any one ever read Kujo? well, it could have been re-written Friday night when my 15 pound cat attacked my mother.
Roxanne, the cat, is only four years old but has already gone blind due to inbreeding and a chronic eye problem. I found her when I was living in Memphis, having literally been thrown away by her previous owner. Consequently and understandably, she's had a fear of plastic bags ever since. Mom had been at work that day, hanging out with her boss's brand new Lab (it's a fun office). The heat kicked on, rattling the plastic bag in the bathroom trash can. Roxanne was sleeping in the tub and went running out of the bathroom, straight into my mother. At this point, Roxanne attacked mom's leg, causing deep cuts and several bites. She got bitten on the hand trying to get Rox to let go.
Explaining to the Emergency staff that it had been your average tabby cat (though Roxanne is in fact a perfect Calico) that had caused the damage was difficult. Mom will be fine; a few stitches and possible nerve damage in her hand. It apparently could have been a lot worse.
The (probably missed) point to all of this, is that cat bites are apparently very dangerous, no matter how insignificant they look. The ones on mom's hand look like a bad scratch. I know how we all would usually just wash off the booboo, put some antibiotic cream on it and go on with our lives. This can be the worst thing you can do, the quack told us, because by the time you realize there is a problem, it is bad. The bacteria in cat's mouths begins infecting the bite very quickly. Think bad strep infections bad. We went to the ER at about 9, got seen by ten and got home at a little after one. When mom woke up on Saturday, her arm was swollen and red. Another trip to the ER, where they changed antibiotics and dressings.
I thought I'd post this because I know alot of us have house demons and though it will probably never happen to you, it has happened with my usually incredibly sweet cat.
Roxanne is fine, btw.
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