Scratched by friend's cat - now its swollen - is it infected?? | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 318318 United States 11/22/2007 11:47 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
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Thanatos User ID: 324533 United States 11/22/2007 11:59 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | They stand in their litter box when they poop. Your description sounds like the beginnings of a serious infection that's already taken root and is now beyond the power of soap and water or even topical antiseptics. Up to date rabies vaccinations don't hurt (literally, with the new methods), but if the cat was displaying any odd behavior this may be bad. Once rabies gets established in your system you're in trouble, but you have about 14 days from contact with the virus in which to get the shots. Describe the circumstances under which you were bitten. Rarrgh! |
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Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 306940 United States 11/23/2007 12:05 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | They stand in their litter box when they poop. Your description sounds like the beginnings of a serious infection that's already taken root and is now beyond the power of soap and water or even topical antiseptics. Quoting: ThanatosUp to date rabies vaccinations don't hurt (literally, with the new methods), but if the cat was displaying any odd behavior this may be bad. Once rabies gets established in your system you're in trouble, but you have about 14 days from contact with the virus in which to get the shots. Describe the circumstances under which you were bitten. the cat was on the bed minding his own business and i came into the room to pet it. he's an indoor cat. I think i pet him too much and he just got annoyed and swatted my hand like 6 times really fast. he made contact with his claws on the pad on my palm under my thumb - the fleshy part. it wasn't the cat's fault, it was clearly mine. I don't mind going to the ER, its just that i don't want to tell them where it happened because they'll send animal control to my friends house and make it very difficult. if they have rabies shots, then maybe they won't do anything. i might claim i ran into a mesquite tree. or that i don't remember HOW i got them, just that my hand is swollen. of course, i imagine the type of treatment may be different if the origin of the injury is flora or fauna related. do you think i could say "my hand is swollen I think its infected and no, i don't know how it happened"?? can i get away with that and still get the right antibiotics? thanks! ? |
FreeFlow User ID: 51202 Austria 11/23/2007 12:10 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
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Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 306940 United States 11/23/2007 12:12 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | i have to go to bed now and will check the thread in the morning. thanks for all who reply. i think if its worse in the morning i'll simply go to urgent care/ER and just tell them i was doing yard work on thanksgiving day morning and THINK i abraided my hand on mesquite, cactus, or wood and then I didn't clean the wound for a couple hours. |
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wonbyOne User ID: 165715 United States 11/23/2007 01:41 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I remember having cat scratches flair up in the first 24 hours and being fine the next day. Don't worry unless you see increasing redness, swelling, soreness or purulent drainage = all indicators of infection. I don't think that you have to worry about cat-scratch fever unless you become ill and start running a fever. Let us know meow are you are in the morning. |
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Mr. Predictor Senior Forum Moderator User ID: 287257 United States 11/23/2007 01:54 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 306940 United States 11/23/2007 09:21 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hi guys. well....i don't know....the last time this happened the puncture site was in the same location as last time (right hand). I kept telling my husband it seemed to be getting worse and he said naw! Then 3 days later i was taking a shower and was washing under my arm and noticed a big lump under my armpit. Man, did i get out the shower and to the ER like a bat out of hell!! This morning, the swelling has gone down on the pad of my hand, the two scratches (they look like an x) are closing up and not tender like they were yesterday. BUT, and its a big BUTT, there is still swelling and I'm feeling a little ache going up my forearm - can't tell if that's a normal ache or associated with the scratch or a result from sleeping all twisted. I'll keep a watch on this thing all day. the ice thing seems to help! |
G. House User ID: 330386 United States 11/23/2007 09:26 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | If I were you I would get my will and affairs in order while you are still lucid. Sounds to me this is one of the new nasties we've been putting into chemtrail mix. The cat probably picked it up on it's feet when it was outside. This is a good test case to see how well this stuff works. Keep us posted as long as you can. "Everybody lies." |
