I Have An Infected Cat Bite That Needs Medical Attention - But How Do I Protect My Cat?

[moxiewild]

Typing one handed, please bear with me. Apologies if this is the wrong forum.

My partner and I have been doing TNR in our neighborhood. We picked up a particularly friendly stray a few weeks ago, had him neutered and vaccinated, and have kept him in the house as we decide whether we will keep him or try to find someone to adopt him.

Last week we trapped an even friendlier stray who we also noticed was injured. Took him to the vet to treat his wounds and now that he's healed up, we were going to take him to the spay/neuter clinic in the morning.

1st stray kitty has mostly integrated with our 6 others perfectly well, but we've kept 2nd kitty in his own room. This evening I was moving Kitty2 to another room to be with me for some play and social time while i worked. As i was transferring Kitty2, Kitty1 slipped by - no contact was made between them but Kitty1 flipped and redirected aggression toward me. It was exceptionally... viscous. Kitty1 was definitely attacking to kill as far as I could tell.

Anyway, my legs and arms were absolutely gushing blood everywhere from bites and scratches. There are two particularly deep punctures on my hand and wrist that immediately hurt - not the punctures themselves, but the entire area, as if it was bruised or something. Within minutes it began swelling.

It's only gotten worse since. It hurts to the point i can't move even my fingers at all, even tough both punctures are technically on my wrist. I am also immuno-compromised so I am well aware I need to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Thing is, I am terrified at what to tell them about this cat, as I am sure they will likely need to report, and perhaps worse (I live in Texas in a high-rabies area).

How can I find out what the law requires in my area? What are my options? How do I protect this little guy?

 

[Kieka]

Since kitty one is vaccinated you should be fine. Just tell the doctors you were silly and tried to break up a cat fight and it was redirected aggression. Most likely they will require you to keep him isolated for long enough to verify that he doesn't have rabies. He should not be put to sleep since it was human caused not cat attacking human on purpose. Went through this with a dog not too long ago that caused over a hundred stitches with his bites.

But it sounds like you need to go now to the doctor. I do mean now. Cat bite infections spread quickly and are nothing to mess around with. Go and let us know how it goes.

 

[kittyluv387]

Go to the dr ASAP, it sounds like you might have an infection.

 

[Willowy]

If he was vaccinated more than 2 weeks ago, there shouldn't be an issue. Say that he's your cat; DO NOT say the words "stray" or "feral"! They may ask for proof of vaccination, or not, depending how they feel. My mom went to the clinic for a cat bite a couple months ago, and once she said it was her own cat they didn't even blink.

Cats don't get in trouble for "being vicious" like dogs do sometimes, but even so, as long as a child isn't involved they don't really care if you get bitten by your own pet.

I have heard that getting tangled in barbed wire produces the same kinds of injuries as animal bites, and gets the same treatment . . .but I don't think that's necessary in this situation.

 

[moxiewild]

Thank you, I was hoping I could make it until urgent care opens in the morning, but the rapid swelling has me feeling otherwise. I just couldn't get myself to go without trying to find out the best way to protect him. I will try to update later, wish me luck!

 

[Kieka]

Good luck!

 

[moxiewild]

He was vaccinated on the 10th, so thank God for that! So grateful it wasn't Kitty2 since he wasn't even going to be vaccinated until tomorrow, which I know would not have gone over well. Like I said, we're in a very high-rabies area, so I wouldn't doubt attempts at being overly cautious.

I already put his vax records in my purse and certainly intend to claim him. I also take all strays (not ferals, unless necessary) to my regular vet for a general wellness check, microchip, and Leukemia test, so we I'm glad to have that as an additional back up. I am overstressing about it, but I don't know if I could deal with anything happening to him over this!

Boyfriend is medicating the cats, scooping boxes, etc right now, then we'll leave for the hospital.

 

[Kieka]

Don't worry. Cat bites are fairly common and vaccinated cats aren't a worry. Just follow the doctors instructions to a T and take care of you.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Since kitty one is vaccinated you should be fine. Just tell the doctors you were silly and tried to break up a cat fight and it was redirected aggression. Most likely they will require you to keep him isolated for long enough to verify that he doesn't have rabies. He should not be put to sleep since it was human caused not cat attacking human on purpose. Went through this with a dog not too long ago that caused over a hundred stitches with his bites.

But it sounds like you need to go now to the doctor. I do mean now. Cat bite infections spread quickly and are nothing to mess around with. Go and let us know how it goes.

Yes, this. Get to that doctor, and tell him you got in the middle of the fight, not that you were attacked. But cat bites are dangerous. Let us know how you are!

 

[ArchyCat]

Please provide us updates! Thank you for the rescues, but we want to know how you fare!

 

[JamesCalifornia]

Go to the dr ASAP, it sounds like you might have an infection.

~ Yes - good advice. I am surprised you are not in pain this very moment !
You have puncture wounds that can be very serious. Go to an emergency room if necessary. Don't be alarmed if they put you on antibiotic IV for several hours .

 

[moxiewild]

Hi all!

