You obviously don't have any medical background and don't really know what you're talking about. Cat bites can be extremely serious -ask ANY doctor!!!
All these people who responded are NOT hypochondriacs!
All these people who responded are NOT hypochondriacs!
Wow, this stuff is freaking me out. I was bit was a stray cat about 2 1/2 years ago in the hand, when I went to E.R they gave me rabbies and tetnus. I cleaned the wound before I went in, it started to swell. They didn't even clean the wound or dress it when I was there, granted it wasn't anything too awful of a bit wound. They didn't even give me antibotics! Thank god it was okay, you guys are having a really hard time with your wounds. My prays go out to you. Never underestimated cats.
Recently, my cats have been fighting over territory, two males(fixed). Right now we are keeping them seperated. Last week Moto got his cornea scratched and Bruce is missing a nice chunk of hair. Two nights ago after their second fight in 2 weeks, I put Bruce in a room and came down stairs, apparently I brushed past Moto from behind going into the other room. I didn't notice him. He attacked my leg, jumping on it three times and jumping off. FREAKED me out. He's a cat who can be picked up, bathed, nails cuts, lets my dog play with him, lets kids handle him etc. I was so sad.
The wound seems to be okay it's been two day, I got bit on my thighs, at times like this I guesse its good to have a lot of fat there. I am going to monitor it but the wounds have scabbed over with no swelling or redness. My skin is sensitive so they are now black and blued where I got it deeper. Im going to keep an eye on it, all this talk in here about amputation has me nervous. I'm hoping this doesnt happen again. We are trying to make it work between the cats they have been together for about 2 years with no problems, they would play and groom each other but its not healthy to have agression that hurts them and humans.
Brother bit at approx 10:30 pm, woke me up to take to er at 5 am. fingers were bit very swollen and in worse pain than car wreck that broke neck and tore off half of his ear. Dr was in room within 2 minutes. Have never had that fast of attention even with asthma attack. Dr already stated may be admitted. Once pick up will post follow up.
DO NOT every ignore any bump or bite or scratch that immediately swells and pusses. Some can be extremely serious.
DO NOT every ignore any bump or bite or scratch that immediately swells and pusses. Some can be extremely serious.
i got bit by my sisters cat yesterday all i have done is put put hydrogen peroxide on it and it has a big red area around it that is swelled and red what do i do??
You should go get a tetanus shot, if you haven't had one in 5 years. Cat bites get infected easy because it is a puncture. I have been fine with the few cat bites from my own cats because I have mine up to date. The first time I got bit by a cat it got red and swollen but went away after I got the shot from the hospital. The groomer at my work got bit by a cat and it was red and swollen, she didnt have the shot put it off and the swelling spread all the way up her arm, very very bad! If it is swollen something is wrong. Hydrogen peroxide wont reach down far enough to get rid of an infect cat bite.
I was bitten by a cat last week, and four hours later my finger had swollen to twice its normal size. I experienced numbness from and the tip of my finger turned purple from the swelling limiting circulation. I was also unable to bend it because of the swelling.
I went to the emergency room and was given a tetanus shot as well as IV antibiotics. The doctor assigned to my case also prescribed oral antibiotics and prescription Motrin for pain. I was ordered to return to the ER the next day to be re-evaluated. In the end, I received three rounds of IV antibiotics in addition to the other treatments.
The best advice I received - and I cannot stress this enough - was ICE the area, and keep it elevated. I spent the first night sleeping with my finger nestled between two bags of frozen vegetables (with a thin cloth liner to protect my skin). The swelling and pain were significantly reduced, although my finger and hand remained incredibly swollen. That next day my pain was more acute because the swelling had decreased enough to eliminate the numbness I had previously experienced. However, as the day progressed the swelling returned because it was difficult to keep my hand permanently elevated and still do day to day activities. Each time the pain got intense, using an ice pack helped. I slept with my finger packed in ice again that second night, and by the next day my skin had regained much of its elasticity (it no longer looked like a tightly packed sausage casing). As a result, my doctor discharged me from care.
Now, understand that I know I wouldn't have been able to recover so quickly without the IV antibiotics and other medical treatments, but the ice definitely made me a lot more comfortable while I waited for everything to work out.
I went to the emergency room and was given a tetanus shot as well as IV antibiotics. The doctor assigned to my case also prescribed oral antibiotics and prescription Motrin for pain. I was ordered to return to the ER the next day to be re-evaluated. In the end, I received three rounds of IV antibiotics in addition to the other treatments.
The best advice I received - and I cannot stress this enough - was ICE the area, and keep it elevated. I spent the first night sleeping with my finger nestled between two bags of frozen vegetables (with a thin cloth liner to protect my skin). The swelling and pain were significantly reduced, although my finger and hand remained incredibly swollen. That next day my pain was more acute because the swelling had decreased enough to eliminate the numbness I had previously experienced. However, as the day progressed the swelling returned because it was difficult to keep my hand permanently elevated and still do day to day activities. Each time the pain got intense, using an ice pack helped. I slept with my finger packed in ice again that second night, and by the next day my skin had regained much of its elasticity (it no longer looked like a tightly packed sausage casing). As a result, my doctor discharged me from care.
