Was it only on 24 October that I wrote a post about Saudi Street Cats and what one needed to know about if not domesticating them, how to at least convert them into a friendlier and approachable cat?
Little did I know that barely a week later I would have to write an updated post and share my recent encounter with a Saudi street cat with all of you.
I had been feeding this “big guy” for several weeks. Big Guy is a rakish looking street cat, caramel and white in color and about 6 years old. He’s a large cat, hence my nickname “Big Guy” for him. As far as street cats go he is “relatively clean.” He would hang around my house and take his cat naps in my front courtyard since he knew he was getting fed regularly and viewed my house as “safe.” He was also becoming quite friendly and more often or not would demand by his head butts to be petted more so than receive food. Many times when I’d place food on the ground and then sit on my door step, he’d climb up in my lap instead of eating the food. He’d purr loudly as I would pet under his chin, behind his ears and down his body.
Last Monday we were enjoying such a special “kitty purrfect” moment with him in my lap purring away as I am petting him. I then started to massage him under his front paws at the joints since that it something my own housecats enjoy. Apparently I must have touched on an old battle injury for in the blink of an eye he went from a purring kitty cat into a fighting tiger. He immediately turned and with his razor sharp teeth he clamped down on my hand.
I knew that while he was clamping down the worse thing I could do would be to try and shake him off so I just stopped petting him and remained very still while taking fast shallow breaths due to the pain. Big Guy let up and released my arm after about 10 – 15 seconds but it felt a lot longer. He wanted immediately petted again and actually resumed butting his head against me. As you can probably understand, I had another agenda. I carefully dislodged him from my lap and went inside to immediately cleanse and disinfect the wound. There was actually little to no bleeding but soon I realized there were 4 nasty looking puncture wounds. I shortly went to bed hoping it would all look better by morning.
At 0400 hours I was awakened with severe chills and fever. I never did turn on the light to look at my hand but took some pain relievers and eventually got back to sleep. But when I next awakened before 0600 hours I feared I might be in some trouble. By that time my entire hand was an angry red and swollen. Fortunately I work at National Guard Health Affairs which in my view has the best health care available in the Kingdom. I went to the Employee Health clinic expecting they would give me some antibiotics and soon I’d be at my desk working away. WRONG!!!
The doctor took one look at my hand and strongly informed me I was being transferred to the emergency room for treatment. As the doctor was examining me, I learned I was also running a fever and shaking again. I arrived at the emergency room and the first doctor who saw me there on simply seeing my hand from a distance informed me in a no-nonsense tone that I was going to be admitted. I have to say hearing those words put me in a shocked stupor. That was the last thing which I expected to be told. A line was also placed on my hand to indicate where the redness and swelling had extended. By this time I was having red tracks also start up the hand from beyond the wrist area.
It was an extraordinary busy day for the hospital and I was told there were no beds. They would keep me in the emergency room but would be unable to treat me until a bed had been identified. As I waited, to my horror and shock I watched the redness and swelling grow as well as the tracking move down my arm and actually all the way up to the shoulder. Although there were no beds yet available the ER staff decided to put me on a stretcher and begin administering antibiotics via an IV.
While in the ER I was examined by the doctor on call, a plastic surgery team due my injury being in the hand and a team from infectious diseases was called in too. Through these examinations I learned some chilling and frightening facts. The worse bites one can have are a human bite and bite from a cat. These two bites can carry more diseases and bacteria than most other creatures. Infections from these bites can develop quickly, spread rapidly and have severe consequences. The infectious disease doctor told me he had patients who ended up losing fingers from cat bites. When I asked him if this was going to happen to me it was not reassuring to me when he responded “inshallah (God willing) no.”
I learned that I was number 41 in the queu of ER patients who were waiting for a bed to become available. After 6 hours of being treated in the hallway of the ER I was moved to a bed vacated in the ER Observation area. While not a traditional room, it was private, cozy and comfortable. It became my “room” for 3 nights. It is not common for a westerner to be brought in and admitted at National Guard due to a cat bite and National Guard Health Affairs is also a teaching hospital. As a result, I had many visitors of physicians, nurses and other staff who wished to observe my injury. A colleague came to visit me and she inquired at the ER reception where my room was. The receptionist could not find my name and my friend remarked “she was brought in with a cat bite.” The receptionist then looked up and said loudly “Oh, the cat bite lady…she’s in observation room 1.” So I became infamous as the “Cat Bite Lady.”
After 3 nights in the ER observation room I was informed I was being moved to Ward 5 where although it would be a room shared with 3 other women, it would be quieter and more comfortable for me. The first two days in the ER observation showed little to no improvement to the strong antibiotics which were being given to me intravenously. Therefore the decision was made to keep me additional days and under close observation while continuing the IV antibiotics.
Because my injury was to the hand my case was assigned to plastic surgery. It was decided by the physician team to have a cast placed on my arm to help in reducing the swelling. Each day a team from plastic surgery would come to check on me. They would remove the cast, examine the hand and arm and then order another cast to be placed on the arm.
I have to say that the plastic surgery team, the infectious disease team, the ER doctors, the nursing staff, the technicians and my dear supportive colleagues were all incredible. Their professionalism was over the top. They took every precaution and care with me. In addition to the IV antibiotics, I was given a tetanus (OUCH) shot and sterile blood cultures were taken for analysis too.
I tried to be a good patient although there were a few trying moments when I either felt sorry for myself or was mad at myself for being in such a position. I do not have adequate words to express my thanks and happiness when I was told I could go home today. I was initially told earlier today I would not be released until Saturday at the earliest. So I am now home but still on strong antibiotics. I was told that if the hand swells again, gets red or I have fever I am to come directly to the ER room. Let’s all hope and pray that does not happen.
