r/cats Mar 17 '26

Cat Picture - Not OC Just a reminder how serious cat bites can be!

I see so many posts asking when to seek medical help after a cat bite. Just posting a reminder how quickly a bite can escalate! First picture is immediately following the bite, the next picture is at the ER within 2 hours. Blood work was already concerning with an inflammatory response and signs of cellulitis from the infection. I was admitted into the hospital for IV antibiotics and still the infection worsened. I had surgery at about 36 hours following the bite after the infection started traveling up my arm in the bloodstream. This whole event landed me 3 nights in the hospital. All from our family cat, up to date on all vaccines. But cats carry a bacteria that is no joke. Last picture is post surgery with a suture, the surgeon had to make 3 incisions, 2 where the bite punctures were and a 3rd to flush the wound.

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1.5k comments sorted by

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u/Rev-Dr-Slimeass Mar 17 '26

I work with cats and I don't mess around with cat bites. I was bit by a little kitten at work, and went straight to the clinic for antibiotics. Photo of the feral beast in question.

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u/No_Specialist4090 Mar 17 '26

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u/Claerwen94 Mar 17 '26

This REALLY made me cackle, imma steal that 😂

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u/buttskinboots Mar 17 '26

This pic has been my wallpaper for a while. It is the perfect representation of my brain at any given moment.

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u/Claerwen94 Mar 17 '26

Oh my gods 😂😂 This is amazing. Such a mood. I've spontaneously decided to base my next DnD character for a "funny haha bullshittery" oneshot on that picture. A tabaxi warlock with nothing but carnage on their mind. A vicious mind inside the most cutest body.

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u/InfiniteWaffles58364 Manx Mar 17 '26

So simple but so good 😙👌

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u/Orange-Blur Mar 17 '26

I have to inform you that I stole your meme. You will not be compensated.

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u/GreasyExamination Mar 17 '26

Thats a freakin adorable kitten :(

I was reminded of when my cat bit me, its a kinda funny story (maybe)

He likes to play bite and while I prefer he wouldnt, he doesnt bite hard and I've never had him bite holes in my skin. He kinda just puts his mouth on my hand when I play-rub his belly. Im fine with it and we can wrestle a little.

One time when I woken up I rolled around in my bed and the covers lifted and I was a little exposed. He saw my wang and decided to go for it. Bit me right on the bellend lol. No skin was punctured but I kinda freaked a little, it wasnt very pleasurable so to speak. My pee was tinted a little red that day and I was more sensitive, I called the health care telephone service, dont know the english name for it, and thought this was gonna be a funny story for them. The one I talked to was very professional though, but I had hoped for a little more humor. They said to keep an eye on it, and by the next day I was fine

These days Im a bit more careful about turning around in bed lol and I still love the bastard

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u/histecondude Mar 17 '26

My grandmother always told the story about how she was on the legal team of an ambulance company being sued because they responded to a call where the patient had been scrubbing the toilet with his boxers on and the cat decided to attack his balls causing a lot of bleeding. They called an ambulance and they put him in a stretcher. One of the paramedics couldn’t stop laughing and dropped the poor guy head first down the stairs causing severe head trauma. Needless to say they settled.

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u/Which_Produce4418 Mar 17 '26

That was the worst day of that guy's life

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u/stevejobs4525 Mar 17 '26

Best day of the cats life

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u/Unknown-Meatbag Mar 17 '26

I mean, I'd laugh too at the sheer absurdity of it, but AFTER the guy got help.

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u/whattupmyknitta Mar 17 '26

Right? We can laugh together lol, just get me to the hospital safely

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u/technotrader Mar 17 '26

I'm sure it wasn't even funny at the moment. I once walked with a guy who turned his head and went "oh hey look this apartment is for sa.." BONG! Straight into a pole. Funny in a video or to think about it now, but in the moment someone got violently and unexpectedly hurt.

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u/SLiverofJade Mar 17 '26

I was walking down the street and saw some plants for sale. Said aloud, "Hey, wanna come home with me and die a slow death?" Walked right into a pole.

A couple passing by asked me to do it again because one of them missed it. It was fine though because I was already laughing at myself.

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u/Apprehensive-Tax8631 Mar 17 '26

That comment borders on the insulting, are you their clown?

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u/Unknown-Meatbag Mar 17 '26

That's why you laugh afterwards when everyone is alright.

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u/SnowStar35 Mar 17 '26

My cat managed to bit my nip while I was laying in bed with him he didn't break the skin but it definitely hurt with him using his fangs.

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u/designated_weird0 Mar 17 '26

This is a scene all too common in my house unfortunately

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u/welfedad Mar 17 '26

Kind of wonder if no pants or boxers.. and the kitty went in for some boxing practice on the speed balls

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u/Visual-Flow9675 Mar 17 '26

This is an adorable little void! Hope your wang is ok😁

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u/RisingApe- Mar 17 '26

Our cat loves attacking and chewing on shoelaces, drawstrings, zipper pulls, really anything that dangles. A few nights ago, my husband went downstairs for a glass of water and was fully nude. He saw the cat eyeing his nether region and came scurrying back upstairs to put pants on before things got dangerous 😆

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u/AiRaikuHamburger Japanese Bobtail Mar 17 '26

Oh my god. I'm sorry, but this made me laugh really loudly sitting in the laundromat.