Now, understand that I know I wouldn't have been able to recover so quickly without the IV antibiotics and other medical treatments, but the ice definitely made me a lot more comfortable while I waited for everything to work out.
I was bitten badly by an indoor cat. The pain and swelling started immediately, peaking about 12 hours later, with deep throbbing. After 24hrs, I went to a doctor, who prescribed augmentin. Redness and swelling continued for a bit, with feelings of itchiness and heat. Fingers were too swollen to bend. I was told cat's mouths grow a type of anaerobic bacteria that really make a mess of a wound.
Caz updating my experience: The swelling and redness peaked 72hrs after the bite and 48hrs after the start of antibiotics. it is now six days since the bite. The deep punctures and gash are still sore and red in a localized area, but otherwise, I am over the worst. The knuckles are no longer swollen, so I can bend my fingers. The doctor said cat bites fill with puss if antibiotics are not taken. Really deep wounds, if left unattended, can lead to sepsis. So,.....don't delay. if bitten by a cat...go to a doctor ASAP.
what if it not that deep and a cat bite you
what if a cat bite you but not deep and it still heart :-)
My mother decided she wanted a lap animal. Brought cat in the house. It was hiding on Thursday. Found cat and had it in my arms and was petting it. House dog ran in the room and scared it. The cat bit my; i think its called the fore finger to the bone. Its swollen and now its oozing clear red fluid. It is now Sunday and my hand is swollen and my entire arm is red and hurts to the touch. Taking Percocet 10/325 and amoxicillin 500 mg capsule 3 times a day. My friend is an er nurse and says that cat bites are pretty severe and can take up to 10 days to heal. I wear latex gloves with talc powder in it to keep the sweat down. Didn't go to hospital due to the loving of adding zeros to a bill. I go to an animal supply store where get feed and such. Much cheaper. Animals get the same dosage as we do. But a lot less the cost. Will keep this post going as I progress. P.S. I'm also a triple bypass heart patient. Don't believe everything you hear from a doc. That's why they get free vacations and bonuses. Sell drugs. Also notice behind they're name is practicing medicine or medical practitioner. That's how they get away with the bs. If it wasn't for my intelligence, I wouldn't be here. I should have been dead at the age of 38. All the docs want is the insurance money. They don't like people who study there conditions and learn how to treat them on there own. No money in that.
So from what I have read here, Augmentin is the drug of choice for cat bites. Is that right? Does anyone have a dose? My old 20 year of cat bit me 2 days ago, total accident. I flushed it well, have altered soaking the finger in Epsom salt and icing it. I've been doing range of motion exercises on my finger so it's not too swollen to where I can't bend it. I have Augmentin in my house. Just looking for a dose, bc I don't have $ to go to doctor. Thanks guys!
Medication has done wonders. Amoxicillin 4 times a day has pretty well knocked it out. that and soaking finger in hot Salt water aquarium salt. Letting air breathe in at night also helps. Uncovering and let air to it. Arm and finger finger feeling much better.
I know many of you have trouble getting to a doctor for one reason or another but my advice to everyone here and anyone in the future is: please DO NOT self medicate. Do however, wash the wound immediately +/- disinfectants and flush the area for several minutes. Then head to a medical professional immediately. There are so many reasons to see a professional doctor which I will not get into right now but yes, Augmentin is the usual drug of choice for bite wounds because it is fairly broad-spectrum; however, it does not fight everything that may be living in a cat's mouth and then decides to fester in your wound and travel to other organs through your blood stream. Augmentin is also not appropriate for anyone with a penicillin allergy (the pool of people who are allergic is increasing so if you don't know if you are allergic, this is another reason to see a doctor so they can monitor you after giving you the drugs). There is no substitute for a doctor's expertise that can be found on the internet. That said, not all doctors are created equal so when you see someone, make sure they ask you a detailed history like something to the effect of:
when were you bit?
where were you bit?
what did you do after you were bit? did you clean it with anything?
how much worse did it get since the initial incident?
how much pain are you in? (scale of 1-10 or some doctors have a smiley face scale which is surprisingly accurate)
any aches in other parts of your body?
fever?
is the cat up to date on all vaccinations? (esp rabies) is it a stray cat? indoor/outdoor?
when was your last tetanus shot?
do you have any history of any medical problems or drug usage?
does the cat have any medical problems in the past?
how clean is the cat's environment? (e.g. your house)
You should be able to answer all of these questions. If the cat is not your cat, get on the phone with its owner. This is especially important if you are unsure about its vaccination status.
