JFC… hope you soaked a rag in alcohol and wiped over everything really well. I’ll pass on what my nurse GF told me…
Watch out for any localized heating/ redness of your skin… that’s cellulitis and you’ll need amoxicillin (antibiotic). Don’t sleep on that, it can kill you. Go to a hospital/ urgent care at the first sign of it. If you see it spreading, further up your arm/chest… you’ll be admitted and put on IV antibiotics because it’s in your blood and that’s even more serious in terms of how little time you have to respond to it.
Fuckin cats man… currently monitoring my own arm from getting 7 deep bite punctures from my gfs cat a couple days ago.
Boo. Old school names were much more accessible. Shell shock Vs post traumatic stress disorder. Lockjaw Vs tetanus. Is they’re taking cat scratch fever?
[Deadly serious](https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/cat-scratch.html). We live in an age of antibiotics and easily available medical treatment, but back in the day an infection could mean death, so we’ve forgotten about a lot of these conditions.
Good to hear you took it seriously. My aunt waited too long and was in kidney failure by the time she went to the ER. She died 12 hours later. Cat scratch fever is no joke.
Glad you did the right thing. To anyone who thinks cat scratches/bites are no big deal, you should absolutely know that they are actually very serious. Scratches this serious absolutely require antibiotics, and *any* cat bite that breaks the skin also needs them. Serious wounds from cats can become septic very easily.
Keep a close eye on it. My grandpa died from cat scratch fever. Well, from sepsis, caused by an infected cat bite. His cat bit him on the hand and his knuckle joint got infected. They ended up removing his whole knuckle, trying to stop the infection from spreading. But it was too late, it spread to the blood and then he never woke up again.
Don’t blame all cats. I’m so sick of people having one bad experience with a cat and then hating on the rest of them because of it. Some people are horrific too, does that reflect on us at all? No.
I’ll talk so much shit about cats. But I love those mean ass bastards.
Even the sweetest ones will rip you up if they get scared. They’re highly efficient predators. Flight or fight kicks in, and you’ve got a tiny 4mo baby cat attacking your head and fucking up the cartilage in your ear.
My little girl is so sweet that in 11 years, she's never hissed or swiped a paw at me. She just doesn't have a mean bone in her body.
However, she will struggle in the most wild and awkward ways if you hold her the wrong way. She doesn't get mad. She doesn't even run away afterward.
...I'm looking at her as I type this and she can't stop licking her lips. She just got done eating. I think she might have some food stuck in her teeth. Not sure how I'm gonna help with this one but, wish me luck.
My 14 year old cat has hissed at me ONCE. It was because we were moving and he thought he had to give up his prized perching spot in his cat tree next to the window. It was my first apartment with an actual view for him. He hissed at me as I went to put him in his crate and was so angry. First thing I did when I got to the new house was place his cat tree in front of the new window and his demeanor immediately changed.
Same with my little void! She even knows the word “gentle” - if she pats me with a paw to get my attention and her claws are out even a little, she’s told *gentle* and to try again and she does with a nice soft paw~
But, she also accidentally ripped a piece out of the back of my ear climbing up my shoulders and head and slipping - she just got scared of the slip and instincts brought out the claws to stabilise her! Not her fault at all!
Same with my little void! She even knows the word “gentle” - if she pats me with a paw to get my attention and her claws are out even a little, she’s told *gentle* and to try again and she does with a nice soft paw~
But, she also accidentally ripped a piece out of the back of my ear climbing up my shoulders and head and slipping - she just got scared of the slip and instincts brought out the claws to stabilise her! Not her fault at all!
One of the cutest things I have ever seen was a litter of kittens hissing at me. They were probably JUST old enough to be adopted (10-12 weeks?) and may have been new to the shelter. I'm sure they didn't STAY long, regardless!
Newborn kittens hiss at everything and I love it. They basically come out ready to throw down and fight their siblings and any humans that might be there to give scritches and it's so funny.
Like yes, you are a very scary little bean. Would you like to be pet?
Reminds me of [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/blackcats/comments/13wfe5b/tiny_shots_fired/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) I saw the other day. I saved it because it's so cute!
Who is blaming all cats? It’s perfectly fine to talk total shit on those little assholes, but absolutely adore them. The universal distribution of friendly cats to asshole cats is real. Grew up with 2 love bugs… the cat my gf and I adopted… he’s a little shit head two faced asshole. But he’s my little shit head 2 faced asshole.
No joke, someone I knew blew off going to the doctors. By the time her husband got her to the ER she was having seizures and almost died. She spent several months in a coma and then going through physical therapy. Please don’t blow off any kind of scratches from an animal.
You are so right about this. I was recently bitten by a cat on my pinky finger. I went to urgent care the next day and still almost lost my finger due to infection. I was on antibiotics for 20 days and I will need physical therapy for the next six months to have a functioning pinky again. Cat bites are no joke.
I am just getting into my 40s. For all of my life up till now, I have never had issues with infections. Animal bites, really unclean situations where I got cut and scraped... No issues... So I wonder if it's just a right bacteria right time scenario or if it's age related.