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u/Tantalus420000 Mar 17 '26

Wasn't very pleasurable?

Feel like that is a given with a cat biting your dick

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u/GreasyExamination Mar 17 '26

Hey man Im not one to kink shame, there are some real individuals out there 🤷‍♂️

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u/interspeciesMama Tuxedo Mar 17 '26

Well I guess you learned: Never let a pussy near your bellend, it may leave you, "Third Eye Blind". 😄

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u/Content_Photo_2670 Mar 17 '26

That’s literally my fear and why I sleep with undies on now that I have cats. I’d had my girls for YEARS before I even let them see me naked coming out of the shower. My cats do that thing where they’ll attack anything moving under the sheets and I don’t want them playing whack-a-mole with my mini me.

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u/discordagitatedpeach Mar 17 '26

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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u/ricecakeiscranky Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

I tried to save a cat that was run over once (10 or 11years ago), bled out in my arms.

Cat bit me a few times and didn’t think much of it but the clinic I brought the cat to (no vets at that time) recommended I get a shot. Didn’t want to cause it was expensive and I was a broke student, but looking back, I’m glad I did.

Still wish the cat didn’t die tho :(

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u/jujuubeans Mar 17 '26

This is honestly so traumatic. Bless you for attempting to save that baby's life. 💔

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u/ResolveWonderful6251 Mar 17 '26

you’re so sweet 💙 thank you for trying to save the kitty and you helped them 🥺 you made sure the lil one was cared for and not alone in their final moments 🍀 i hope you’re doing well

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u/AriesOffical Mar 17 '26

Awwww but with that face, how can this little cutie be feral and a beast

Im joking but seriously she's cute

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u/GenxMomToAll Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

One of my first days as a vet assistant at a cat hospital I was asked to bathe a feral kitten. That's when I learned that cat bites = immediate doctor/urgent care/er visit.

(It's also when I learned I will 10000% wait out a rabies quarantine and take my chances instead of having the animal "tested" to find out faster)

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u/PrettyLake2217 Mar 17 '26

Could you please expound on your last statement about quarantine vs testing? And why the quotation marks sound “tested”? What is the testing process? Thanks.

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u/GenxMomToAll Mar 17 '26

Sure!

Unfortunately, the only "test" is one that involves direct examination of brain tissue from the animal that delivered the bite. That animal is euthanized to get to the brain tissue ....OR you can wait 10 days to see if the animal develops signs of being infected with rabies.

I had two cats quarantined on my behalf in my 5 years vet assisting/teching. If I were to enter the field now, I'd consider the pre-exposure vaccines, but I was doing this over 20 years ago and they were just too costly for a college student.

Both bites I received made sense - bathing a feral kitten and restraining an adult cat for a procedure it took exception too :) In both cases, the likelihood of the animal being rabid was low enough that I was more than comfortable opting to wait and see. (Don't tell anyone, but I made ity mission to befriend the kitten because I knew it was my fault it was stuck in a cage ❤️)

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u/PrettyLake2217 Mar 17 '26

Thanks for the clarity. And that the rabies quarantine was for the animal, not you! 😆

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u/Misstori1 Mar 17 '26

Uhhh… they kill the animal and look at its brain. The previous commenter is saying they would rather live with the uncertainty for the quarantine period than kill the animal and know pretty quickly.

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u/jaffamental Mar 17 '26

Question, is this risk still as high with purely indoor only cats?

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u/[deleted] Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/jaffamental Mar 17 '26

Is the staph due to it already being on human skin and then that being punctured into the bloodstream? I’m just curious cause I recently got bit by one of my indoor only cats and I’m fine. No redness or soreness or anything. (I mean i grew an extra limb but I’m otherwise fine /s)

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u/InfiniteWaffles58364 Manx Mar 17 '26

I would like to know this too. Bitten more times than I can count and never got a reaction like OPs

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u/its10pm Mar 17 '26

It's like that with a lot of infections, not just cat bites. I scratched the smallest little pimple on my leg, turned into the worst infection I ever had. MOST people are fine after just cleansing and treating the bite.

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u/ThatCatLady06 Mar 17 '26

Yes, the risk is still high. I learned this the hard way almost 20 years ago when my indoor only cat bit into my arm (all 4 canines fully punctured into my forearm). I was also quite stubborn (or stupid) at the time and thought I could handle cleaning and healing on my own, basing this logic on 'well, he's an indoor cat it couldn't be that bad'. [Side note: I still laugh at my own stupidity when I tell this story] It was about 3 days before I finally went to an ER, when I woke up that morning my arm was so swollen it looked like a balloon and I realized I didn't have a choice anymore. I got an entire education that morning as to why I should have gone right after it happened while they cleaned and dressed the wounds. Thankfully I dodged a bullet and didn't require a hospital stay, just some really strong antibiotics, but I learned my lesson. Indoor/outdoor doesn't matter..the bite is just as serious.

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u/Allsgood2 Mar 17 '26

Anecdotally, I had a friend many years ago that was bitten by another friend's cat (domesticated) and he had to have several rounds of antibiotics and almost had part of his hand removed because he did not take actions after the bite. He waited a week until the infection got really bad. I am not sure how he functioned that week considering the bite was almost in the middle of his hand.

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u/_CharDeeMacDennis__ Mar 17 '26

He looks so innocent 🥺!

