Cat bite - advice please???!!

[sirrahbed]

I was bitten just about five minutes ago and this is still VERY painful and bleeding a bit. It was an accident. But, I am wondering quickly here if all such puncture bites need to be treated by a doctor? It does not look that bad but is starting to turn purplish now from bruising and the one puncture goes in 1/8 inch or so and it throbs quite a bit. I will go research bites but thought someone would quickly advise me here. I have never been bitten before :o It has the imprint of all the lower teeth and the two big ones from the top. It is on my wrist.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v170/sirrahbed/2007/bite002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v170/sirrahbed/2007/bite001.jpg

[LeahMM]

Get thee to a doctor ASAP. It will infect within hours. If you haven't had a tetanus shot recently you'll need to get one. Cats bites are serious so please get it treated.

[Grace]

Call your doctor. If he can't see you today or first thing in the morning, go to the ER. You need to start on antibiotics right away.

It's that one puncture wound that will cause all the problems. Remember where your cat's mouth has been . . . . .

[Taz_Zoee]

I probably would be stubborn and not go to the doctor, but just keep it cleaned out with peroxide. Although, I've not been bitten that bad before. Once Taz got my finger and I didn't do anything about it and it began to hurt like I had a splinter in it or something and was red and puffy. Once I remembered that he had bit me there I cleaned it with peroxide a few times and it went away.
But like LeahMM said, cat bites are bad. And with the severity of yours you might want to seek medical attention asap.
The only thing that scares me about that, is usually the doctor (at least here in Cali) have to report it to animal services or what ever.
I hope you feel better soon.

[Catty1]

I agree - if the puncture is not bleeding, the bacteria are trapped inside - bleeding is the body's way of cleaning out a wound.

Get to your doctor or ER now please!

[Karen]

Definitely get to the doctor - a cat's mouth may be small, but his bite can be big trouble for humans. Don't worry about Animal Control - they may have to report dog bites, but it's your cat, and so they shouldn't worry. But puncture wounds from a cat bite definitely need to be seen to.

[sirrahbed]

Thanks you all. I have a doctor appointment at the crack of dawn tomorrow. The one puncture is still bleeding slightly and I guess that is a good thing as it is pretty deep and this will help flush out the germs. But, if this throbbing keeps up, I will go to the ER. I am very tolerant of pain but this one is hard to ignore because of the throbbing. It must be swelling because my wrist is now stiff. NOW I know why people say cat bites hurt so much!!

It was totally an accident and it was my Robbie. Yes I do worry about regulations because we do not get them Rabies and the Distemper boosters only every three years and his is due this fall. Our medical provider is the military and so I wonder what their rules might be. But we have had him in the house since he was old enough to leave his mama and he is sweet as can be and healthy. I was sitting at the kitchen table, eating my Subway sub. The plastic bag was up against my arm and Robbie came in from underneath to sneak a bite....but it was not the sandwich he got!! It was meowmie!!:eek:

[sirrahved]

OUCH! Way worse than my little scratches or my busted lip. HAH! What a crazy week!

I think a visit to the doctor is in order.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Poor you and poor Robbie who not only didn't get his Subway but hurt his meowmie in the process.... :( :( :(

[Grace]

Up here in Michigan, cats only get rabies every 3 years. So you should be fine on that. And no animal control involvement needed.

Keep that arm elevated as much as possible. Try an ice pack and see if that helps with the pain.

[Randi]

I would put my wrist in a bowl with brown soap, that should rinse it out, and then keep your arm elevated as much as you can. In any case you need a tetanus shot, if you aren't up to date.

Hope the pain goes away soon! All the best! :)

When Fister escaped and was cornered in a catpension some years ago, he attacked the man who tried to catch him. His venes on one arm swelled up, it was really shocking to see! They had to call an ambulance and to the hospital he went.

I met him weeks later outside a Chemist shop and he still had a bandage on. it took quite some time with antibiotics before he was back to normal.

[Taz_Zoee]

I hope Karen and Grace are right that animal control will not be involved. A previous co-worker was accidently bit by her kitty and they took him away. Luckily she got him back like the next day or so. And it was HER cat that bit, and an inside only cat too! But laws are different in each county even.

Poor Robbie! I'm sure he's sorry he bit you meowmie. You didn't taste as good as the sammich would have. LOL :D

[emilysgk]

The scariness of bites.... I knew a guy who was still fighting infection in almost a year after being bitten by his cat on his knuckle (went to the bone) I was SO lucky as a child. I remember getting bitten once by a stray. I was probably 7-8yrs old. I didnt tell my mother, I guess I probably knew I wasnt supposed to be picking up strays? Anyways I was bit on the inside of my writst and I remember clearly the teeth sunk in ALL the way. I came away infection free with no treatment since mamma didnt even know. Its scary to look back on it. We always had a lot of cats growing up and took in strays and such. It was a big black fluffy one....