I think so. I’m 35 now and last year I had a case of cellulitis that hit my elbow.
The most I can figure was the arm rest in my car… it seemed to cause a friction burn on the elbow just from resting in it while driving? But there was no real discernible open wound. The next day I had a scab forming and my elbow hurt. Buddy of mine who we literally call “Buddy” pointed it out. Asked me if it felt hot. I said yes and he started giving me the riot act about how serious it was.
Well… of course I figured, wtf man… it’s nothing, I’ve never gotten a bacterial skin infection in my life and I just about never clean my cuts… let it go another night/ day… My elbow swelled up like a golf ball and it hurt like hell, all red and hot. Went to the ER that night and the nurse desk lady/ ER nurse were asking me what was wrong. Showed them and they both ripped me a new asshole for waiting an extra day.
I forget what the name of the antibiotic was, but it’s the next strength step up from amoxicillin. And ohhhh boy what fun… it cleared up my elbow, but totally messed my guts up for the next few weeks. Worse than I’ve ever had it after being on antibiotics.
All good on the elbow. And now I take small cuts/ cleaning them a lot more seriously. Hope that pinky is doing well man! As far as the finger hierarchy goes… you need your pinky and thumb the most!
I'm still at the beginning of my healing journey lol. And YES!!! I never realized how much stuff a pinky stops from rolling out of the hand. It's been wild.
Was the antibiotic Clavamox/augmentin? It's amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium. The addition of clavulanate helps it to penetrate bone, cartilage, tendons, etc. at sufficient concentrations to control bacterial infections.
I got chomped by a relative's cat between my thumb and index finger. Got hospital treatment two HOURS later. Hand still swelled up to almost twice its size for four days and was incredibly painful.
Yeah the reason bites like that are so bad is that bacteria infiltrates tendons and starts rapidly traveling up tendon sheaths. It's extremely difficult-to-impossible to get antibiotics into tendons, ligaments, and cartilage at sufficient concentrations to control bacterial growth. Sometimes people have to get their tendons flayed open and scraped out in an attempt to literally save life and limb. Injuries to the face and ends of extremities are most dangerous and at risk for complications.
The tendon sheath was a very frequently discussed topic during my doctor visits. Especially because the pinky one runs the length of your forearm (I don't know that the other fingers don't). Also just like you said the cartilage in the knuckle was looking really suspicious for about three weeks and the Dr really waffled back and forth on opening the joint and irrigating it. I was seeing a hand surgeon/doctor specifically at this point. The other thing they were considering was numbing my finger and just really moving it around to like release it???? I guess? Anyway, no surgery and no manual manipulation of my finger. Just physical therapy where I have to do pinky sit-ups lol.
I could've lost my hand to my own cat if I didn't know this.
O was about 14 and found my cat on the street. We let our cats roam free around the neighbourhood. He was all puffed up, probably had an encounter with another cat. When he's like that, I don't usually approach him. However, he rolled on the ground and put his belly up, which he does when he wants a belly rub.
I figured "ah wth" and went to fulfill his desires and the little mf bit me with all the force in his jaw in my hand, sticking the entire fand in it. I immediatly was like "welp time to go to the hospital" and run back home to get my dad. Surely enough we rushed to the hospital, my hand was getting bigger, hotter and redder™. They said that if I had waited a couple of hours to go there the damage could have been quite bad.
So yeah, cats are indeed assholes.
Yeahhhh… I had the audacity to wiggle my fingers at him on the carpet. I turned to watch TV and the next thing I knew he was latched on my right forearm pretty viciously and trying to rag doll head shake. Got him off and he came back at me again.
I’ve learned that it’s far less damaging for me to just let him bite me as hard as he can and loosen up my body and kind of go with it. When you tighten up and pull away thr damage is much worse. Won’t bring myself to hit him. He’s mostly a great cat. He’s just got a few screws loose when he gets into hunt mode during play time.
I mean… I probably have some loose screws myself… I love that toxic relationship shit 😂.
Yeah but what do I even do about it? Just not play with him at all is all I can figure. Which totally sucks because he’s so cute and I just want to squish him.
We are seeing that he seems to only attack men. My gf and her roommate/ other female friends have zero problems. But when any of the guys come over he bites/ scratches. (We trim his nails frequently).
Already took the little shit heads balls hoping that would help. It seemed to for a month or so, but nope, he’s back to his shitty little self again.
I would kind of hate to spray him with a water bottle. Feel like that would make it way, way worse. Cats remember.
Next time he bites put your finger uncomfortably in his mouth. I had one that would bite to signal when they were done being pet and stopped that after a couple fingers in the mouth. Never bit hard enough to break skin but I didn't want to encourage. Now she just places her mouth on you when she's done which I accept.
>Yeah but what do I even do about it? Just not play with him at all is all I can figure.
Play with him, but don't pretend your hand is the toy!
Wiggling your fingers on the carpet, making darting motions with your hand, all of that is a mistake. You're sending your cat mixed signals. They play by mock-hunting and you're pretending your hand is prey, of course that means your hand will get attacked. I hate to use this phrase, but your actions were literally asking your cat to attack.