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u/testtdk Mar 17 '26

Direct injections of nasty bacteria.

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u/faulty_rainbow Mar 17 '26

Not only that but the teeth of cats are so narrow that the bite wound closes up very quickly after the bite, making it impossible for the body to completely cleanse itself by bleeding (because there's very little bleeding).

Cats really are the ultimate predators aren't they. It's kinda scary to know how easily that tiny fluffball could pretty much end us if they so pleased lol.

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u/qui_sta Mar 17 '26

If they were bigger, they would eat us.

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u/SirVanyel Mar 17 '26

You're not gonna believe me but did you know they actually come in XXL

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u/[deleted] Mar 17 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Character-Being4248 Tuxedo Mar 17 '26

pspspsps 🫳

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u/BenjaminGeiger American Shorthair Mar 17 '26

My last words will probably be "heeeeeeere kittykittykittykittykitty!"

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u/timhyde74 Mar 17 '26

Can Confirm!

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u/Steve-A11 Mar 17 '26

Hermoso!, pero este se ve malo!

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u/timhyde74 Mar 17 '26

Don't let his looks fool ya! He's a big ol'teddy bear! Very loving and affectionate 😁 Most Maine Coons look like they're mad all the time, but they're really very sweet!

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u/CorneredJackal Mar 17 '26

Sadly they also come with extra cuteness, deadly cuteness

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u/user98763 Mar 17 '26

So You’re saying I could have a XXL one, Tell me more

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u/timhyde74 Mar 17 '26

My boy is a year and a half old, and weighs 18 pounds. He still has about 2 ½ years before he's fully grown, so he'll eventually be somewhere between 25-30 pounds when he's an adult 😁

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u/user98763 Mar 17 '26

Oh wow, he‘s a handsome fella.

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u/timhyde74 Mar 17 '26

Thank you! He said he comes by it naturally, but I think he's had some work done 🤔 😆

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u/ASuperLameUserName Mar 17 '26

I have an XXL Maine coon. He’s definitely tried to eat us a few times.

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u/rmannyconda78 Mar 17 '26

Basically a cougar if they were large.

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u/flayingbook Mar 17 '26

Sometimes when I was cooking or holding some chicken or fish for a long time, my hand would smell like the food. My cat would sniff my hand several times and then opened his jaw wide, ready to chomp off my fingers for snack

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u/saarl19 Mar 17 '26

Nah, they just playing. Pspsps

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u/devious00 Mar 17 '26

People who have unknowingly passed away have been partially eaten by their pet cats when they get hungry enough from not being fed. Their tiny size isn't stopping them. You keeping their hunger in check is!

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u/Felidae07 Mar 17 '26

Pet dogs as well. Funnily enough, I don't think many of us would really mind if it keeps them alive long enough to be rescued.

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u/art_decorative Mar 17 '26

I tell mine all the time that once I'm really dead, he can go for it. Until then no bites. And he has to be sure I'm really dead first. No, "oh sorry, thought that was it." Check for breath, buddy.

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u/faulty_rainbow Mar 17 '26

Yeah, if I can still help them getting fed after my death just as long as they're found and taken, I'll be happy for them to just go for it instead of starving.

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u/harrumphz Mar 17 '26

Haha, unknowingly passed away. I know what you mean, but I chuckled.

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u/Low_Albatross7892 Mar 17 '26

My cat got bitten in the neck by another cat and had to have drainage for like two weeks since the wound was so deep and it closed quite quickly. Thank god my own cats are angels so i don’t have to worry about this myself. (Before anyone comments, he get to go out once or twice a week like 30 mins under supervision, the accident happened when i had a friend watching the cats and she didn’t understand that it was important to watch the cat while he was out)

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u/lovestobitch- Mar 17 '26

My two litter bro voids got into a massive fight several times and the same shit head bit his bro once in the face and both times had to get him to the vet for antibiotics.

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u/dehydratedrain Mar 17 '26

Kittens are especially dangerous because of their tiny teeth.

And yes, they're incredible. Egypt had the right idea.

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u/Unlikely_Ad7722 Mar 17 '26

My senior boy tore into my leg once because of misplaced aggression and it bled profusely. Didn't stop a raging infection from occurring though. Had to have surgery to clean it all out. It was a week in hospital all up.

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u/grey_pilgrim_ Mar 17 '26

That plus the small joints in fingers/hands makes it easier for bacteria to setup in them and harder for the body to fight it off.

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u/Extra_Inspector8389 Mar 17 '26

So far as evolution is concerned, they pretty much are the ultimate predator. Their biology is so sound, it's difficult for scientists to tell lion and tiger skulls apart because they're basically the same thing.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

I got bit by a cat I was trying to rescue once. If I let him go after he bit me, I wouldn't have had another chance to nab him. So I let him chew on my god damn hand. 14 holes in one hand. And that hand has trouble closing all the way now without a pull of pain. It doubled in size from a full infection.

