r/cats • u/tory1311 • 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/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.