Daddy the Cat cut me -- not just scratched. And OW! (a whine)

[Bertha Venation]

This was on Sunday. I was cooking and he wouldn't leave me alone, so I picked him up to put him out. When I opened the door he launched himself out of my arms. One of his back paws was in the palm of my hand and -- RRRIIIIIPPPPPP!

I think it probably needed stitches, but I'm sick of hospitals right now (and urgent care didn't occur to me). I washed it well and put on Neosporin. It's pretty well sealed itself, so I'm not worried. I'm keeping it bandaged.

The only thing is . . . god damn, it hurts!! It stings and it makes my whole hand ache.

Ever gotten a monster cat scratch that needed medical attention?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I've had a few nasty cat scratches, all inadvertently inflicted,

but I never got medical attention for them, just patched them up and let them heal on their own. They definitely did hurt for awhile, though. Being bitten is another matter: I got bitten once (kind of by accident as well) and got a nasty infection, had to see a doctor and get a prescription for an antibiotic. It took over a week to clear that up. I learned that one of the common bacteria in a cat bite (Pasteurella multocida) is related to the plague bacterium (Pasteurella pestis). Yikes.

Cats can mess you up.

[Bertha Venation]

2. "Cats can mess you up."

Understatement of the year. :)

[david13]

3. Oh yaah! But they heal. Time heals them. And I still love cats. dc

[Bertha Venation]

7. Me, too.

[EnviroBat]

4. When I was in veterinary school, I got my wrist tore up from a clients big male cat.

Permanent scars and bled like crazy. Cat scratches seem to cause a searing, hot pain that I don't ever want to feel again. When I was in high-school, our big tom-cat, Chessie, was fighting with another cat one night. I went outside to see if I could wrangle him into the house. When I got to him the other cat was gone, but Chessie was still in "puff-tail" mode. I reached down to scoop him up and he latched onto my arm. I might as well have shoved some glass bottles and barbed wire down a garbage disposal, turned it on, and reached my arm in there. I literally had to shake him off. He was attached like a piece of disemboweling Saran Wrap. My God, the-- horror... All that blood.

:scared:

[Bertha Venation]

8. Your descriptions are quite vivid.

:scared: indeed!

[Flaxbee]

5. I have a 2.5-inch long scar on my left forearm from one of Ivan's

back claws - same thing, he launched from my arms and one of his toe-claws got my arm. I was stupid and didn't put antibioitics on it quickly and it got infected (hence the scar). Perfectly straight line, though!


The scratch itself isn't a worry for you, esp. since it has sealed -- the only difficulty might be because it's the palm of your hand that will be moved a lot just in the normal course of the day (my arm just sits there - but your palm opens and closes a lot, moving the wound). That's probably why it hurts so much... just keep an eye on it, if it isn't much better by Thurs., stop off at a clinic.


Mrs. V continuing to feel better? :hug:

[Bertha Venation]

10. I will watch carefully, I promise.

Not really. She hasn't felt well since the day she was released from the hospital. I'm beginning to think she felt better that day simply because she got to go home. The least little effort exhausts her. I worry. :(

[nolabear]

6. My poor husband did.

A friend moved and had to leave her semi-feral cats until she secured a place. He was catching them to send them to her and one nailed him on the back of the hand, a deep puncture. Within hours it had swelled up, he had a fever and had to go to the ER. It was shocking! So keep an eye out and if it gets red and swollen hie thee to a hospital. I knew someone who lost a thumb to a cat bite--not to be overly spooky but they're particularly germy.

[Bertha Venation]

11. OW!!

I feel lucky.

I was once bitten by a cat I didn't know, and I had to get rabies shots. The cat had come into our garage (we have a cat door) and she was badly injured -- but in terribly good spirits. I took her to the vet, and they told me that because I didn't know her, she'd have to be put down :cry: because of the chance she might have rabies, and I would have to go to the hospital for shots.

[grasswire]

9. watch that wound

We've had a couple of incidents that required IV antibiotic treatment.

And never pick up an agitated cat. I hope everyone knows that. They just go berserk.