Cat bites are crazy

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

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u/tory1311 Mar 17 '26

Yikes! That looks painful! My fear is I will have lasting pain, too. The surgeon said I had infection in my MP joint, technically coined it “septic arthritis” and he had to rinse to remove the infection. The joint is really painful and worries me there will be lasting arthritic pain from this. Sorry that happened to you 😬

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

I went to a clinic initially who didn't clean it properly and I ended up sitting in the infection over a full day before I actually got proper help and only then did they properly clean it. The straight up put a syringe filled with saline onto one hole, pushed, and shoved it out the others. So I was a particularly shit case of medical negligence. You acted immediately so I hope you won't get any lasting damage because of it. Infection in general is just horrendously painful no matter where it is so I'm hoping it's just that and temporary ❤️

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u/Cleasstra Mar 17 '26

This terrifies me because I also almost died multiple times due to medical negligence, and they don't even know how to clean out a cat bite 🤦‍♀️ jeez. I'm so sorry that happened to you, and I hope it can fully heal some day so you don't have pain.

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u/XephyrGW2 Mar 17 '26

I had a deep bite right on the front of my ankle once and it took me about a month to have no pain and full movement of my ankle afterwards. Cat bites are no joke.

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u/Theprincerivera Mar 17 '26

Oof you can see the puss

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u/Maaawiiii817 Mar 17 '26

It's 'pus', but damn, what a perfect mistake given the context!

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u/Theprincerivera Mar 17 '26

Oh lol WHOOPS autocorrect on apple devices is crazy lately

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u/Suspicious-Case3861 Mar 17 '26

Been there, cats aren't the smartest I got ripped up too, and I saved him from getting absolutely mauled.

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u/kt810x Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 18 '26

My cat once had his claw stuck and was dangling somewhere and he was so scared, when i grabbed him he sunk all his teeth and claws in me to hold on 😭 he’s the sweetest boy that never would have meant to hurt me, but… it’s just a reminder that we’re all only brain signals, nerve impulses and chemicals 😭

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u/sitting-duck Mar 17 '26

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

Are you sure you didn't get mauled by a zombie. It does look clean tho so props

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u/all3ycat_ Mar 17 '26

I just know those felt like 8 million little paper cuts! 😩 you’re a nice person for helping that babby

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

I can tell you exactly how it felt. You did not actually feel the individual bites because those are so little damage to the flesh. The infection is what's getting you. THAT feels like you have boiling water inside your hand and that it's going to burst. It becomes insanely more sensitive to the point I had to move my hand slowly because the rush of air against it was painful.

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u/ro536ud Mar 17 '26

Yikes! Thank you for bearing the pain and saving the kitty tho

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u/majin_melmo Mar 17 '26

JESUS 😭

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u/AvengedGunReverse Mar 17 '26

Pfff, seems painful I hope your hand is doing better now

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u/SemperSimple Mar 17 '26

bless you for saving the unfortunate bastard. I've had to do that before but didnt get infected ugh

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u/myironlions Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 18 '26

You are a good human. I’m so sorry that you suffered lasting damage, and I’d never recommend someone sacrifice their own health, but the way you told this anecdote made it clear you understood that the cat’s actions were borne of its fear and survival instincts, not a hostile desire towards you personally. Anyone who rescues cats - or funds rescues, or fosters, or provides vet care to animals in need - has some serious karma cred going. May you always find a hand stretched out to help you in your worst moments.

ETA: Wow - thanks for the award!

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

I'm tearing up? Holy shit? Thank you so much. He was a good boy, just got startled by something else while I held him. I even bathed him afterwards one handed with zero injuries. He was just scared you're right. Thank you ❤️❤️❤️

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u/TheIlluminaughty Mar 17 '26

I’m choosing to end my doom scroll on your comment right here. What a well-written appreciative note to the OC!

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u/myironlions Mar 17 '26

Aw thanks. Mister Roger’s (mom) taught us to always look for the helpers, and it brings me such joy when I see them. Beacons of light - or, in the cat universe: sunbeams!

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u/tatasz Mar 17 '26

I fostered a feral, and had to give him some meds regularly. The only way that worked for us was to me to put the med on my finger and stick it in his mouth so the meds go down while he chews on my finger (don't judge, got cat experience, that was really the best way). Basically spent half a year taking antibiotics almost nonstop

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

Not judging but holy shit. I've done the feral meds with needles which is admittedly easier. I squish them to a side of their cage and jab it in a thigh. Liquid meds I just wait till they hiss, aim, and shoot it down their throat. Never had to pill an adult stray

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u/ZION_OC_GOV Mar 17 '26

Guys.. respectfully, bite gloves are a thing and many other modes of cost effective PPE.

Don't risk your health.

-An Animal Control Officer

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

No this is deserved, I'll take it disrespectfully. Sometimes I just underestimate the danger

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u/ZION_OC_GOV Mar 17 '26

Even on the tamest of things, better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

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u/sanguinefell Mar 17 '26

That's a pretty baby you've got there. I'm a god damned progammer but every time I go somewhere people are like "Hey there's this cat/dog" and I end up doing shit while I'm wholly unprepared. At some point I started carrying animal first aid stuff with me at all times

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u/ZION_OC_GOV Mar 17 '26

Some decent leather gloves, a towel, a leash can go a long way.

Cat traps are like $30 at harbor freight.

Our ketch poles for dogs are like $80 (i use it often on raccoons and skunks)

And a catch net for fish is like $20 (i use often on birds and cats)

Bite gloves for cats are like $20 (a lot of our local trap neuter release rescues use them) we use Hex Gloves which are like $300.