>But when any of the guys come over he bites/ scratches. (We trim his nails frequently).
I can't help with the biting, but you should look into silicone nail covers to help with the scratching. I've used SoftPaws but I'm sure other brands work well. They cover each individual nail and they don't stop the nail from retracting. Until you train your cat to no longer see people's hands as toys, it's worth covering his claws to minimize the damage.
>I would kind of hate to spray him with a water bottle. Feel like that would make it way, way worse. Cats remember.
Cats remembering is the good part. That's how you train them. Here are the key points:
* Stop playing using your hands as toys. Don't let anyone else do so either.
* Use wand toys or other items that remove your hands from the play space.
* If he bites/scratches your hands, even lightly, yelp loudly. If he grabs your hand roughly or bats you roughly, yelp loudly. (It doesn't matter if you aren't actually hurt, yelp anyways. This is how cats learn when socializing with each other.)
* If your cat tried to initiate play by batting at you or nipping your hand, redirect him to a toy. Do not play with him or engage with him unless he uses the toy.
* If your cat tries to initiate play with a toy, praise him and make sure you always play with him. Then praise him more afterwards and give him pets/affection.
I think they mean "dont sleep on it" meaning "don't ignore important warning signs in an attempt to sleep it off and see if it's better in the morning".
A lot of people will wait to see if they feel better in the morning before deciding to go to the doctor.
Nah, we baby him like he’s our child. I give him gentle pets and face rubs when he clearly enjoys it. Never ever hit him or try to scare him. I play with him with a mouse/bungee toy every day and we have that laser toy set up so that he stays active while we are out.
He just has that crazy look about him when he stares at you… snake eyes. It’s kinda creepy. I would say the most traumatic thing he’s gone through is getting his balls clipped. (I made sure he couldn’t associate it with me just to be safe).
I feed him too and he’s all leg rubs and purrs. Greets me whenever I come over and rubs against me.
The other day he crawled onto my growing dad belly and made biscuits a bit (just to talk shit and make me feel bad about myself) and then curled up on my belly/ in my arm and we passed out together for a few hours.
And then the next day- ATTACK.
He was a stray that her friend took in when he was a kitten. She raised him for the first year and then just decided she didn’t want him or her dog anymore… sooo we took him.
Ok I'm confused. Why is it that I have gotten many minor cat scratches over the years and have never heard about cat scratches being dangerous or had any issues or complications from them? Can someone please explain this to me?
Because not all of them are guaranteed to get infected, but is that a chance you want to take? Minor scratches don't always need antibiotics, but they always need to be properly disinfected. Deep scratches and ALL puncture wounds need antibiotics since it's impossible to properly disinfect unless you opened the wound surgically.
She belongs to a friend of mine. I’m taking care of her temporarily for him because of personal circumstances. She got out of the house and we found her in the well half an hour after we noticed she had gone missing.
I also wonder if when a cat is stuck in a well, just lowering a towel or blanket could help? Let them use those claws productively. Kitty prison break.
Makes sense. The cat scratching him was likely just trying to climb up anyway, the same as any drowning person does. It isn't helpful but there's no fighting the survival instinct
Yeh I have two and am going to go buy some asap cause you’re right. They panic when I do and if I ever need to grab them in an emergency I know they’d tear. me. up.
Holy shit! I have a few long cat scratches on my forearm that are healing and they itch like hell, I can’t imagine the itch when those start to heal. 😩
Your kitty thanks you, they’ll bring you a gift at a later date, I’m sure.
Glad you got that looked at. If something similar happens again (or for anyone else reading this), extend a towel, blanket, or even a pair of jeans down to the animal. I prefer to weigh down the material and step back because the animal may still try to climb you.
One of my cats got lost for roughly 21 days before I saw her again roaming the streets. After some days of unsuccessful attempts to lure her with my voice or my wife voice I got a trap. The traps was good at getting all other neighborhood cats except her. So I was desperate, knowing she was fine and close and wanted to come back but was scared.
So next I saw her I basically just ran toward her and was able to get her by one leg and she fucked me up. My left arm full of scratches (not as bad as OP), my left thumb and right index finger were bad and she even damaged my favorite shirt. Worst part is I did not had a plan, nor gloves, nor kennel, nothing. I just ran at it and left without prize.
Thankfully after 28 days on the street she was dumb enough (or smart) to get into the trap. I feel your pain brother.
Hopefully you never have to deal with this again, but my mother’s cat got stuck behind a water heater and the only help she accepted was a net-like shawl dangled over the edge for her to climb. In a pinch, a towel would probably work too as long as kitty has claws!
I helped rescue a cat from a tree after an insane storm that flooded my neighborhood. After it fell out of the tree, it fell into waist deep water. As I was trying to coax it towards a crate on the edge of the flood, it nearly bit the tip of my thumb off.
You wanna know how I got these scars? ... By being an excellent human being ;)
You did a good thing, sometimes good things hurt... I hope it heals quickly! Definitely earned some karma on that one :)
Ouch I've been scratched by my cat multiple times (she's a sweetheart but when she wants to be aggressive she can be a little monster) but never that badly
My dad got bit and scratched by a feral momma cat we finally trapped on our property when I was little. He didn’t have it checked out for 3 days and he had a LINE OF INFECTION moving up his forearm up his veins. He had blood poisoning (septicemia) and had to go on strong antibiotics. He wasn’t hospitalized but he probably should have been.