Possible procedures done on you or offered to you by your doctor:
-full physical exam
-tetanus shot (always agree to this if you can't remember when you last had a tetanus shot)
-rabies shot (if you think you are at risk, request this)
-another round of intensive cleaning of the wound using hospital grade disinfectants
-taking a culture of the wound (depends on size and severity and response to treatment)
-probing of the wound with a medical instrument to see how deep the puncture went
-IV antibiotics
-oral antibiotics in pill form to take home for long term usage
-xrays
-debridement (if you wait too long and they notice dead tissue from the swelling, solution is to cut it out)
-2nd opinion by another doctor
Any of these options can be specially requested by you if they don't offer it. Some doctors don't understand the seriousness of animal bites because they have not yet had a wide range of experience with it so be proactive about asking whether you need these procedures. Sometimes making doctors think twice will help you in the end. Personally, if I get a wound that's anywhere near a joint, I will feel better with an X ray. Joints are notoriously hard to heal (this is why nobody has cured arthritis yet) so nip it in the bud before you get a chronic problem that can't be cured.
Note about the ER: if you go at night or after hours, you will probably get a younger and relatively less experienced doctor on staff since the big wigs don't care for overnight shifts. This is when you need to be particularly proactive about your care.
Note about rabies: There's a very slim chance people actually get rabies from a cat bite. Even bites from cats with confirmed rabies can bite you and you'll, on average, have a 25% chance actually contracting it. The key is where the bite is on your body. If its on your face or neck, your risk is high (>50%) because the area is close to your brain, but if you get bit on your hand, it takes the virus a bit of time to travel to your brain so getting proper treatment (3 or 5 series rabies shots +/- rabies meds) has a great chance of curing you. If the cat is not owned or not up to date on rabies shots, it's possible for you or its owner or law enforcement authorities to force that cat to be tested by a laboratory for rabies. This involves decapitating the cat and your results will be back in a couple of weeks. This should just be for peace of mind since if you think you are at risk at all, you should have already started the rabies shots.
when were you bit?
where were you bit?
what did you do after you were bit? did you clean it with anything?
how much worse did it get since the initial incident?
how much pain are you in? (scale of 1-10 or some doctors have a smiley face scale which is surprisingly accurate)
any aches in other parts of your body?
fever?
is the cat up to date on all vaccinations? (esp rabies) is it a stray cat? indoor/outdoor?
when was your last tetanus shot?
do you have any history of any medical problems or drug usage?
does the cat have any medical problems in the past?
how clean is the cat's environment? (e.g. your house)
You should be able to answer all of these questions. If the cat is not your cat, get on the phone with its owner. This is especially important if you are unsure about its vaccination status.
Possible procedures done on you or offered to you by your doctor:
-full physical exam
-tetanus shot (always agree to this if you can't remember when you last had a tetanus shot)
-rabies shot (if you think you are at risk, request this)
-another round of intensive cleaning of the wound using hospital grade disinfectants
-taking a culture of the wound (depends on size and severity and response to treatment)
-probing of the wound with a medical instrument to see how deep the puncture went
-IV antibiotics
-oral antibiotics in pill form to take home for long term usage
-xrays
-debridement (if you wait too long and they notice dead tissue from the swelling, solution is to cut it out)
-2nd opinion by another doctor
Any of these options can be specially requested by you if they don't offer it. Some doctors don't understand the seriousness of animal bites because they have not yet had a wide range of experience with it so be proactive about asking whether you need these procedures. Sometimes making doctors think twice will help you in the end. Personally, if I get a wound that's anywhere near a joint, I will feel better with an X ray. Joints are notoriously hard to heal (this is why nobody has cured arthritis yet) so nip it in the bud before you get a chronic problem that can't be cured.
Note about the ER: if you go at night or after hours, you will probably get a younger and relatively less experienced doctor on staff since the big wigs don't care for overnight shifts. This is when you need to be particularly proactive about your care.
Note about rabies: There's a very slim chance people actually get rabies from a cat bite. Even bites from cats with confirmed rabies can bite you and you'll, on average, have a 25% chance actually contracting it. The key is where the bite is on your body. If its on your face or neck, your risk is high (>50%) because the area is close to your brain, but if you get bit on your hand, it takes the virus a bit of time to travel to your brain so getting proper treatment (3 or 5 series rabies shots +/- rabies meds) has a great chance of curing you. If the cat is not owned or not up to date on rabies shots, it's possible for you or its owner or law enforcement authorities to force that cat to be tested by a laboratory for rabies. This involves decapitating the cat and your results will be back in a couple of weeks. This should just be for peace of mind since if you think you are at risk at all, you should have already started the rabies shots.
I was a hard head about going to the doc after my daughters cat attacked me for the 3rd time this month. He was protecting his kittens. I have learned a lot about cat bites today when my boyfriend MADE me go to the doc. Most important thing I learned was don't mess around. I has 3 spots that have infected tissue. I stared showing signs of illness and trouble walking. I was having problems eating cuz I got sick to my stomach. All of this happened in only 5 days. Don't be a hard head like me. The smaller the bite the more dangerous. The bacteria is now trapped in my tissue in my leg and butt. Yes, he bit my butt. $89 for the meds but I get to keep my leg. Don't mess around