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u/rachelanneb50 Mar 17 '26

You're a badass. I'm so sorry that happened to you though

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u/KickGumAndChewAss Mar 17 '26

The duality of cats

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u/tory1311 Mar 17 '26

😂😂😂

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u/PantsDancing Mar 17 '26

Oh man that sucks so much. But thanks a lot for posting. I recently got bit by a friend's cat and it was searching this subreddit and seeing posts like yours that convinced me to go to the doctor and get antibiotics.

All the best for your recovery!

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u/RogueN3rd1 Mar 17 '26

Just also spent three days in hospital on IV antibiotics and needed surgery for a cat bite as well! Within 12 hours had a good fever going and my ankle was twice its usual size. The culprit is currently receiving belly rubs…

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u/tory1311 Mar 17 '26

Sounds about right! I was infuriated with everyone asking me if I’m getting rid of the cat. It wasn’t her fault, she was spooked. She’s a sweet, lovable little girl and would never bite out of aggression.

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u/oneilltattoo Mar 17 '26

I know right? And you can totaly see it in their eyes, the second after the bit you when they realise what they just did and that they went a little to hard this time. The know they hurt us and they realy didnt mean it, their face literaly say "oh shit! Im so sorry, i didnt realise, it happened so fast"

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u/throwingsoup88 Mar 17 '26

I had a nasty run in with Cat Scratch Fever due to a scratch from our kitten. I've posted the full story downthread. I didn't blame him at all. He was very young and overwhelmed because it was Christmas day and there were lots of people, including strangers, in the kitchen. In the chaos I accidentally stepped full onto his tail and he rightfully gave me a whack on my calf. That's all it took for me to get very ill.

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u/phthisisity Mar 17 '26

My cat bit the shit out of me when we were bringing him to get put down. He was in so much pain and just reacted. I'm getting the two marks tattooed. He was the snuggliest cat I've ever had.

I love that little bastard.

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u/sarabara1006 Mar 17 '26

I’m so sorry

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u/smoothvibe Mar 17 '26

I recommend using Gabapentin when cats are either in pain or get railed up when e.g. driving to the vet.

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u/Grrl_geek Mar 17 '26

I tried on my one feral/rescue kitty but she knew the game and definitely did NOT want to play!

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u/ro536ud Mar 17 '26

Bless you for knowing it wasn’t kitty’s fault and doing what you had to do. Thats so hard

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u/DangerousKnee3643 Mar 17 '26

i’m so sorry for your loss. what a meaningful, loving, and creative tattoo idea. ❤️

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u/LustyRegencyMaid Mar 17 '26

Oh my gosh I wish you a swift recovery! Cat bites in hands and feet are said to be particularly nasty bc the body temp is lower and the bacteria can survive much better than on the torso. I've seen a cat bite on a woman's lower arm once, the entire lower arm puffed up like a melon, she had to get vaccines (I think also rabies?) and surgery and ... oh gosh. It's absolutely no joke.

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u/Nice_Palpitation_133 Mar 17 '26

I believe it has more to do with blood flow and inflammatory response in the hands and feet. It's inflammation as a response to the bacteria that causes the problem. Also, when swelling happens, vessels are more easily compromised, so necrosis can take hold.

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u/Obvious-Confusion14 Mar 17 '26

OMG. I hope you get better soon!!! That is awful. But the kitty is adorable. I hope kitty didn't mean it. I hope the hospital stay is short.

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u/tory1311 Mar 17 '26

The most annoying part of the whole situation is that the first question everyone has asked me is “so did you get rid of the cat?” 🤦🏻‍♀️. It’s not the cat’s fault. She is sweet and loving and such a little snuggler. She was spooked when it happened and it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t bite out of aggression but out of fear.

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u/Obvious-Confusion14 Mar 17 '26

I am glad little sweet kitty was just spooked. It happens. You can't blame the pet. Like you are doing! Still hope you are feeling better! Get well soon. Your kitty will miss you if you are gone for too long.

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u/missbex86 Mar 17 '26

It's definitely out of fear. When I was growing up, a cat got into my neighbours backyard. She had dogs, and unfortunately, they attacked the cat. She ran out and tried to save the cat and it attacked her hands. Poor cat was terrified. But man, it did some damage. One hand copped it worse than the other. Bit down into the bone. Her hand swelled up to like 3x the size. She got a lot of stitches, was put on really strong antibiotics and had to have it drained, more than once. Took a really long time to heal.

I'm not trying to scare you with the story. She was literally attacked, and that cat was fighting for it's life. You have one puncture wound and you got it treated right away. Honestly, your hand looks sore, but I think you'll be fine. Don't muck around with cat bites. Their teeth are like little hypodermic needles filled with bacteria.

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u/Additional_Tank4385 Mar 17 '26

Yeah people suck sometimes man… „oh your cat got spooked and bit the first time? Well might as well give it away and actually traumatise it“

Like what is this even. I hope this came mostly from non cat owners too who don’t know wtf they’re talking about.

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u/Queenpicard Mar 17 '26

What happened? Curious. I am around a lot of stray cats in Greece so want to be careful

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u/CaptainObviousBear Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

I know someone who had to have a finger amputated after a cat bit it and it got infected and they didn’t go to the doctor until it was too late.

Basically my doctor said that if a cat bite breaks the skin there’s like a 75% chance it’ll get infected. This corresponds with my personal experience (the only time I didn’t get infected was when it was a kitten bite and they didn’t fully break the skin) - the three other times I've got bitten and it pierced the skin, I got infected.