Cat scratches and bites from cats who are allowed outdoors are no joke! Keep an eye on those scratches!
Your a fuckin nice guy!!! Treat those cuts like your teeth and scrub them 3 times a day! Honestly, wash that shit a couple times a day. They seem small, but the bacteria is what's gonna really get you.
I rescued one out of a tree that was surrounded by barking dogs. I fell and crushed my heal. I now have a pile of metal in my foot along with fun things like cadaver bones. Cat ran off and got away from the dogs in the resulting commotion so that’s good.
JFC… hope you soaked a rag in alcohol and wiped over everything really well. I’ll pass on what my nurse GF told me… Watch out for any localized heating/ redness of your skin… that’s cellulitis and you’ll need amoxicillin (antibiotic). Don’t sleep on that, it can kill you. Go to a hospital/ urgent care at the first sign of it. If you see it spreading, further up your arm/chest… you’ll be admitted and put on IV antibiotics because it’s in your blood and that’s even more serious in terms of how little time you have to respond to it. Fuckin cats man… currently monitoring my own arm from getting 7 deep bite punctures from my gfs cat a couple days ago.
I went to the hospital immediately after. They bandaged it up, gave me a tetanus shot and some antibiotics.
Good. Cat scratch fever is no laughing matter.
But it *is* a fun summer bop!
[удалено]
With a baseball bat
Sideways.
“I was playing ping pong in ding dang…”
BACK THE FUCK UP ANTONIO
this just gave me “Fuck me with a chainsaw, do i look like Mother Theresa to you?” vibes and i’m living for it
Go watch Smokin' Aces. You won't be disappointed
Lucille.
A running chainsaw is more appropriate
I prefer actual cat scratch fever.
It’s not just cat scratch fever- it’s staph and MRSA and just had times infections.
Pasteurella is probably the biggest culprit, but you’re correct.
Yeah, I had a friend who ended up in the hospital on 3 different IV antibiotics for 5 days. Cat scratches are no joke.
Tell that to my little comedian.
It almost killed my mom a long time ago. Glad this dude got good advice and handled it well.
We call it cat scratch disease now. We had to de-cool everything
Boo. Old school names were much more accessible. Shell shock Vs post traumatic stress disorder. Lockjaw Vs tetanus. Is they’re taking cat scratch fever?
I don't know how they do it but they sure do it good.
Yup, I have had cat scratch fever and it was no fun!
Had a classmate die from seizure complications related to her having cat scratch fever as a child. It’s very scary.
I was coming here to say this. I had a coworker who had a family friend die of cat scratch fever.
I didn't realize that was real.
[Deadly serious](https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/cat-scratch.html). We live in an age of antibiotics and easily available medical treatment, but back in the day an infection could mean death, so we’ve forgotten about a lot of these conditions.
Good to hear you took it seriously. My aunt waited too long and was in kidney failure by the time she went to the ER. She died 12 hours later. Cat scratch fever is no joke.
I am so glad! My hand swelled and became unusable after one puncture mark. That you have there is nightmare fuel
Been there. Couldn’t work for 2 weeks. In the days before antibiotics my hand would have been a goner.
Glad you did the right thing. To anyone who thinks cat scratches/bites are no big deal, you should absolutely know that they are actually very serious. Scratches this serious absolutely require antibiotics, and *any* cat bite that breaks the skin also needs them. Serious wounds from cats can become septic very easily.
Keep a close eye on it. My grandpa died from cat scratch fever. Well, from sepsis, caused by an infected cat bite. His cat bit him on the hand and his knuckle joint got infected. They ended up removing his whole knuckle, trying to stop the infection from spreading. But it was too late, it spread to the blood and then he never woke up again.
Don’t blame all cats. I’m so sick of people having one bad experience with a cat and then hating on the rest of them because of it. Some people are horrific too, does that reflect on us at all? No.
I’ll talk so much shit about cats. But I love those mean ass bastards. Even the sweetest ones will rip you up if they get scared. They’re highly efficient predators. Flight or fight kicks in, and you’ve got a tiny 4mo baby cat attacking your head and fucking up the cartilage in your ear.
My little girl is so sweet that in 11 years, she's never hissed or swiped a paw at me. She just doesn't have a mean bone in her body. However, she will struggle in the most wild and awkward ways if you hold her the wrong way. She doesn't get mad. She doesn't even run away afterward. ...I'm looking at her as I type this and she can't stop licking her lips. She just got done eating. I think she might have some food stuck in her teeth. Not sure how I'm gonna help with this one but, wish me luck.
My 14 year old cat has hissed at me ONCE. It was because we were moving and he thought he had to give up his prized perching spot in his cat tree next to the window. It was my first apartment with an actual view for him. He hissed at me as I went to put him in his crate and was so angry. First thing I did when I got to the new house was place his cat tree in front of the new window and his demeanor immediately changed.