[Catsnclay]

Oh boy, does this bring back memories.....:rolleyes:


We were bathing Willie (RB) several years ago and #1 Willie didn't like men, & #2 Willie didn't like baths! So I was holding him while Tim was washing him, he moved or something, and when I went to hold on to him tighter, he bit me on the forearm - Ouch!

To get his beautiful teeth off my little arm Tim pushed his pretty little head & my arm into the water to let him let go of my arm. Let me tell you, one pissed off cat! But luckily it was a "clean" bite, or so they tell me.

Looks like yours is "clean" also. What they mean by that is once the teeth get in there, they also came out without tearing anything (veins, muscles, etc.)

We didn't think much of it, it did bleed but stopped after a long time. But since nothing needed stiches we just waited.........WRONG THING TO DO

When I arrived at the ER the next morning I was taken in instantly. All the doctors & nurses and whomever had to come and look. My arm was bright red, hot and 5 x's the size :eek: :eek: They had never seen something like this before.

And the lecture I got from the doctor I will never forget:

Cat bites are extremly dangerous!!!! They have poision in their fang teeth, this is to kill their prey, and if you do not get an injection of antibiotics along with pills for a week, you are putting yourself in real danger.

Then because of my 2 artificial hips he really got upset with me. The infection could have gone into the hip replacements and that would have meant for me to have to go through hip replacement surgery with both hips - where they go in remove the diseased tissue, give me new metal parts and hope that everything takes. :eek: There is now way in hell I wanted to go through surgery again, let alone TWO!!

So I learned my lesson the hard way, but luckily we caught my problem at the right time (not only did they give me the injection and pills, but I was also on IV fluids to flush any remaining poision out of my body - I was SO lucky!)

So, with all this said and done, I strongly advise you to get to your doctor or ER ASAP. When you call your doctor, tell him the nature of your problem, he will get you in instantly.

This is not something you should take lightly!! Trust me, I will never bathe a man-hateing cat EVER again!!!! :D :rolleyes:

[catmandu]

Janice Has Been Scratched And Bitten Many Times And Has Shots Regullarly. In Fact My Vet Recommends That If You Have Cats That You Get Tetanus Shots As As With Happened With You Debbie You Are Bitten Accidentally.
Those Bites Look Bad I Would Wash Them And Get Some Good Anti Bacterial Cream Until You See You White Coat.
Good Luck, And We Hope You Dont Have To Change Your Name To Stumpy.

[Freedom]

Robbie, tut tut, your aim is OFF mister! Maybe you better get playing with your toys a bit mor to improve that!

I hope it heals up quickly and with no infection.

[Catty1]

They have poison in their fang teeth, this is to kill their prey


What book was this doctor reading???? Some SNAKES have this....but CATS???

Hey, I'm always ready to learn something new...

If you have to go to the ER, go! Keep it elevated, as was said.

HUGS

[jennielynn1970]

I was bitten by Ally Cat a month a half ago, and my thumb is still affected (nerve damage). Definitely go to the doctor. I was put on two types of antibiotics for the cat bite, and had to come back the next day to show them the bite again so they could re-evaluate it. It took about 3 weeks to heal up the puncture wounds, and I still have some nice thick scars to show where it happened. My entire hand, fingers, wrist, were swollen and I couldn't move them. I had pain up the entire length of my arm as well, and the throbbing was not pleasant. Ally bit me repeatedly, deep and hard, so she did some major damage... I could feel her hitting the nerves and it shot all the way up my arm. Not a pleasant sensation.

If they are puncture wounds, get them to bleed! I forced mine. I did warm compresses to keep them open and get the pus out. I have pics of the bites, they're not pleasant, and look really red and swollen.

[RachLeigh13]

One of the bathers at my animal hospital was bitten by a cat a month ago. She is just now able to take the bandages off. Her finger was COMPLETELY swollen and stiff. She now can't feel anything past her knuckle of her index finger. :eek:

She is even having to do physical therapy, on that one finger, to make things better.

In North Carolina, if one is bitten by an animal up to date on their Rabies it has to be quarantined for 10 days.


I hope you're ok!

[jennielynn1970]

Animal Control and the Health Bureau had to be notified by the hospital too, even though it was a domesticated animal. Nothing has ever come of the report, so....