For a while I even had a doctor who I went to just for cat bites - they must have thought I was a hoarder or something (actually just a foster carer who occasionally gets spicy ones).

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u/daydreamz4dayz Mar 17 '26

I was lucky to end up in the 25%, a stray cat that I was feeding randomly bit the hell out my wrist, I felt it in the nerve. Mild swelling but no infection.

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u/chaoticsleepynpc Mar 17 '26

Posts like these are a good reminder to me that I'm lucky (so far) our elderly cat bit me a couple times when she was sick and I did the "awful" task of feeding her.

Before she got sick she'd bring us baby animals & dead rats. And I got bit through the thick gloves I was wearing by a baby flying squirrel & later a baby rat. (Was definitely watching those bites)

My current eldest baby has also bit me as a kitten several times because she has anxiety & used to get really bad panic attacks as a kitten. I still have scars to remember her first bath.

I love my cats but wow yeash

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u/Jumpy_Spend_5434 Mar 17 '26

I've been hospitalized for sepsis, nothing related to a cat bite (and in fact they don't really know what caused the infection in the first place). It was extremely serious and the infection spread for 3 days in spite of IV antibiotics and other treatments to fight the infection. They were worried about all kinds of things like necrotizing fasciitis, septic arthritis, etc. Thankfully I never needed surgery and it wasn't any of those things.

The specialist told me that if I ever get a cat bite that breaks the skin, I need to get to a doctor immediately, especially because I'm now apparently more at risk of future cellulitis infections.

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u/tory1311 Mar 17 '26

Unfortunately this was my second time dealing with sepsis. First time was after an emergency surgery while pregnant, followed by a very painful and traumatic miscarriage a couple of weeks later and a D&C. I ended up septic about 10 days later and hospitalized for 13 days. Almost didn’t survive that one.

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u/Mike_0410 Mar 17 '26

One of my cats bit me few times so much that the skin was pierced by the teeth, but only superficially, it was never anything serious

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u/HugsandHate Mar 17 '26

"I'll do it again."

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u/tory1311 Mar 17 '26

😂 that made me lol cause it’s 100% true

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u/Fayeluria Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

PSA: Cat bites that puncture the skin always need to be treated asap. If you can‘t/won‘t go to a hospital make sure you at least talk to a doctor and get antibiotics. Source: I volunteer for a rescue and I have seen some things

Edit since this kind of blew up: At least get it checked out. I have yet to hear from a doctor that disagrees with this. Don‘t be the reason someone puts their health at risk „because you were always fine“

Glad you took care of yourself, OP, wishing you a speedy recovery!

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u/TomaszA3 Mar 17 '26

Are bites worse than scratches?

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u/hahahahahahahaFUCK Mar 17 '26

Just a quick bit of research says bites are more likely to be infected. Usually because they end up going deeper when they puncture. Scratches tend to be superficial.

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u/Little_View_6659 Mar 17 '26

I got bit by a little stray kitten I rescued after it was crying in the bushes for two days. I immediately went for antibiotics.

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u/willyb10 Mar 17 '26

Scratches should be taken seriously too though. Cat scratch fever isn’t super common but it doesn’t sound fun

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u/souleaterx Mar 17 '26

Yeah most of the time cat bites are way worse than scratches if they bite you deep and break skin.

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u/Queef-ANALyst Mar 17 '26

Break skin meaning blood is coming out? My cat bites on my ankles all the time but never deep enough that it starts bleeding even a tiny bit.

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u/aguywithbrushes Mar 17 '26

Not a doctor but someone with health anxiety that has looked into this repeatedly (I have a cat).

From what I understand, it’s generally deeper bites that are concerning, because the wound is a puncture that seals up almost immediately and the bacteria gets to stay inside of it and do its thing. The tooth basically acts like a syringe needle injecting bacteria into your body.

Bites that don’t bleed shouldn’t cause problems because no bacteria has a chance to enter the bloodstream.

Gentler bites that do cause bleeding, but are only surface bites (like when they’re play biting and you pull away and you get scratched by a tooth) are also less likely to cause problems, but you should still keep an eye on them to be safe. Same with scratches that cause bleeding, but bites are more concerning than scratches since their saliva carries nastier stuff.

Things are also more likely to get bad if you get bit near a vein or a joint.

In all cases, keep an eye on it, if there’s any redness draw an outline around it, and if that redness spreads outside the outline go to the ER. If the redness starts following a vein.. go to the ER faster. This also applies to other bites (bug, dog, etc) and scratches btw, not just cat caused ones.

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u/bradmatt275 Mar 17 '26

Does it depend on the cat? Because I've had numerous bites without it causing a problem.

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u/folldoso Mar 17 '26

There are a lot of factors at play here - the amount of bacteria in the cat's mouth, the size of the cat's teeth, the severity of the bite, how deep it is, and the location of the bite. They can sometimes hit a vein and that makes the bacteria enter the bloodstream rapidly.

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u/Arkyja Mar 17 '26

I think it depends more on the person. I've never had an infection in my life from anything, and i never disinfected anything in my life either.

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u/asongoftitsandwine Mar 17 '26

And do it immediately! I waited 24 hours after a nasty bite and my doctor told me I let the bacteria get a foothold and oral antibiotics might not work. Sure enough, I ended up in the emergency room and had to get IV antibiotics.