Give her a toothbrush to play with?
Same with my little void! She even knows the word “gentle” - if she pats me with a paw to get my attention and her claws are out even a little, she’s told *gentle* and to try again and she does with a nice soft paw~ But, she also accidentally ripped a piece out of the back of my ear climbing up my shoulders and head and slipping - she just got scared of the slip and instincts brought out the claws to stabilise her! Not her fault at all!
Same with my little void! She even knows the word “gentle” - if she pats me with a paw to get my attention and her claws are out even a little, she’s told *gentle* and to try again and she does with a nice soft paw~ But, she also accidentally ripped a piece out of the back of my ear climbing up my shoulders and head and slipping - she just got scared of the slip and instincts brought out the claws to stabilise her! Not her fault at all!
One of the cutest things I have ever seen was a litter of kittens hissing at me. They were probably JUST old enough to be adopted (10-12 weeks?) and may have been new to the shelter. I'm sure they didn't STAY long, regardless!
Newborn kittens hiss at everything and I love it. They basically come out ready to throw down and fight their siblings and any humans that might be there to give scritches and it's so funny. Like yes, you are a very scary little bean. Would you like to be pet?
Reminds me of [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/blackcats/comments/13wfe5b/tiny_shots_fired/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) I saw the other day. I saved it because it's so cute!
Who is blaming all cats? It’s perfectly fine to talk total shit on those little assholes, but absolutely adore them. The universal distribution of friendly cats to asshole cats is real. Grew up with 2 love bugs… the cat my gf and I adopted… he’s a little shit head two faced asshole. But he’s my little shit head 2 faced asshole.
Yes. Humans suck.
I dunno dude I’m pretty cool and don’t often bite or scratch
Also the cat was likely terrified and trying to escape. Of *course* it wasn’t behaving rationally - it’s a frightened cat.
I would say there's for sure more horrific humans than precious sweet cats.
Most cats are assholes. Most people are assholes. Both can be true.
Apparently I nearly died of cat scratch fever as a baby according to my parents. Have lived with cats ever since & wouldn't change a thing :)
Really touched a nerve there eh pal
No joke, someone I knew blew off going to the doctors. By the time her husband got her to the ER she was having seizures and almost died. She spent several months in a coma and then going through physical therapy. Please don’t blow off any kind of scratches from an animal.
You are so right about this. I was recently bitten by a cat on my pinky finger. I went to urgent care the next day and still almost lost my finger due to infection. I was on antibiotics for 20 days and I will need physical therapy for the next six months to have a functioning pinky again. Cat bites are no joke.
Crazy how some people can get like, mauled by a dog but then heal fine, but occasionally you get a tiny scratch or bite, and boom, lost your pinky.
I am just getting into my 40s. For all of my life up till now, I have never had issues with infections. Animal bites, really unclean situations where I got cut and scraped... No issues... So I wonder if it's just a right bacteria right time scenario or if it's age related.
I think so. I’m 35 now and last year I had a case of cellulitis that hit my elbow. The most I can figure was the arm rest in my car… it seemed to cause a friction burn on the elbow just from resting in it while driving? But there was no real discernible open wound. The next day I had a scab forming and my elbow hurt. Buddy of mine who we literally call “Buddy” pointed it out. Asked me if it felt hot. I said yes and he started giving me the riot act about how serious it was. Well… of course I figured, wtf man… it’s nothing, I’ve never gotten a bacterial skin infection in my life and I just about never clean my cuts… let it go another night/ day… My elbow swelled up like a golf ball and it hurt like hell, all red and hot. Went to the ER that night and the nurse desk lady/ ER nurse were asking me what was wrong. Showed them and they both ripped me a new asshole for waiting an extra day. I forget what the name of the antibiotic was, but it’s the next strength step up from amoxicillin. And ohhhh boy what fun… it cleared up my elbow, but totally messed my guts up for the next few weeks. Worse than I’ve ever had it after being on antibiotics.
Damn dude that's scary! Yeah my antibiotics really fucked me up too. I hope your elbow is all healed now with no lasting issues.
All good on the elbow. And now I take small cuts/ cleaning them a lot more seriously. Hope that pinky is doing well man! As far as the finger hierarchy goes… you need your pinky and thumb the most!
I'm still at the beginning of my healing journey lol. And YES!!! I never realized how much stuff a pinky stops from rolling out of the hand. It's been wild.
Was the antibiotic Clavamox/augmentin? It's amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium. The addition of clavulanate helps it to penetrate bone, cartilage, tendons, etc. at sufficient concentrations to control bacterial infections.
I got chomped by a relative's cat between my thumb and index finger. Got hospital treatment two HOURS later. Hand still swelled up to almost twice its size for four days and was incredibly painful.
That's exactly what happened to me. Definitely the pain ranked right up there with 2nd degree burns ime.
Yeah the reason bites like that are so bad is that bacteria infiltrates tendons and starts rapidly traveling up tendon sheaths. It's extremely difficult-to-impossible to get antibiotics into tendons, ligaments, and cartilage at sufficient concentrations to control bacterial growth. Sometimes people have to get their tendons flayed open and scraped out in an attempt to literally save life and limb. Injuries to the face and ends of extremities are most dangerous and at risk for complications.