[siligut]

12. My sweet little cat was in the submissive position

The next-door, semi-feral cat was looming over her, and he didn't shoo when I tried. I reached beneath him and grabbed my girl up real quick, shocked all of us, but she didn't try to hurt me, I guess because she wasn't fighting.

[Bertha Venation]

14. Wow.

Nerves of steel, you have.

[Bertha Venation]

13. I'm watching carefully, grasswire, thanks

[Demoiselle]

15. Big owwies of sympathy, Bertha. I'm so sorry..

I think the palms of our hands are particularly vulnerable to punctures..so be watchful. And please send my best wishes to Mrs. V, too.

[mockmonkey]

16. We had warned our Vet when

we had our last 3 females Spayed and told the Vet to be careful because StinkerButt is almost feral. When we had our next appointment we noticed the Vet was all scratched up. Apparently he had been petting StinkerButt (bad move) and then tried to pick her up. It could have been worse. My SO always trims their nails the day we take them to the vet. He isn't afraid to handle her unlike myself.

I won't even attempt to pick her up and she only allows me to pet her if her big brother Lucius is around.

StinkerButt is the one in the middle of the circle.



I get scratched a lot when the cats jump up on my lap. That's their way of saying, "I need my nails trimmed."

They don't usually have any intention of doing us harm it just happens. My partner gets most of the bad scratches and even a few bites from a pet rat and pinched pretty good from a Hermit Crab. He just lets them bleed a bit to clean out the wound washes it and then uses the Neosporin and a band-aid.

I think the palm of your hand is one of the worst places to get cut like that.
:hug:

[MiddleFingerMom]

17. I sometimes would neglect claw-trimming time more than I should...

.
.
.
...so when I finally cradled NoName in the crook of my arm and saw how
FREAKIN' LETHAL her long, sharp curved claws could be... I was even
more amazed at her gentleness -- not even accidental playtime scratches.
.
.
.
She would tolerate, but didn't like trimming. She ALWAYS started fussing
mildly (vocally and squirmily) on the last two claws to be trimmed).
.
.
.
I would talk soothingly to her the whole time, taking plenty of time outs
to stroke her belly -- tell her about how she was going to LOVE being rid
of those itsy-bitsy SABERS and how she wouldn't look like such a doofus
because she'd gotten her feet trapped in the carpet again.
.
.
.

[ceile]

18. Not a scratch but a bite

An acquaintance's psycho cat got me on two sides of my forearm. By the next day it was swollen and I felt sick. Had to get a tetanus shot and a round of antibiotics. Still have the teeth-mark scars.

[wysimdnwyg]

19. REALLY bad date night

The back story is that the girl I was dating (we'll call her Amy) and I were going to double date with some friends of mine for Valentines Day. As both girls lived near each other, we all agreed to meet at my friend's apartment (not the girl I was dating, but the other girl). It so happened that this girl's cat was well known to be very territorial, and would actively seek to bite guests. He'd nipped me a couple of times before, but nothing serious, and he had been starting to accept my presence over the several months his slave (seriously, we all know who is the slave and who is the owner in that relationship) and I had been friends.

I get a call from Amy, and I can tell right away it's not going to be a pleasant conversation, so I take it in my friend's bedroom. As Amy and I are officially ending our relationship - on Valentine's Day - the cat decides it's time to settle things and attacks me. I was clearly distracted by the phone, and was only able to offer a very cursory defense towards the cat, and he proceeded to bite me on the meat of my hand, between thumb and forefinger. He got me good, too. As blood ran down my arm, I yelled for my friend to come get him before I took his head off (I am a devoted animal lover, so this level of anger required a significant amount of build up). By the end of the evening, my hand was swollen. The next day, I had to go to a clinic and get steroids and antibiotics. I don't recall how long it took to heal, but damn, that HURT. And it hurt for days. The palm of the hand is one of the worst placed to get a cut.

My advice, watch it closely. If you see swelling, get to a doctor for antibiotics.

[applegrove]

20. A window almost closed on my Monster and he bit my thumb as I rescued him. It went deep.

After a few days I went to emergency because it was so painful. They gave me a prescription for antibiotics and sent me home so I lanced it myself instead. Instant relief.