Cat Bite Fever - the Severity of Animal Bites

General Blog
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Originally from: hurtblogger.tumblr.com

My nose is a shredded little bruised stump thanks to my cat. I made the mistake of choosing to carry my very lively kitty to bed, when something spooked him and he bit the closest thing in striking range: my nose. Having grown up with my fair share of kitty war wounds, I initially thought this wouldn’t be that be that big of a deal. Inspecting the fairly bloody wound and realizing that his teeth shredded both inside and out, I scrubbed it painfully clean. After reading horrifying and conflicting advice online I went to sleep, unsure whether I should ‘overreact’ based on my immune system. After some debate it was decided as usual to go to the doc, as with me and my less than effective immune system its always better to be safe than sorry.

Sitting on crinkly exam table paper I felt as though I’d been transported to some second world country, can’t these people afford a bucket of paint?! I worry about my quality of care… My nostrils are examined and I’m quizzed about my extensive medication list. The PA who is easily twice my age gives me the “you’re too young for all of this”, and you can tell he was deeply saddened that I have to deal with this. Then he did something amazing, he asked me to tell him something beautiful about my life. My eyes swelled with tears from his kindness.

I called my Rheumy to ask if I’ll be cleared for next week’s infusion now that I’m on heavy duty antibiotics. He promptly called me back, his urgency underscoring the severity of the situation. Apparently animal bites are not to be taken lightly, especially if you suffer from an auto-immune disease, and especially if you’re bitten on the face. So keep this in mind, because I know a lot of us have furry critters that keep us company when we’re not feeling so great. I get my shnoz checked again on Monday. Sheesh kitty, you’re killing me!

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What a bummer! Thanks for the reminder. I’ve had similar issues with cuts and what seems like minor injuries but end up being “issues”. Get well.

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Thanks for the alert about the seriousness of animal bites. Having had cats for years, it's one of those things I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to. My cat weighs in at over 6 kilos, so I don't carry him around much, but I can imagine scenarios where he might bite if he were really scared or seriously annoyed.

By the way, you write beautifully and evocatively. You had me sitting on the exam table examining the paint on the walls. :)

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I hope your shnoz has passed the test and doing better today. My critters keep me going so I’ll just have to be super careful. Thanks for the reminder. It sounds like you have some very caring medical providers.

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Thank you all! Your notes made me smile :slight_smile: My nose got the okay today! So I am cleared for my infusion! I shouldn’t be carrying my cat anyways… I looked up the conversion, can you believe he weighs over 8 kilos?! He’s a big boy and keeps me going too.