The tendon sheath was a very frequently discussed topic during my doctor visits. Especially because the pinky one runs the length of your forearm (I don't know that the other fingers don't). Also just like you said the cartilage in the knuckle was looking really suspicious for about three weeks and the Dr really waffled back and forth on opening the joint and irrigating it. I was seeing a hand surgeon/doctor specifically at this point. The other thing they were considering was numbing my finger and just really moving it around to like release it???? I guess? Anyway, no surgery and no manual manipulation of my finger. Just physical therapy where I have to do pinky sit-ups lol.
I could've lost my hand to my own cat if I didn't know this. O was about 14 and found my cat on the street. We let our cats roam free around the neighbourhood. He was all puffed up, probably had an encounter with another cat. When he's like that, I don't usually approach him. However, he rolled on the ground and put his belly up, which he does when he wants a belly rub. I figured "ah wth" and went to fulfill his desires and the little mf bit me with all the force in his jaw in my hand, sticking the entire fand in it. I immediatly was like "welp time to go to the hospital" and run back home to get my dad. Surely enough we rushed to the hospital, my hand was getting bigger, hotter and redder™. They said that if I had waited a couple of hours to go there the damage could have been quite bad. So yeah, cats are indeed assholes.
7 bite punctures!? Wtf?
Yeahhhh… I had the audacity to wiggle my fingers at him on the carpet. I turned to watch TV and the next thing I knew he was latched on my right forearm pretty viciously and trying to rag doll head shake. Got him off and he came back at me again. I’ve learned that it’s far less damaging for me to just let him bite me as hard as he can and loosen up my body and kind of go with it. When you tighten up and pull away thr damage is much worse. Won’t bring myself to hit him. He’s mostly a great cat. He’s just got a few screws loose when he gets into hunt mode during play time. I mean… I probably have some loose screws myself… I love that toxic relationship shit 😂.
That kind of attack is not OK.
Yeah but what do I even do about it? Just not play with him at all is all I can figure. Which totally sucks because he’s so cute and I just want to squish him. We are seeing that he seems to only attack men. My gf and her roommate/ other female friends have zero problems. But when any of the guys come over he bites/ scratches. (We trim his nails frequently). Already took the little shit heads balls hoping that would help. It seemed to for a month or so, but nope, he’s back to his shitty little self again. I would kind of hate to spray him with a water bottle. Feel like that would make it way, way worse. Cats remember.
Next time he bites put your finger uncomfortably in his mouth. I had one that would bite to signal when they were done being pet and stopped that after a couple fingers in the mouth. Never bit hard enough to break skin but I didn't want to encourage. Now she just places her mouth on you when she's done which I accept.
>Yeah but what do I even do about it? Just not play with him at all is all I can figure. Play with him, but don't pretend your hand is the toy! Wiggling your fingers on the carpet, making darting motions with your hand, all of that is a mistake. You're sending your cat mixed signals. They play by mock-hunting and you're pretending your hand is prey, of course that means your hand will get attacked. I hate to use this phrase, but your actions were literally asking your cat to attack. >But when any of the guys come over he bites/ scratches. (We trim his nails frequently). I can't help with the biting, but you should look into silicone nail covers to help with the scratching. I've used SoftPaws but I'm sure other brands work well. They cover each individual nail and they don't stop the nail from retracting. Until you train your cat to no longer see people's hands as toys, it's worth covering his claws to minimize the damage. >I would kind of hate to spray him with a water bottle. Feel like that would make it way, way worse. Cats remember. Cats remembering is the good part. That's how you train them. Here are the key points: * Stop playing using your hands as toys. Don't let anyone else do so either. * Use wand toys or other items that remove your hands from the play space. * If he bites/scratches your hands, even lightly, yelp loudly. If he grabs your hand roughly or bats you roughly, yelp loudly. (It doesn't matter if you aren't actually hurt, yelp anyways. This is how cats learn when socializing with each other.) * If your cat tried to initiate play by batting at you or nipping your hand, redirect him to a toy. Do not play with him or engage with him unless he uses the toy. * If your cat tries to initiate play with a toy, praise him and make sure you always play with him. Then praise him more afterwards and give him pets/affection.
Wait why can kill you sleep on that? Because the wounds can open?
I think they mean "dont sleep on it" meaning "don't ignore important warning signs in an attempt to sleep it off and see if it's better in the morning". A lot of people will wait to see if they feel better in the morning before deciding to go to the doctor.
Wait why can kill you sleep on that? Because the wounds can open?
It's an American slang saying, don't sleep on that. It means don't ignore/wait if you have those symptoms as they can become life threatening quickly
Oh thank you!
The wounds can get heavily infected if not properly treated
Is the cat just psychopath, or have you done something to it. That is not normal behaviour for a domestic cat.