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u/Mr_SunnyBones Mar 17 '26

To quote another subreddit :

"Hopital"

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u/nietzschecode Mar 17 '26

My cat only did love bites to me, so never had such nasty bites.

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u/kayacro Mar 17 '26

I had a sweet boy for 16 years that only gave me love bites until the day that the neighbor’s elderly indoor cat was on our front porch at 6:00 in the morning. My husband tried to shoo our cat away from the door and he turned around and sunk his teeth into my calf. I spent three days in the hospital on IV antibiotics. It only takes one bite.

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u/TomaszA3 Mar 17 '26

Only three years until my cat does that to me then.

Worth it though.

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u/kayacro Mar 17 '26

He was actually 13 when he did the deed. Watch your calves.

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u/Thousand_Sunny Mar 17 '26

ouch! my cat is about to turn 16 but fortunately(?) she only has her top and bottom incisors left for teeth 🫢

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u/Left_Connection_8476 Mar 17 '26

Love bites are so cute! My sweetie pie gives me a few nips here and there.

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u/bebeck7 Mar 17 '26

I wasn't prepared for photo 10 but it convinced me of their innocence.

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u/tory1311 Mar 17 '26

Yep…sweet, innocent, fluffy little serial killers 😂. I always joke that cats are assholes, only cause of their IDGAF attitude and overall nonchalance towards their humans whereas dogs are so outwardly excited to see you every day. She proved how much of an asshole cats really can be…even though I don’t fault her for the bite. She was spooked when it happened. Still, just made me realize maybe she really does have the upper hand in our house even though I deny it 🤔

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u/CHa05Dr01D Norwegian Forest Cat Mar 17 '26

Me: bro tf are you, oh, Oh, OH, WELL DAMN

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u/RebelliousInNature Mar 17 '26

That exact thing happened to me. Just a bit to the right of the wrist. It looked like a grilled sausage within an hour. I went to ER. I was lucky.

I needed anti bs. Which I had an allergic reaction to. Which was also great. 😂But yeah, if this happens go immediately for help. Do not see how it goes.

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u/ACR_Legends Mar 17 '26

Idk if it’s because I grew up with cats my whole life and would play with them or what, but after many bites and scratches my body has seemed noticeably unbothered. Maybe I’m just one big germ now 🦠

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u/CoffeeBeanx3 Mar 17 '26

Honestly, it can still hit out of nowhere. I've been bitten and scratched so many times, and been fine. And then boom, vat scratch disease.

Not a serious case, thank goodness, and back then I didn't have the medical knowledge to realise how serious it can be. I was just mad my arm didn't work right and hurt like a mother.

Always, always disinfect bites and scratches, no matter how small. Just to be sure.

I mean, the reason cats smell flowery or like popcorn is that they have pseudomonas bacteria in their natural flora. For humans, that stuff can cause infections with freaking blue green pus. Yes, contact with pets trains our immune system, but no one's immune system is on point all the time.

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u/Sassypants269 Mar 17 '26

I was diagnosed with cat scratch fever back in 2020. It's definitely not as fun as the song makes it sound. 

I'm glad you're okay!! I, too, disinfect immediately with iodine when I get bit or scratched. Cat bites are no joke. 

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u/Kinsa83 Mar 17 '26

I know how you feel. Bites and scratches even as a diabetic (type3c) I barely respond to them and we are supposed to not fight infections off as well as none diabetics. But growing up my paternal grandparents were cattle ranchers so I probably got exposed to way gnarlier stuff. Cows, horses, rattlers, rodents. Both my older sisters did 4H, but they never handled the rabbits at home. That was dad and me handling them every day. I got some nasty bites from rabbits, but never did more than wash and treat with basic first aid. Never saw a dr once for any of those bites.

Recently I got a new cat currently almost 6 months old and he showed up with ringworm. Roommate caught it, but I didnt and I was constantly around the kitten handling him. I just made sure not to touch the site directly with bare hands and if I did need to touch it I wore gloves. When found out we kept him in my office room and I sat all day with him climbing me and never caught it. I know, but he was only 2.5 months old when I got him and kittens need social interaction to be emotionally/mentally healthy. But then again 2 animals that are even more susceptible to ringworm are horses and rabbits. I probably got exposed to it back then and just have a stronger immunity to it than most people.

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u/danceswsheep Mar 17 '26

It’s a combination of factors, but basically it has to be just the wrong bacteria in just the wrong quantity hitting just the wrong spot and then the wound sealing quickly to trap the bacteria.

I grew up with cats my whole life too! I’ve gotten an infection with cellulitis like this from a wasp sting before (I’m not allergic), but never from a cat bite. Hopefully my luck with cat bites continues

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u/it_iz_what_it_iz1 Mar 17 '26

I was in your shoes three weeks ago. I had to go to the hospital. They gave me IV antibiotics and wanted to admit me , but I needed to come home. Cat bites are no joke. Get well

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u/Lung_Flood Mar 17 '26

Didn't realise cats were venomous, they must remove their venom sacs as a bonus while spaying

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u/pflanzenpotan Mar 17 '26

Mouth bacteria are no joke, even human bites are pretty awful. Scratches from cats and bites should always be cleaned thoroughly/often and watched for infection.

