3am and realized that my finger was now PAINfully swollen and the trip to the ER could not be avoided. Getting dressed was difficult, turning the key in the ignition was nigh impossible. I figured my hand was worth a few dollars in debt
At 1:30 I met Kristi, the PA who had consulted with my ER doc, and found out she has four formerly stray cats, so she was very empathetic. She said the finger looked OK, and as long as the swelling and redness did not spread further I would not need surgery. She had an X-ray done to confirm there were no teeth in the bite, marked the outer edges of the inflammation and gave me their direct number to call her back in the morning.
The ER had to report the bite to Animal Control, so I will need to return their call this morning. Thankfully, since Juliet is contained at the vet's office (I opted to have her spayed), the doc did not order rabies vaccines for me, but AC will still need to follow-up the report.
I wanted to tell my story so you all would know what CAN happen with a severe cat bite. Wildcat feral or sweet-natured pet, they can both become infected VERY quickly (remember I showed signs after only 3 hours). First priority is to clean the wound thoroughly. All the sites I visited recommended soap and warm water for 10-15 minutes - this was my first mistake. Call a doctor immediately if you show any sign of infection - redness, swelling or moderate to severe pain. My second mistake.
Please send some forum magic my way that the antibiotics have begun their work and I'm past the worst of it. And again my thanks to MA for her heartfelt concern and sage advice.