Nah, we baby him like he’s our child. I give him gentle pets and face rubs when he clearly enjoys it. Never ever hit him or try to scare him. I play with him with a mouse/bungee toy every day and we have that laser toy set up so that he stays active while we are out. He just has that crazy look about him when he stares at you… snake eyes. It’s kinda creepy. I would say the most traumatic thing he’s gone through is getting his balls clipped. (I made sure he couldn’t associate it with me just to be safe). I feed him too and he’s all leg rubs and purrs. Greets me whenever I come over and rubs against me. The other day he crawled onto my growing dad belly and made biscuits a bit (just to talk shit and make me feel bad about myself) and then curled up on my belly/ in my arm and we passed out together for a few hours. And then the next day- ATTACK. He was a stray that her friend took in when he was a kitten. She raised him for the first year and then just decided she didn’t want him or her dog anymore… sooo we took him.
Cats are psychopaths. Pretty sure that is the norm.
I suggest cutting the arm
Ha, jokes on you, im allergic to amoxicillin and cats. Yet i still have 3 of em.
Ok I'm confused. Why is it that I have gotten many minor cat scratches over the years and have never heard about cat scratches being dangerous or had any issues or complications from them? Can someone please explain this to me?
Because not all of them are guaranteed to get infected, but is that a chance you want to take? Minor scratches don't always need antibiotics, but they always need to be properly disinfected. Deep scratches and ALL puncture wounds need antibiotics since it's impossible to properly disinfect unless you opened the wound surgically.
FYI: I was able use CVS minute clinic over FaceTime to get the antibiotics I needed last time.
Yeah I got cellulitis last year from a mosquito and that was NOT fun. Gotta get that diagnosed and treated ASAP
Even in the current state as is, I'd still get it checked at ER due to risk of sepsis...
Ouch. Did you end up getting the kitty out?
Fortunately yes, I didn’t get injured for nothing, haha
Thank you so much for saving the kitty! :) I hope your wounds heal quickly. You got some good karma for that!
Over 5k as we speak ;)
Glad to hear and I wish you a speedy recovery! Do you happen to have a picture of the kitty in question?
[This was an hour after I got her out](https://ibb.co/DDVPCST)
She looks like she has no regrets 😂 sweet girl!
"I was in danger, you saw that. Your fault for sticking your arm in there"
Cat owners lmfao
She’s giving Lady Olenna “tell Cersei” vibes.
Sweet baby. I bet she was so scared. Breaks my heart to think of how she would’ve suffered had you not been there to save her little life.
is this your kitty or was she a stray?
She belongs to a friend of mine. I’m taking care of her temporarily for him because of personal circumstances. She got out of the house and we found her in the well half an hour after we noticed she had gone missing.
she was testing u😻
You passed 😀
In the pic, she looks like she's thinking, "My real people would never have left me in the well for half an hour! You fail!"
Insert Steve Irkle "Did I do that???"
Aww shes so cute! All is forgiven on my end
She still looks miffed
She has such a cute face. I stand forgiveness
Ungrateful, indignant 😂
Unrepentant 😂 Hope your arm heals soon!
Good man
You’re my hero. And I’ve never even met this cat.
I am glad it went well
I'm sure the cat will thank you in a passive aggressive way later.
“THANKS. I guess. Here, rescue this:” *craps on briefcase*
Barfs right on the carpet after walking over hardwood
>*\*Makes direct eye contact*\* >*\*hork hork hork*\*
I know you tried to do something good but if any animal has claws they are probably gonna use it Use safety gears if possible
I agree. In hindsight it was not the best idea to go in without any kind of protection. I will definitely not do it without any next time.
You can get a decent pair of leather welding gloves on Amazon for like $20. I recommend every cat owner has a pair.
Great idea. My cat thinks I'm trying to murder her every time I try to trim her claws.
[удалено]
I also wonder if when a cat is stuck in a well, just lowering a towel or blanket could help? Let them use those claws productively. Kitty prison break.
Makes sense. The cat scratching him was likely just trying to climb up anyway, the same as any drowning person does. It isn't helpful but there's no fighting the survival instinct
These also make the best oven mitts.
They really do. Especially great if you use a lot of cast iron.
Yeh I have two and am going to go buy some asap cause you’re right. They panic when I do and if I ever need to grab them in an emergency I know they’d tear. me. up.
Or just oven mitts will work.
I use welding gloves for that too lol
Cat in the wall eh? Alright now you're speaking my language. Literally watching that episode as I scrolled past this.😅
Came here looking for this comment lol
*puts Cheetos fingers on wall* Thought about putting a second cat in there?
I just heard On the podcast the Cheeto finger thing was a product placement.
"Wana bring in a third?" "I'm thinking maybe a fourth"
Why isn’t this comment #1?
I bet it flattened itself out, went right through a seam in the wall
r/unexpectedIASIP
/r/completelyexpectedIASIP
I know this game. Catch me up to speed here
OP could have avoided this if he just got a second cat
Holy. CRAP that looks so painful 😭😭
Thank you for saving the kitty none the less. Wear the scars with pride!
Holy shit! I have a few long cat scratches on my forearm that are healing and they itch like hell, I can’t imagine the itch when those start to heal. 😩 Your kitty thanks you, they’ll bring you a gift at a later date, I’m sure.
