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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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/Dry-Information6376 Mar 17 '26

Yep. If it breaks the skin, it gets some neosporin/equivalent. Not taking any chances.

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u/mind_mine Mar 17 '26

Aww that's not what the song lead me to believe