Thought I'd share this story to raise awareness.

Last Thursday, about 3pm, we had a visit from a neighbor's young cat on our backyard wall. I said hello, put my hand up, and the cat gave me a friendly rub, my cat gave a warning hiss, and the cat, realizing he was, in effect, cornered on the wall, freaked and gave me a bite on my left index knuckle. There was only a bead of blood, top and bottom, it was small, but fairly deep, as young cat teeth are still quite sharp.
My wife Yelena urged me to go to the ER, which I thought that was nuts. I cleaned it and forgot about it, but it was infected. By 6 it was swelling and by 8 it was an angry red, so we went to the ER. I was cut, poked and prodded for the next 18 hours as I was sent from place to place, doctor to doctor (Don'tcha love HOAs?). By then my finger looked like a cooked hot dog with a fingernail on it, my hand was ballooning up and there were red lines coursing up my arm. Surgery was being considered. Amputation was never spoken out loud. First though, they would try IV antibiotics. I was admitted to the hospital. Three days later I was released intact, knuckle still a bit sore and swollen. I'll be on oral antibiotics and therapy for the next month.

Because of a little kitty bite.

What's weird is that every doctor and nurse would hear 'cat bite' and say: 'Yes, those can be very dangerous', but it's not public knowledge. I've had cats all my life, and never heard this.

Now, please, don't go hating our feline companions, just give them their space, and be aware of your situation. They're our friends and don't want to hurt us. If you do get bit, it may or may not get infected, but take care of it immediately. Also, spay or neuter your cat when they come of age -if your not planning on breeding them of course.

And thankfully no, it wasn't my drawing hand.

Now I gotta get back to work!

Best,

Jason

Update: I'm doing much better, thank you all for the Get Wells. The cat who bit me is Tommy. I talked to his owner who was shocked, but admitted Tommy been aggressive lately. I suggested that it was time to have Tommy fixed and getting a second cat, so he'd have a companion. I gave her the number for a animal clinic, and two days later she called, saying he was fixed and already back to his sweet self.