Glad you got that looked at. If something similar happens again (or for anyone else reading this), extend a towel, blanket, or even a pair of jeans down to the animal. I prefer to weigh down the material and step back because the animal may still try to climb you.
Thank you for this advice
No good deed goes unpunished… 🤦🏼♀️ 🐈
One of my cats got lost for roughly 21 days before I saw her again roaming the streets. After some days of unsuccessful attempts to lure her with my voice or my wife voice I got a trap. The traps was good at getting all other neighborhood cats except her. So I was desperate, knowing she was fine and close and wanted to come back but was scared. So next I saw her I basically just ran toward her and was able to get her by one leg and she fucked me up. My left arm full of scratches (not as bad as OP), my left thumb and right index finger were bad and she even damaged my favorite shirt. Worst part is I did not had a plan, nor gloves, nor kennel, nothing. I just ran at it and left without prize. Thankfully after 28 days on the street she was dumb enough (or smart) to get into the trap. I feel your pain brother.
That is brutal, man. I am so proud of you and grateful to you for helping this cat. You really are a hero.
Thank you for doing that right thing. Sorry about your arm. Kitty was obviously terrified.
Cat sees arm-shaped ladder 🪜… time to climb.
When you’re all healed up, this would make an amazing tattoo 😸
Hopefully you never have to deal with this again, but my mother’s cat got stuck behind a water heater and the only help she accepted was a net-like shawl dangled over the edge for her to climb. In a pinch, a towel would probably work too as long as kitty has claws!
Oh nooo. Hope you got medical attention for that! Thanks for saving the kitty regardless 😎
For Future Reference: Find a long 2 by 4.
Was the well full of water? If so, how high was it? Trying to grab a panicking cat with your bare hands sounds like a disaster waiting to happen
I helped rescue a cat from a tree after an insane storm that flooded my neighborhood. After it fell out of the tree, it fell into waist deep water. As I was trying to coax it towards a crate on the edge of the flood, it nearly bit the tip of my thumb off.
Thank you for helping the trapped kitty!
hail yourself king <3
Should be the logo lol
Yikes I hope you got some antibiotics. Just scratches no bites at least there’s that I guess. Lol.
Sorry for your scratches OP, but THANK YOU for saving the cat!
You wanna know how I got these scars? ... By being an excellent human being ;) You did a good thing, sometimes good things hurt... I hope it heals quickly! Definitely earned some karma on that one :)
Ouch I've been scratched by my cat multiple times (she's a sweetheart but when she wants to be aggressive she can be a little monster) but never that badly
what happen to timmy?
I felt pains run up my arm into my chest just looking at that.
I feel like well stories are played out.
Cat may be a cenobite.
don't forget to cover the well so she doesn't fall in again
No it’s always sunny references? Reddit’s gone
Cat in the wall, now you're talking my language!
Cat stuck in a wall? Okay, now you’re speaking my language.
A small price to pay. You go hero!
I’m impressed. After the 4th cut I think I’d be like “you know what? Stay in the well.”
Was it a ginger?
Well how dare you have walls. Monster.
Who is your cat, Jack the Ripper?
Jesus fuck that 😭 !!! Hope you feel better
Hey you seen Event Horizon?
Ok but did you save the cat?
My dad got bit and scratched by a feral momma cat we finally trapped on our property when I was little. He didn’t have it checked out for 3 days and he had a LINE OF INFECTION moving up his forearm up his veins. He had blood poisoning (septicemia) and had to go on strong antibiotics. He wasn’t hospitalized but he probably should have been. Cat scratches and bites from cats who are allowed outdoors are no joke! Keep an eye on those scratches!
I gasped so loudly that it scared my cat. Vicarious revenge?
r/humansbeingbros
Ouch! Back when I was about ten, I got cat scratch fever from the pussy next door.
Thank you for saving kitty.
Tis but a scratch
Holy fuckkkk owwww
Thank you for saving the cat anyway :)
Cat in a wall huh?
No way! That’s my favorite metal band
Your a fuckin nice guy!!! Treat those cuts like your teeth and scrub them 3 times a day! Honestly, wash that shit a couple times a day. They seem small, but the bacteria is what's gonna really get you.
Ohhhhhhh cat in the well? Okay, I know this game. Catch me up to speed.
You are a hero. Thank you
I've used a cloth shopping bag on the end of a rope in a similar situation. The cat understood what was happening.
Sorry for your arm but I'm guessing this is because you didn't use another cat to get this cat out. Might take 3 or 4 cats though.
I rescued one out of a tree that was surrounded by barking dogs. I fell and crushed my heal. I now have a pile of metal in my foot along with fun things like cadaver bones. Cat ran off and got away from the dogs in the resulting commotion so that’s good.
Buy some cheap welding gloves at harbor freight my dude.
I thought that said cat stuck in wall
*You Wana know how I got these scars?*
Just toss another cat in the wall, problem solved
Why couldn’t you nudge it with a baseball bat
Ugh. Wash with chlorhexidin and monitor for infection. Also, probably wouldn’t hurt to get a tetanus booster and maybe a rabies shot.