Who Woulda Thunk It?

I decided today to have the cat bite on my leg checked by a doctor. Right after church this morning, we drove to the same Urgent Care clinic I went to for the torn meniscus a month or so ago.

The area around the bite was so swollen and sore Friday night, that I couldn't bear to have the bed sheet touching it. Saturday morning, the worst of the puncture wounds started oozing fluid and I suspected an infection had taken hold.

After the oozing episode, my leg started to look better and hurt less so I waited until today to go to Urgent Care.

I'm glad I went! I received antibiotics and quite an education during my visit.

Did you know that cat bites are second only to human bites as far as risk of serious infection goes? They are! The doctor told me that he's had one patient who actually lost her leg below the knee because she waited 10 days after a cat bit her to have her injuries treated.

OK, so the lady was 80 years old, the neighborhood "cat lady", and the cat that bit her was a wild stray.

Still, that information certainly got my attention.

Also, did you know it's common medical procedure to treat ALL cat bites with antibiotics even if there are no signs of infection at all?

Given the story of the now one-legged cat lady, I can understand why.

Injuries such as the ones inflicted by my sweet, playful Skippy tend to fool people by appearing to heal, when in reality there are bacteria "incubating" and breeding deep within the tissue. If untreated, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and travel to other parts of the body. If it finds it's way to, oh say ... the heart, it can be FATAL.

That's good to know, Doc, but you had me convinced way back at first mention of amputation of the injured limb!

Thankfully, the doctor himself is a cat lover so he was completely understanding of my plight. I'd feared he might suspect I was harboring a dangerous animal and insist the CDC be called in to investigate. I hated the idea of poor Skippyjon having to go before a jury of his Siamese kitty peers, and possibly be convicted of "cruelty to a human".

No need to worry now. In a week or so my leg should be back to normal, (with the exception of a couple fang shaped scars) , Skippyjon has already forgotten the whole incident... and we are all a little wiser for the experience!