[mrspunkysmom]

Well, I've never heard of cats having poison in their fangs either, Catty. And as a grown up military brat, I've always had tetanus shots, like Catmandu suggested.

I've never gotten sick or infected from cat bites. Perhaps it's the tetanus shots; perhaps I've developed an immunity. Claws are just as dangerous; Spunky has long ones, and I get zinged a lot.

I think it is also the germs available and the deep puncture wounds. I believe that dog bites and other animal bites are just as dangerous.

Sirrahbed, I hope you are okay. Praying for clean puncture wounds and no infection.

[Grace]

I think it is also the germs available and the deep puncture wounds. I believe that dog bites and other animal bites are just as dangerous.

Sirrahbed, I hope you are okay. Praying for clean puncture wounds and no infection.

I'm a former ER Nurse. Cat bites are worse than dog bites as far as infection goes. Human bites and dog bites are about on a par. All three of them should be treated with antibiotics.

[RachLeigh13]

A cats mouth has much more bacteria in it than a dogs. Its crazy how "dirty" their mouths are.

[Catlady711]

Up here in Michigan, cats only get rabies every 3 years. So you should be fine on that. And no animal control involvement needed.

She said the cat did NOT get rabies, only the distemper is every 3 years.


Cat bites, particularly on the extremities are very dangerous. I've only been bitten at work once in over 6 years, and of course it was a cat and on my finger. I flushed it with peroxide and continued working despite the throbbing. I cleaned the bite up more at home but the swelling had already started. By the next morning my finger had swelled over two times it's normal size, I couln't bend my knuckle, it was purplish, hot, and throbbing terribly. I went to the ER and they flushed it with Batadine (sp? never could spell that properly) and gave me some antibiotics and a tentus shot.

Any cat bite that punctures should be seen by a dr. ASAP. I have heard of nerve damage and loss of limbs because of untreated infections. In our state they did want to know who's cat did this, and when they found out it was from work they recommended that I turn it in on workman's comp, which I did. I don't think if it had been my own cat would have made a difference as they didn't seem interested in getting animal control involved, but the cat did have to be quarentiened for 10 days even though it was current with it's rabies vaccination.

If your wrist is getting stiff I would go to the ER now if it was me. Good luck and hope you heal up fast with no complications.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Poor meowmie and Robbie. I hope that your hand gets better fast! Those cat bites REALLY hurt!

[sirrahbed]

I am up early and headed out to my 7am doctor appointment. The bite hurts and has swollen somewhat. The deepest puncture kept pooling blood for about 8 hours. It was deep and also tore inwards the lower teeth you know? OUCH! It did not keep me awake or anything last night. But, I am really glad that I already had this appointment for something else or I would have headed in to the ER. I bet you guys are right that I will be given a tetanus shot and some antibiotics. I just hope my doc will treat it herself and not send me to ER herself but that might be "policy".

Thank you all for the advice here.

[Killearn Kitties]

Ouch! That sounds a nasty one. Definitely some antibiotics for you, I think.
Please let us know what the doctoe says about you. Good luck!

[Laura's Babies]

I have been following this close! I have had computer problems and couldn't post last night. I was at the doctor Monday and there was a guy there with a cat bite. He was bitten the night before by his sisters cat and his hand was hurting so bad he couldn't move it.

I got bit myself when I was helping out at the shelter and Rie was at the vets picking up a cat and he told her to tell me to get to a doctor NOW, not to wait and that when he gets bitten by a cat, he leaves the office immediately and goes to his doctor.

I will be checking back to see how you did at the doctor and how you are feeling now..

[sirrahbed]

I am back from the doctor. The nurse went OOWWW!!! when she saw it and my doctor took a look got out her "antibiotic bible" to find something specific and prescribed me Doxycycline. My tetanus was current so that was good. She told me that cat bites almost always become infected because the bacteria in their mouths is different from dogs and humans. The one deep puncture also tore a bit but should heal fine once I get on the antibiotic - I just need to clean with peroxide, keep the arm elevated and observe the red area - marked it with a pen, watch for a streak to form, and return with any fever/chills, etc. You guys told me all the right things. I learned that ALL cat bites should be taken seriusly, seen by a doctor and going to the ER is not overreacting at all.

I now know why people talk about how much they hurt :eek: Guess I'll live though ;)

See? Does not look too bad today:

[Laura's Babies]

NOW, we can all feel better and not worry so much! Yes, no one was over reacting about cat bites. As much as we love them and know they do not mean to harm us, we do have to be careful when they bit us.

[sirrahbed]

NOW, we can all feel better and not worry so much!