Our trip was quite quick. I'm not sure how I feel about it as they seemed very nonchalant about the whole thing as if I'd just come in with some old regular scratch. They weren't rude or anything, it was just an impression they all gave (by emergency room standards, I'm sure it was no big deal to them).

The doc seemed far more concerned about a deep scratch on my wrist, rather than the tiny tooth puncture right above it. He also didn't really look at the puncture on the side of my wrist with its own big, distinct bump growing (the nurse did, though). He seemed to think the swelling was coming from the scratch rather than tooth puncture, but the latter is far more painful and tender - then again, I'm not a doctor!

They had me irrigate it myself for about 5 minutes and then just put some polysporin on and wrapped it. Other than that, they prescribed antibiotics and hydrocodone, and gave me a tetanus booster. Of course, with it being the beginning of the year, my insurance hasn't kicked in yet, so this was all out of pocket, which is certainly irritating considering the treatment received - but better safe than sorry!

I took the pain killers a bit ago and they've made me soooo sleepy, but the pain is far too great to actually fall asleep at this point (hence, the update right now). The pain is pretty incredible actually, I'm a bit surprised. My hand and wrist look like I have a Mickey Mouse glove on!

I'm just going to make sure to keep a close eye on it for now and pay close attention to whatever my body tells me. I'll be sure to update again later, thank you all for calming my worries about our new little guy! Y'all are the best!

 

[jen]

Scratches can be bad. You could get Cat Scratch Fever. But I too was attacked by a cat. It climbed up my body to get to my face and tore the back of my ear open, my left middle finger and a huge gash VERY close to my left eye as well as ripping a hole in the top of my forehead. I was dripping blood all down my face and the ER doctor didn't even ask or question anything. They just treated me and I left with abx.

 

[Willowy]

The antibiotics and tetanus booster (and painkillers!) are the most important part. And, yeah, considering everything else they see in an ER, cat bite/scratches must seem minor to them.

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[Kflowers]

Nurses make all the difference. You should be getting better within two days.

Don't even try to imagine what the ER team saw right before you got there. It's a good sign when they aren't that impressed with what's wrong with you. Particularly if there is a nurse standing by.

 

[Kieka]

Hi all!

Our trip was quite quick. I'm not sure how I feel about it as they seemed very nonchalant about the whole thing as if I'd just come in with some old regular scratch. They weren't rude or anything, it was just an impression they all gave (by emergency room standards, I'm sure it was no big deal to them).

The doc seemed far more concerned about a deep scratch on my wrist, rather than the tiny tooth puncture right above it. He also didn't really look at the puncture on the side of my wrist with its own big, distinct bump growing (the nurse did, though). He seemed to think the swelling was coming from the scratch rather than tooth puncture, but the latter is far more painful and tender - then again, I'm not a doctor!

They had me irrigate it myself for about 5 minutes and then just put some polysporin on and wrapped it. Other than that, they prescribed antibiotics and hydrocodone, and gave me a tetanus booster. Of course, with it being the beginning of the year, my insurance hasn't kicked in yet, so this was all out of pocket, which is certainly irritating considering the treatment received - but better safe than sorry!

I took the pain killers a bit ago and they've made me soooo sleepy, but the pain is far too great to actually fall asleep at this point (hence, the update right now). The pain is pretty incredible actually, I'm a bit surprised. My hand and wrist look like I have a Mickey Mouse glove on!

I'm just going to make sure to keep a close eye on it for now and pay close attention to whatever my body tells me. I'll be sure to update again later, thank you all for calming my worries about our new little guy! Y'all are the best!

You should have heard how nonchalant the doctors were with the person I know who got the hundred plus stitches on a dog bite. They really reamed her too about how it happened. Those ER doctors see so much it is really hard to surprise or shake them.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Some practical advice...with the swelling you mentioned, I'd take a marker and mark the outer edge of the swelling. That way, you can reliably tell if it is getting better, or worse. IF it gets worse, GO BACK IN! You can then demonstrate what the swelling is doing. We did that on snakebites and such in the ER, way back when I still worked.

 

[Kflowers]

Mamanyt1953 you are so smart. I'm too impressed to be jealous, just glad we're on the same site.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Mamanyt1953 you are so smart. I'm too impressed to be jealous, just glad we're on the same site.

LOL, I'm 66 years old (in March). It isn't so much that I'm smart, I'm like Farmer's Insurance...I know a lot of things because I've seen a lot of things! (those commercials are available on Youtube for those not in the USA, and are quite amusing).

 

[catlover73]

I am sorry to hear that this happened to you. I am glad you went to ER to get checked out. It seems like you got some great advice about the wounds.

As for the ER bill when you get the bill call the billing department immediately and ask if they can put you on a payment plan. Hopefully this can be done where you live. I have a $500 ER deductible and a $2,000 annual deductible. I have noticed that the ER's and urgent care facility's near me are often willing to do a payment plan if you can not pay the entire bill right away. If you can figure out what you can pay per month as use that as a starting point for the payment plan. I offered to pay $100 a month the last time I had to go through this. The billing rep told me their normal procedure was $25 a month and set it at that amount. She told me if I could pay a $100 a month then that was fine too it would just make my bill go away faster.