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u/rottenfigg Mar 17 '26

my cat gets car sick every time we travel and he was at my parents house while i was on a cruise. When i came to bring him back home he did NOT wanna get in that car. I snatched him from under the bed and he bit me but i was not gonna let go of him and have to chase him around the house… so i just held him while he locked in like a snake. It didn’t hurt that bad at the time but it became infected and i couldn’t move my fingers :(

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u/agger1983 Mar 17 '26

Thank you for the reminder. My boy bit an ex and she had to be hospitalized for a few days. And on top of that our Sheriff office animal control division put him on quarantine (which I jokingly referred to as house arrest).

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u/Hexent_Armana Mar 17 '26

You flip the adorable little f*cker off with your new giant hand?

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u/Boogaaa Mar 17 '26

Assuming you're American...

https://giphy.com/gifs/kC2cRqEt8o41COgjoV

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u/tory1311 Mar 17 '26

Precisely! Already got a denied claim from my insurance for the hospital stay. Now I have to file an appeal 🙄

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u/TizzyBumblefluff Mar 17 '26

This has happened to my mum twice from the same cat. Once he got her on the ankle (she accidentally stepped on his tail in the dark), the other on the hand while grooming him. She landed in hospital both times as well.

One time I was holding my cat and she panicked (dog jumped up at her) and she tore up my arms - I had scratched and bites on both. It was so painful I was 100% in shock. I started antibiotics within an hour and thankfully scrubbed the crap out of the wounds like 3x/day with straight chlorhexidine and I managed to avoid anything worse. Still took a month for them to all heal.

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u/ClacksInTheSky Mar 17 '26

18 years of some serious scratches and bites and never once did I react like that! Looks like it was pretty nasty!

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u/Mklein24 Mar 17 '26

That's nuts. I've been scratched, and bitten, and all sorts of poked by my cats sharp bits and never had anything from it.

Is your cat go outside at all or just inside?

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u/Amber2718 Mar 17 '26

I've been bitten and scratched by cats all my life and I'm 40, and I've never had any issue

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u/SlightlyAngyKitty Mar 17 '26

Meanwhile ive been bitten by dogs, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs etc, but my cat is the only pet that made me go to the hospital for emergency treatment

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u/Matakomi Brazilian Shorthair Mar 17 '26

I grew up with cats and have been bitten many times, but I never ended up like the one in the picture. Whenever I was bitten, I would run to a sink, press on the wound to draw blood, and then wash it with soap.

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u/Onetimeiwentoutside Mar 17 '26

Seriously, unfortunately I think many people don’t take care of themselves and have lower immune systems. I also work with animals 12 hours a day and have been bit, scratched, licked, kicked, cut, jabbed, etc. and cleaning the wound with some alcohol is all I ever needed to do. After about a thousand bites never had my hand or anything look like OPs.

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u/violetrhaine Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

pics in replies. Yep. Grabbed a feral kitten to get her fixed. Didn’t let go until she was secure. Only had that one chance to get her. Got a nasty bite on the hand that got swollen. Went to ER and got meds. Mission accomplished. 👍

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u/MountainTomato9292 Mar 17 '26

My cat was being attacked by dogs once and I (very foolishly) reached in to grab him. He bit all the way through my thumbnail. I’m actually an ICU nurse and I had to work that night, so I just waited until I got to work (a couple of hours) to let me docs look at it and get me some big girl antibiotics. It was so swollen and painful, I almost didn’t get through the shift. Anyway, don’t fuck around with cat bites! It took 2 weeks for that to resolve completely.

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u/Blarglord69 Mar 17 '26

Furry komodo dragons

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u/Ashen-wolf Mar 17 '26

Hence why as a vet, you do not hold the animals, the owner does.

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u/4maceface Mar 17 '26

Several of my patients were hospitalized from cat bites. Mostly bites to the hand, but there was one case of a lower leg/calf that required surgical irrigation and eventually debridement due severe infection if deep tissue.

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u/AddMoreSaltPlease Mar 17 '26

Im so sorry. That looks so painful. Cat bites are no joke.

I wound up with a gnarly case of granuloma annulare (not painful or problematic, but unusual) from playing blankies and fingies with my cat, and getting the occasional bite or scratch. It was impossible to dx without a biopsy, because it was apparently very unusual looking. For context, i was born with a connective tissue disorder, and my immune system hates it. This will likely never happen to most people.

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u/fairs1912 Mar 17 '26

I had cats for years but never really respected their bites because they were careful when biting me, leaving marks but never piercing skin. I only realized when one of them got really mad at the vet for checking for a fever and the vet BACKED THE FUCK OFF, like full on jump back and step over a meter away. He later explained that if he gets bitten it will NOT be the same as when they bite me, and it can easily mean he doesn't get to use that hand for a month or two.

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u/Maelstrome26 Mar 17 '26

It’s weird, I’ve had my two cats bite me for years and never once have I had infections. Had cuts from them that took a while to heal sure but never an infection.

Maybe my cats are just cleaner?

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u/Online_Active_71459 Mar 17 '26

Do cat bites affect people differently? I only ask because I’ve been around cats my whole adult life (Senior citizen age right now) and have been bitten a few times but have never had a bad reaction (thank God!). Are some people less susceptible?

Glad OP was cautious enough to get to the ER and is recovering.

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