:D I have rather enjoyed the concern - I find it very sweet :D

[moosmom]

*sigh of relief*

Glad you saw the doctor, Deb.

I got bit when Ramanth and I tried to rescue a pregnant stray. I should've known better than to put my hand on a stray without the protection of gloves. She clamped down on my pinkie clear to the bone. Talk about pain!!

I was given a tetanus shot and some VERY EXPENSIVE antibiotic ($10/pill for 10 days :eek: ) It did the trick.

Heal fast girl.

[ramanth]

Glad you got to the doctor Deb.

When Logan bit me, he caught me right where my index finger joint is between the finger and the hand. It wasn't a deep bite seeing as his tooth connected to my finger bone. :eek: :(

I scrubbed the hand and soaked it in peroxide then drove to the ER.

I got to the ER within an hour of the bite and it still got infected. :( I was on a heavy dose of IV antibiotics every 6 hours for close to 24 hours.

They x-rayed my hand to see if any of the tooth chipped off, but thankfully it didn't.

Kitty bites are no joke.

[Logan]

((((((Debbie and Robbie)))))) He didn't mean it, but I know you still hurt. I'm glad you had it looked at, Debbie.

Butter nailed me a couple of years ago, worse than he ever had before. We were in the vet's office (the cat vet) and he got ugly while she examined him and I immediately put my hands in to help control him. STUPID of me. :o Scott was standing there and so was Dr. Anderson and her vet tech (who was wearing gloves), and I tried to intervene. He got my hand so badly and it hurt and bled like crazy. I ended up at my doctor's office the next day, when red streaks were running up my arm and my hand was so swollen. My doctor said the same things as others have reported, that cat bites are serious. My Tetanus shot was updated (had no idea when I had one before) and I was put on antibiotics and given a shot of steroids. I ended up fine and there was no "report" to DHEC about my kitty biting me. I was dumb to put my hand in there when I did. Butter has given me some pretty ugly wounds over the years, but this one was definitely the worst. He was frightened and upset. I should have let the professionals handle him and not intervened. Live and learn. :o

I hope you will heal up, just fine, and that Robbie won't do this to you again!

Logan

[Catty1]

The woman I worked for at the kennel told me that red streaks or thin red lines from the cat bite wound mean blood poisoning!

I had been badly bitten - same cat got me again a week later - the woman's husband got bit SO bad he was driving to the hospital 2 hrs round trip every day for a few days to get IV antibiotics.

A little Redpoint...beautiful and sweet cat, but would turn in a microsecond. He was fine with his family, though.

After the three of us staff had dealt with this kitty for a few days - with Ted still in bandages and me on antibiotics - the family came in. The teen daughter just scooped up her kitty and held him upside down in her arms!

We all TENSED - if WE had done that, we'd be dead!

[Edwina's Secretary]

So Debbie...now that you are on the mend I will ask the question...what kind of sandwich was it that Robbie thought looked like your arm? ;) ;) :D

[jennielynn1970]

Glad that you only need one antibiotic... They gave me the option of taking one in the ER when I went, and thought, oh why not, so I took one there, and then went to CVS to get the scripts filled (thank god for Prescription plans there!). Well, I got me EOB from Blue Cross, and the hospital charge $52.50 for ONE pill!!! Holy crap! My follow up visits weren't covered either... normally if you go to a doctor and you need to go for follow ups after a procedure, they are included in the cost of the initial visit. Guess I have to check my PPO plan a little more carefully next time :(

Poor Robbie... did he at least get to have some of the sandwich after it was all over with?! ;) :p

[sirrahbed]

So Debbie...now that you are on the mend I will ask the question...what kind of sandwich was it that Robbie thought looked like your arm? ;) ;) :D

It was a sub that Robbie apparently thought was about the size, color and shape of my arm :p

[jazzcat]

Oh gosh Debbie, I'm so sorry to hear Robbie bit you. I'm glad you've seen the dr. now and will be getting better.

Okay, do I need to say shame on you for even considering not going to the dr.? You are a nurse!!!! People in the medical field are often the worse patients... tsk, tsk, tsk!

Oh yeah, Richard suggested using a really dark self tanner to make your arm look less like a sub. LOL!!!!! :p ;) :D

Get well!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Debbie, I'm just now seeing this thread.:o I'm so glad to hear that you went to the doctor and that you're doing well.:)

When Starr bit me in Dec. I called the doctor right away even though it didn't look like he had bitten me very badly. I was put on antibiotics and everything was fine. The doctor never reported Starr to animal control and no one ever called me about him.