marlboroman User ID: 267657 United States 11/23/2007 09:30 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 330395 United Kingdom 11/23/2007 09:36 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Anyway, the scratches sometimes swell up especially if they are near joints, but i never even wash them they always go away in a few days a week at the most and ive never sufferd any ill effect. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 161076 United States 11/23/2007 09:42 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hi. i went to thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house. while i was petting one of her cats it scratched my hand. It hurt but I didn't think much of it. I washed it with soap and water and left it alone - i looked for polysporin in their medicine cabinet, but didn't find any and I didn't mention that it had happened. Quoting: Need advice 306940If I wake up tomorrow and its more swollen, I'm going to have to go to urgent care. If i go there, they're going to ask about how i got the scratch. if i tell them it was my friend's cat, i think they'll send animal control to her house. i don't want that to happen. with the way my hand has already gotten swollen - not huge, but it is noticeably bigger than my other hand - do you think its already infected?? I've had polysporin on it this evening and I just now applied some tea tree oil to it + bandaids. the last thing i want is for this thing to get infected and to have to go to urgent care. they'll want to consider rabies shots or something if they don't know if the cat that scratched me had current rabies vaccinations. i went through this once before about 7 years ago with a neighbor's cat that actually bit me - a punture, far worse than these two superficial scratches. That time I told them the cat was a stray and I didn't id anybody as owning it, and animal control still came out and set traps for it. they never got it. anyone know what else i can do right now to keep this thing from getting infected? (if its more swollen in the morning, i will call my friend and tell her what's going on and ask her if her cats are current on rabies. if they are, i would still be reluctant to tell the ER people that I know that, i'll just take the antibiotics and decline the rabies shots. something weird about that whole situation that the medical insurance people don't want to handle but no one will say why. does anyone know? thanks, sorry for rambling. They might have to amputate your hand. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 319431 United States 11/23/2007 09:44 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | well take comfort in this. My new cat loves to play fight! i let him fight with my hand all the time, he rips it to shreds just about. And ive even had puncture wounds from his bites. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 330395Anyway, the scratches sometimes swell up especially if they are near joints, but i never even wash them they always go away in a few days a week at the most and ive never sufferd any ill effect. Same here. My cat and I kick the shit out of each other play fighting. My hands always look scratched to shit. He even scratches my legs, feet, etc. when I wear shorts and my chest, stomach when I don't have a shirt on. I've NEVER had any ill effects from this. Stop treating harmless stuff with medicine otherwise your immune system will be weak and you WILL get easy infections. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 330391 United States 11/23/2007 09:49 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I little isopropyl alcohol, and some neosporin will cure all that ails ya! That will be $1000, please. Thank you. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 328104 |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 235208 United Kingdom 11/23/2007 09:50 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 306940 United States 11/23/2007 09:50 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | If I were you I would get my will and affairs in order while you are still lucid. Quoting: G. HouseSounds to me this is one of the new nasties we've been putting into chemtrail mix. The cat probably picked it up on it's feet when it was outside. This is a good test case to see how well this stuff works. Keep us posted as long as you can. oh quit it!! LoL. DOOM! this is an INDOOR only cat. |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 306940 United States 11/23/2007 09:52 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | well take comfort in this. My new cat loves to play fight! i let him fight with my hand all the time, he rips it to shreds just about. And ive even had puncture wounds from his bites. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 319431Anyway, the scratches sometimes swell up especially if they are near joints, but i never even wash them they always go away in a few days a week at the most and ive never sufferd any ill effect. Same here. My cat and I kick the shit out of each other play fighting. My hands always look scratched to shit. He even scratches my legs, feet, etc. when I wear shorts and my chest, stomach when I don't have a shirt on. I've NEVER had any ill effects from this. Stop treating harmless stuff with medicine otherwise your immune system will be weak and you WILL get easy infections. that's the weird thing isn't it? When one's own cat scratches him, there's no effect, but a scatch from someone else's cat can cause damage. none of my own cat's scatches has ever swelled! |
angel17 User ID: 52060 United States 11/23/2007 09:55 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
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Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 306940 United States 11/23/2007 09:56 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Dont be too worried and take a Benadryl! I own about 20 cats and had the same thing happen to me. It is cat scratch fever and I believe it should go away in 48 hours. Quoting: angel17 52060Good luck. oh! excellent advice!!! Running to take benadryl!! BRB!! thanks |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 319431 United States 11/23/2007 09:59 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |