“I could have lost my finger.” A few months ago, Jade, a cat owner, had a scare. Almost 24 hours after being bitten four times by her cat Verlaine, the Maine-et-Loire resident had to be rushed to the operating table.
“It had only been a few months since we took him in. He jumped from the first-floor window and took refuge in a bush. We wanted to go look for him, but he got scared and bit me,” Angevine recalls.
As a result, several months later, Jade still has after-effects. Some scars, the memory of “horrible pain” and reduced mobility, which you can hope to recover with rehabilitation sessions.
A case far from being isolated for Dr. Fabrice Rabarin, director of an SOS hand center and general secretary of the Federation of Emergency Hand Services (Fesum). According to this health professional, every year, “more than 25,000 French people” end up in the operating room after being bitten by their pet or, in some cases, even by a stray cat. The trend is increasing.
“Cat bites are very common, we have at least one a day. They often cause serious injuries to the hand. For us they are much more aggressive and much more serious than dog bites, both in number and in terms of severity of tissue damage,” explains the orthopedic surgeon.
The hand, a particularly sensitive area
It must be said that these injuries are sometimes discreet. Just two small stitches that bleed little or not at all. However, in an area as sensitive as the hand where a set of nerves, tendons and joints converge, the slightest attack can cause damage.
In addition to the injuries caused by cat fangs, it is the infection that causes serious forms. During the bite, a bacteria penetrates deeply into the body, “it can cause an infection that can be very serious at the tissue level,” the specialist emphasizes.
This enemy is invisible. The pain of the infection does not appear until 6 to 12 hours after initial contact, which is enough time for damage to occur. However, in these accidents, it is imperative that you be treated as quickly as possible.
“People often arrive after 12 or 24 hours, when the lesions have already healed. As soon as the bite arrives, it is necessary to start medical treatment, in particular antibiotics. It is recommended to consult a doctor as soon as possible, there is no need to wait,” asks the Fesum executive on BFMTV. In these cases, simple disinfection at home is not enough.
Sometimes it is necessary to amputate
If the infection is detected too late, which can occur within a few hours, the consequences can be numerous. “On the one hand, this requires surgical treatment, often intense antibiotic treatment, interruption of work when the person is active, and this can cause consequences such as hand stiffness and functional consequences,” he adds. Sometimes, in the most serious cases, amputation is even necessary.
“I remember amputating a homeless person’s hand, and leaving it lying around before consulting after a week. And unfortunately, there was no other possible solution than this amputation of his hand.”
The specialist does not invite you to be attentive to your animals, but to be aware of the dangers related to bites: “You still love your cats, but you should not force them to be petted, they are not toys, they defend themselves… Which can have quite serious consequences.”
In the case of Jade and Verlaine, despite the episode, the feline continues to spend happy days in her apartment. With always so many hugs.
Source: BFM TV
