Cat caring 101 course needed !!! XD

Sakura-chan · Post by **Sakura-chan** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 6:19 am

Just thought I should update for all the cat lovers

: I've found a nice person to take care of the cat while I'm gone this morning. When I get back, I'll go see what I can do about a shelter with the lady downstairs

.

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 6:54 am

COOL

I am glad that you have someone to take care of the kitty

tex-chan · Post by **tex-chan** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:52 am

Seems like it worked out OK for you and kitty last night, Saki-chan! When you talk to the lady in your dorm, be sure to remember to ask her about a No Kill shelter.

So many cats are abandoned, and "regular" shelters and the Humane Society get overrun very quickly. It's often impossible for them to adopt out adult cats, and, as Rei said, they will often put the cats to sleep after only a few days.

Good luck finding a safe place for kitty.

Not Sir Phobos · Post by **Not Sir Phobos** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:01 am

Get yourself and the cat checked. Bites are nothing to sneeze at, I don't mean to alarm you but make it a priority!

Other than that cats are pretty independant just give em a litter box, put the cat in the litter box and it'll catch on pretty fast, unless the box is not in a 'secure' spot. If that happens just move it to a new location untill the feline is comfortable using it.

I took in a cat once that was thrown from a car, it found us while we were having a yard sale. He parused our goods, went in the garage and found a nice pile of laundry to sleep on. We named him Ted after my deceased uncle. We eventually found a nice home for him and he is now one of those fat cat love machines!

Good luck to you, cats are very fulfilling.

graymouser · Post by **graymouser** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:12 am

I'm glad to hear kitty has found a place to settle down.

I'm going to have to agree with NSP though about the bite wound. A surface bite/scratch is not a big deal, but if any of the wounds went though the skin and into the subcutaneous layer underneath, it is very serious.

Full thickness bites MUST be treated with antibiotics (not just alcohol and topical ointment). The narrow shape of cats teeth make abscesses very common (in both cat vs cat and cat vs human wounds) I know a number of people who have needed hospitalization for small punctures that turned into major infections.

Sakura-chan · Post by **Sakura-chan** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 11:15 am

Okay, just a small update to tell you that the cat is now going to be picked up by a shelter in a few hours. I do not know their policy, but it's the only thing available for now. The lady is taking care of the details, so I do not know more than this.

I am cleaning my room now to make sure that kitty didn't leave fur or undesirable stuff lol.

I'm going to go see a doctor in town because one of the bites seem to heal a bit weirdly and I don't think I should take chances at this point.

Thanks for all the advice !

Baakay · Post by **Baakay** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 12:53 pm

Sakura-chan wrote: I'm going to go see a doctor in town because one of the bites seem to heal a bit weirdly and I don't think I should take chances at this point.

Thanks for all the advice !

Oh yeah... good choice. If it's at all a deep wound, those little critters do carry all sorts of lovelies around in their mouths. Well, so do we, actually. But we don't usually bite ourselves.

Geez. I need to have a nap

Majin_Vegeta_2028 · Post by **Majin_Vegeta_2028** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 2:13 pm

graymouser wrote:I'm glad to hear kitty has found a place to settle down.

I'm going to have to agree with NSP though about the bite wound. A surface bite/scratch is not a big deal, but if any of the wounds went though the skin and into the subcutaneous layer underneath, it is very serious.

Full thickness bites MUST be treated with antibiotics (not just alcohol and topical ointment). The narrow shape of cats teeth make abscesses very common (in both cat vs cat and cat vs human wounds) I know a number of people who have needed hospitalization for small punctures that turned into major infections.

really!

my cat bites/scratches me on almost a daily basis and ive never
had a problem.... and i dont usually even rise off the wound

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 2:33 pm

Majin_Vegeta_2028 wrote: really! my cat bites/scratches me on almost a daily basis and ive never
had a problem.... and i dont usually even rise off the wound

Heeheehee I have the same situation

Our cats scratch me everyday (eps younger one

) and I have never had problems.... I guess I have some immune system to cat's germs

Yeah but it could be bad as well (that is what I have heard). I hope you are ok sakura chan.

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 2:40 pm

Well, if it's your pet it's one thing, but she has no idea where this cat has been or what it could be carrying.

Sakura, please let us know what happens! ^_^ I hope you're ok! *huggles*

Not Sir Phobos · Post by **Not Sir Phobos** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 2:45 pm

Yeah, this is an unknown cat. Maybe the previousl owner chucked it because it is sick and they didn't want to pay for medications.

I highly doubt that scenario of course, but with your health one cannot be too careful.

graymouser · Post by **graymouser** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:14 pm

I should have pointed out more clearly that the depth of the wound is the most important factor.

If it doesn't break all the way through the skin, its no big deal.

The problems start if it goes all the way through to the underlying tissues. I should also point out that the amount of blood you see is no indication of depth. If you can see fat or other tissue coming up out of the hole, it is deep enough to take very seriously.

I get bitten on a fairly regular basis due to work (dogs, cats, you name it). Immunity over time is not really a factor. I don't treat the superficial wounds with other than simple cleaning, but I have also had a number of very deep punctures as well. Fortunately I have immediate access to antibiotics. Even with antibiotics, I have had times where a single puncture wound to my finger caused so much swelling that I could not use my hand for 2-3 days.

Another factor to think about is keeping tabs on where the cat goes. There are public health laws concerning bite wounds. Even though rabies is highly unlikely, cats with unknown vaccination historys are usually quarantined for about ten days after the bite.

By the way, I don't want to sound negative about the cat. I really hope its owner is located or it finds a nice new home. I just don't want anyone seriously hurt by taking bite wounds too lightly.

Not Sir Phobos · Post by **Not Sir Phobos** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:23 pm

Yes agreed, every cat deserves a good home. I hope it finds one.

vapalla · Post by **vapalla** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:52 pm

You might be able to find a shelter to take the cat at
petfinder:

http://www.petfinder.org/

You just type in your zipcode and you can find all kinds of rescues near you. You might even find one that can pick the cat up if you explain the situation.

You can also post a found ad there. Good luck finding a good place to take the kitty!

Sakura-chan · Post by **Sakura-chan** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 6:40 pm

Okay, new update ! I wasn't there when the shelter picked up the cat, but I'll make sure to see that he got there safely.

I've actually been spending the day at a clinic to finally get my antiobiotics... sigh, now I'm on biotics and I have to take care of the hand in question (which HAD to be my right of course...)

Anybody want to help me finish my medical homework LOL ? I can't work under these conditions XD.... *is really in trouble now*