Cat Bite-

[onster]

I think I just did something very very stupid. I was trying to look at bunduks teeth one more time and he bit me, by mistake..usually i pull away when he 'chews' on me..but i was trying to get a better look and let him, he just doesnt put enough pressure to break skin but this time he did.

Its a very small, size of a pin head puncture but it did bleed. I went to the bathroom immediately,washed with water and soap and kept squeezing out the blood till none more came out. Just put polysporin...and my finger is swelling.

....ummm..should I be worried?

I remember chico's problem with cat scratches/bites...but this is smal..I should be fine right?

Omg im such a retard.

Bunduk froze. we were on my bed at the time and when I went to washroom he just stayed on the bed. Went downstairs got polypsorin bandaid etc..he was still on my bed in the exact same position, frozen. Bunduk always follows me. Poor boy..I shouldve known better,

[Karin]

That's gonna hurt. You did good, I have had some nasty bites by cats, but you washed quick.
If it starts to swell I would suggest epsom salt's, mix with the warmest, if not hotest water you can stand and soak.
It really depends on how much bacteria and what kind he has. It also helps to elevate your hand while you sleep. (keeps the throbbing to a dull roar if you have any)
Fall in love with pillows!

[onster]

throbbing you say??

oh God. lol

I have finals in a week and this is my right hand !!

Im so so stupid.

Its swelling a little but I think thats just because Im allergic maybe..its too soon to be swelling from infection. i always get really raised histamine wheels even from scratches.


How long does this "throbbing" last?

[onster]

I guess I should go because typing isnt keeping my finger elevated Thanks Karin!

[chico2]

Onster,although you should always worry about cat-bites,mine (3 times)were numerous and very deep each time,needing lengthy antibiotic IV treatments(which made me sick).
I've had little"love-bites"from Chico breaking the skin,not needing anything other than cleaning,it usually swells a little around the puncture.

[onster]

Chico I hope this is one of those bites that doesnt get infected

My finger is swollen like yesterday, but doesnt really hurt, nor it warm to to the touch. No throbbing. It stings when the area of he wound touches anything.

Its actually a thin slit of a woud, few mms.

After I went offline yesterday it started stinging a bit and I got paranoid so I made a very strooong solution of salt water (normal table salt and sea salt) and stuck my finger in the hot/warm water for a while (thanks karin!). I made it bleed again and tried again to push some blood out..then let it soak. Applied polypsorin, then tried to sleep with it a little raised. Of course I woke up with my hand in a normal position

I know when Ty had an abcess, most likely from a cat bite, I took careof it. No vet needed. It was a bad one too that exploded before we knew what it was. I just kept the wound open, always rubbing it with very strong salt water. The idea was to keep the wound open as long as possible so that it had time to heal.

Although my finger is clearly swollen, its not spreading (just my finger) and like I said no other signs of infection In a little bit ill soak it in salt water again and try to reopen the wound.

Im hoping not to get an infection

[bendyfoot]

I've received a few cat bites, some pretty deep/nasty. Like you, I took immediate action to clean and disinfect the wound, and kept treating it until it healed. I've been lucky and have never had a problem, but I do know others who weren't so lucky. Keep a close eye on, but hopefully you'll be fine

[kathryn]

I mostly get stratched, but I've been bitten by cats at the shelter. I never worry about it Recently there was a cat in the community cat room (cagelesS) at my shelter who was choking on his collar. What they didn't tell me was he was semi-feral I tried to help the little bugger and he shredded my hands like you wouldn't believe in a matter of 5 seconds. It's almost all healed now, a week later. So yeah...you'll be fine.... hopefully

[onster]

That's reassuring bendyfoot and kathryn!

thanks guys. I was just reading stats online yesterday after I got bitten an it said 80& cat bite get infected So perhaps I was over cautious but good thing....Ill update on the finger !

[aslan]

Onster put some bakingsoda in warm water and soak your booboo in it, it's gonna itch like a sonof a b..... at first but it helps the allergic reaction.

[onster]

Thanks aslan, will definately give it a go ! I dont mind pain now as long as it doesnt get infected.

