For you fellow cat lovers (cats have been my favorite animal from the first time at the age off 7 I saw a 700lb. Bengal tiger at the Philadelphia zoo), I have a special bit of advise which I just learned. Last Monday my girlfriend was bitten by her otherwise gentle, loving cat. It was a one-time event. The bite was a small puncture of the skin. She washed it out with soap and water and alcohol, thinking that was enough. But it wasn’t. Within 24 hours there was a raging infection, severe swelling and extreme pain.
We decided to go to the emergency room because the pain was so severe we thought that there might have been bone or nerve damage. The emergency room experience needs another time and entry to explain, so suffice it to say we left untreated after 3 hours. We went to her doctor who prescribed a strong antibiotic and a most important piece of advice: no matter how minor you think a cat bite may be, because of all the bacteria that live in a cats mouth, always take antibiotics ASAP. The infection if untreated can lead to more severe illness and possibly a one-way ticket to the afterlife.
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