How To Deal With Cat Bites

Yesterday morning my cat bit me. This is not normal behaviour for Tom, even though he can be a cantankerous old feline. I was brushing his fur, as he has become so old and senile that he rarely grooms himself any more; normally Tom loves to be brushed, but not yesterday. As I ran the brush over him he bit my wrist - not a little nip, he sank his teeth in and hit bone. Amazingly, I didn't even yelp - I think I was so shocked that any sound failed me.

Dashing off to the bathroom, I washed the wound and doused it in tea tree essential oil, my panacea for all punctures, hoping that by acting so quickly it would prevent any problems. No such luck. I type this with a wrist that's so swollen I can barely flex it, with red tendrils spreading down my thumb and now starting to snake up my arm. The skin is so tender and stretched over the inflammation and pus that it's unbearable if my cuff touches it, so I'm roaming around with one sleeve rolled up.

My dear friend V sent me a healing salve by overnight post and as well as being deeply touched by her thoughtfulness, I am disappointed that I won't be able to test it out without interruption from alopathic medicine. Yup, it was a trip to the doctor this evening to get Co-Amoxiclav, which is on the 'don't use unless you have to' list of antibiotics. Thanks Tom.

Meanwhile, while I plot revenge and dream of skewering the vile old feline and rotisserie-ing him over an open fire, Kim is feeding him prawns and other treats. I'd say that the cat was getting a mixed message here, but short of taping Kim's hands to his sides, I can't do much. The moral here is that men and cats will happily gang up with each other.

In the meantime, if a cat sinks it's fang deep into your flesh, go to the doctor as soon as you can, because leaving it overnight, as I did, makes for a very sore wound indeed!