[Chris21711]

Keep your eye on it Onster, Ethel got a small bite a few years ago on her pinky, the tip of her finger started going purple and she had to go on antibiotics. She has been bitten several times and that was the only time she had a reaction.

[onster]

Thanks chris..Ill definately watch it. Ouchie for Ethel....purple doesnt sound good at all!!

it heals nicely.

[chico2]

Onster,the difference with me,I was attacked,Rocky was hanging on to my ankle with his teeth,I had numerous deep scratches and terrible bites,I actually have a dent in my leg where the infection was the worst,the smaller bites and scratches were fine.

[aslan]

yup she does onster i has seen it. did the swelling go down yet.

[onster]

owwie chico...did u go to the doc right away?

Still swollen but still no pain/warmth Basically my middle finger is just swollen

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by onster

owwie chico...did u go to the doc right away?

Still swollen but still no pain/warmth Basically my middle finger is just swollen

A big fat middle finger could come in handy Onster I know I is bad

[Longblades]

A mere wee mite of a 6 week old kitten I brought home from the Humane Society gave me a very good bite. He and his Mom both developed upper resp. tract infections and the Vet had me giving the kitten 1/8 of a baby aspirin. What an ordeal. Quite apart from the fact that it is nearly impossible to break a baby aspirin into eighths, I simply did not imagine how hard such a small wee thing could bite when I tried to ram the aspirin dust, that's all there was, dust, down his throat. And it hurt and throbbed like the dickens for about three nights. There is a story in my community about a Vet who supposedly lost a finger due to not seeking medical attention for a cat bite. If yours doesn't seem right get it looked at.

[ancientgirl]

I take my life into my hands whenever I give the boys treats. Maks bites down and doesn't let go, unfortunately much of the time he's biting on my FINGER!

Yours sounds worse, but now and then I've pulled my hand away from Vlad too slowly after rubbing his tummy when he didn't want it rubbed. I've got a minuscule chunk of skin on my arm missing.

[onster]

lol AG thats why I put treats on the floor. Actually when I got bitten, I was hand feeding a treat with one hand, trying to take a pic with another. Ummmm.yeah.

So so far no sign of infection, but still kinda swollen

I think maybe Im out of the woods?

[14+kitties]

Oh I don't know about that onster. I have heard of bites that look like they are almost healed on the surface but under the surface there is all kinds of funky stuff going on. Infection is spreading, blood poisoning is setting in, the little red tell tale line is starting to move closer to your heart, the underlying tissue is slowly dying......... Joshin'!
Although it can happen in some cases I think you are safe. I would think the bite itself would be looking infected by now if it was going to happen. I would assume your finger is still swollen a little because of your allergies.

[aslan]

i was thinking omg, 14+ what has gotten into you scaring poor onster like that.

[chico2]

Me too,shame on you 14+

[onster]

LOL

Holy cr@P!!! you scared me hahahaha....

Honesly I was most concerned because dad is coming hom tomorrow and he is ok with the cats only because my mom and I love them so much but still not too happy bout me keeping them what with my allergies and asthma.

I dunno what he would say if he came home to me hooked up to an IV or something even if it was all my fault I may be 22 but im still his little girl

[onster]

oh and chris, some guy who has no clue how to drive almost killed me yesterday..i mean if it wasnt for my superfast reaction ... I was begining to think having a swolen middle finger wasnt too bad nono..im kidding. I have never used the middle finger and dont think I ever will. I is a good girl.

[14+kitties]

Originally Posted by aslan

i was thinking omg, 14+ what has gotten into you scaring poor onster like that.

Originally Posted by chico2

Me too,shame on you 14+

Originally Posted by onster

Holy cr@P!!! you scared me hahahaha....

I can't be super serious ALL the time ladies. Once in a while the little comes to sit on my shoulder.

[kathryn]

How is your finger onster? There are some cases where you need to seek a doctor. My old cat Remmie literally mauled my mom and there was enough blood to thing someone got stabbed. She had to go to the doctors, but in most cases you are fine washing it and putting some cream on it.

Heck, when I get attacked by kitties, I usually don't have the opportunity to wash my wounds for a couple minutes.