[AT] they're cute but be careful...

[Al Jones]

I just made my little buddy Milkshake read this and promise never to bite me.  In all seriousness, thanks for the warning, I do hope your infection resolves itself!

Al

I should point out, I am not an indoor pet owner per se.  I have always preferred my critters outside.  That changed in August, when two of our female cats that hit puberty a little faster than we were expecting before they could be spayed, had kittens.  Between the two they had 8, that quickly dropped to 6 and then 5.  Milkshake nearly died before we realized she was getting pushed off during nursing.  We found her in bad shape one Sunday morning and took her to the vet. hospital.  Put her on antibiotics, and began bottle feeding every, I mean EVERY 4 hours.  We stil tried to keep her with her mom.  One day when I came home we couldn't find her, but could hear her crying.  The mother cat had moved her some distance away from the rest in the old barn, apparently to abandon her since she was so sickly.  That's when my wife decided she was coming inside!  She's now about 2 lbs and fiesty as you have ever seen.  When she gets bigger she'll probably be outdoors full time but I have become quite attached....

Al


-----Original Message-----
>From: charlie hill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>Sent: Oct 30, 2010 10:58 PM
>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] they're cute but be careful...
>
>Lynn is the manager of a hospital laboratory and a Medical Technologist by 
>training.  She says it's most likely a bacteria called Pasteurella Multocida 
>which is common with cat or dog bites.  Nasty stuff she says.
>
>Charlie Hill
>
>--------------------------------------------------
>From: "Charlie V" <1cdevill at gmail.com>
>Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 7:22 PM
>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] they're cute but be careful...
>
>> My thought exactly!  I knew cat bites could be toxic to other cats,
>> but this is all new information.  Good luck with it, Dick.  This
>> sounds like a guy I know who got a wood sliver in his hand at work.
>> It immediately turned into a flesh eating virus and he had some
>> serious stuff going on for a while.  One never knows.
>>
>> Charlie V. in WNY
>>
>> On Sat, Oct 30, 2010 at 6:48 PM, David Rotigel <rotigel at me.com> wrote:
>>> Holy CRAP Batman! I sure hope that this turns out OK for you Dick!
>>>        Dave
>>>
>>> On Oct 30, 2010, at 5:56 PM, Dick Day wrote:
>>>
>>>> I am not a good typist when using both hands, using 1 hand is a real
>>>> challenge :)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> i was bitten by a cat, yes a cat, thursday night, the 14th .  my
>>>> wife Debbie
>>>> and I
>>>> both received many, many scratches and a few bites. Luckily, deb's
>>>> bite did
>>>> not become infected. in my case, infection set in where the cat bit
>>>> the
>>>> knuckle of the index finger on my left hand.
>>>>
>>>> i saw the doctor friday morn. and started taking antibiotics
>>>> immediately.
>>>> unfortunately, it got worse throughout the day and I was admitted to
>>>> the
>>>> hospital here in norfolk that night.
>>>>
>>>> i'd like to tell you that the cat was about the size of a small
>>>> toyota.
>>>> however, this little fur ball weighs maybe 6 lbs, tops.  not her
>>>> fault, at
>>>> all, totally our carelessness was to blame.
>>>>
>>>> They operated on me Saturday morning, the 16th. The surgeon opened
>>>> up the
>>>> finger as well as the area behind the knuckles, cleaned it out and
>>>> repaired
>>>> as much damage as he could. There may be more operations down the
>>>> road, not
>>>> sure yet.  amputation of the index finger is a real possibility if
>>>> things
>>>> don't improve.
>>>>
>>>> I got home at 3pm thursday the 21st.   I have a catheter inserted
>>>> that runs
>>>> through my arm, across my chest and into my heart. this will allow
>>>> me to
>>>> keep the antibiotics flowing for at least the next 3 to 6 weeks
>>>> which will
>>>> allow
>>>> me to remain out of the hospital. they say that pills cannot get
>>>> this drug
>>>> into the system fast enough.
>>>>
>>>> In reading the surgeon's post-op notes, the following really caught my
>>>> eye...
>>>> "This is a potentially devastating infection of his hand. This is a
>>>> cat
>>>> bite, which puts him at risk for a poor outcome including amputation
>>>> of his
>>>> index finger and/or the need for multiple operations."
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> again, it was not the cat's fault, she's a sweetie and hopefully
>>>> will find a
>>>> home on a farm somewhere. I am amazed by how many people tell me
>>>> that their
>>>> cat bites them all of the time and they never gave it a thought. The
>>>> ones
>>>> who saw my hand cringed at the thought of their hand looking like
>>>> this.  At
>>>> one point, my left hand barely resembled a human hand.
>>>>
>>>> I had my first occupational therapy session friday to determine the
>>>> amount
>>>> of mobility in this hand.  wrist movement is pretty darn good.   the
>>>> other
>>>> fingers, have very little movement. the index finger does not move
>>>> at all.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The point of this email is to make sure that atis members are aware
>>>> of the
>>>> dangers
>>>> of a cat bite, even playful ones.   I am told that cats carry an
>>>> enzyme that
>>>> is only found in the mouth of a cat and this is what puts cat bites
>>>> at the
>>>> top of the "dangerous animal bite" list.
>>>>
>>>> dick day
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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