Ironically when I arrived home, Big Guy and another street cat kitten were at my door waiting for me, mewing plantively like “Where have you been? Give us some attention.” I do not dislike these kitties but realize now I have to keep my distance. In spite of how clean these cats have appeared as compared to other street cats, they have been born on the street, live on the street and eat on the street. They also do get into tangles with other street cats who may not be as healthy in appearance as them. So I learned my lesson. I will not hesitate to continue to put food out for these cats rather than have them forage in the garbage bins but I doubt I will be so ready to try and pet them again. This was one experience I do not want to repeat!
And now you all also know why I was not commenting as I usually do daily to my blog.
Filed under: Animals, Health, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, pets, travel
Salamat! I’m so sorry to hear about your accident(?). I am going to be a lot more careful now around those street cats, because I have been known to pet and scratch their necks (followed of course by scrubbing my hands). I never realized they could cause so much damage. Hope that you are feeling better.
Dear Cat Bite Lady: You scared me! Lines moving up is the worst sign!!!!
I’m glad they took it seriously from the start but I dont agree on waiting with treatment until there was a bed available!
And you had no one to guard you while being an easily accessible tourist-attraction!
There is one species with a worse bite: The komodo Dragon, carries an untold number of lethal bacteria in their mouth: They bite you, follow you while you are dying of bloodpoisoning, wait until you’ve rotted a bit (for easy digestion) and then start chomping away!
Sorry, getting too nerdy again…
Hi there, I am so glad you went to the hospital so soon and were treated. Please keep monitoring the bite very closely. I had a friend this year almost loose a few fingers after her cat of many years had a seizure and bit her. It took several weeks for her to recover from all of it. It kept getting reinfected.
Hang in there!
Sally in Germany
At least you are OK!
Carol,
I bit by a feral cat and got an infected hand also. I had taken him in for veterinary treatment and warned them that he was a feral cat and they should let me handle him, but the assistant would not listen and insisted on picking him up herself. This resulted in her getting bit and I got bit when I tried to help her.
We both went straight to the ER. One thing I did was to hold my hand down by my side and try to get it to bleed more. This washed the bacteria out of the wound. I was on antibiotics also and they put my finger in a brace so that it was straight. Unfortuneately, it was my middle finger…
Good Luck! I know how painful it can be!
Glad to hear you’re doing a bit better.
And this story is why I’m deathly afraid of all animals. Petting a house cat causes me extreme anxiety. Yes I’m a chicken.
I am quite surprised to find out that cats have such filthy mouths though. I’ve always assumed that cats were amongst the cleanest animals there were and dogs amongst the filthiest. Good info to know
welcome back.
I have allergy, though, from animal’s hair. The one and only one animal that I can tolerate is the horse 
— yet the hoarse has to be super clean , beautiful and strong 
LOL, maybe I can check Aafki’s 
I guess, I’m an animalophobic:) I even don’t like to let a domestic cat to touch my clothes:)
Oh No!
Thank God you’re alright! What an experience Bedu! We’re glad to have you back, but give your hands a rest and let the comments pile in then you can address them when you’re all good again!
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Its good that you are home again and seemingly past the worst. I agree with Aafke…why wait so long for such a potentially life threatening problem…but Ive had my own medical experiences here that convince me…as good as they are…sometimes they just dont have a clue.
bad kitty kitty…bad Big Guy!
I don’t want to talk down the hospital. The folks there did what they felt was necessary for the time and thankfully everything worked out. And I also wish to point out I was not alone. A very dear colleague who is also a physician came and stayed with me all the way from the initial visit at the Employee Health Clinic until I was ultimately moved to the bed in the ER Observation area. And of course when my husband learned what was going on he joined me too. While I was waiting for treatment (as well as after) so many friends and colleagues looked in on me which helped so much for that moral support. They all kept reassuring me I would not lose any fingers! (smile) It is comforting to work at the University hospital which puts me in regular contact with these excellent doctors on a “non-patient” basis as well.
Aafke – that is very interesting to learn about the komoto dragon. Sounds like an aggressive critter if it decides to bite you!
Miss Carol, glad that you are back. I didn’t realize how serious how cat bite could be. Alhamdulilah you didn’t lose any fingers. Inshallah you will have a speedy recovery.
Yikes! Glad you’re feeling better!
Wow, that’s scary! Alhamdulillah it’s better now. I’ll be sure to have my kids and myself be more careful about strays.
Mrs. Cat Bite Lady – that is too cute. I was worried about you and couldn’t find your phone number! May Allah heal you and purify you…aameen
My very dear blogging friends,
Thank you all for your warm wishes. And yes, please everyone do be very careful when around the stray street cats. It hurts me to say that as I love cats so much but I would not want anyone to experience what I have gone through.
Carol! Oh my goodness! I was wondering why you’d been so quiet over the past few days.
I’m glad to know that you are now ok, and I hope that you heal up quickly.
Keep us updated!
Oh Bedu! What an experience! Now I’m paranoid,theres feral cats in our woods I’ve been feeding for a couple years.Never been able to get close enough to pet them.After hearing your story I’m not going to try!
Eat lots of yogurt,I always heard that it’s good for you after a round of antibiotics.
Thanks Umm Sumayah.
Always – good. Normally I’d be encouraging and offering tips to get closer to the kitties in order to tame them but not after now knowing the damage one quick bite can do.
Ok heres my encounter with wildlife…sorry its a little personal but just to show you that you cant be too careful around animals.
When I was around 14 we were given a stud horse that was fairly wild…I mean he was nice enough to pet and would follow us around etc…but when it came to riding or behaving around other horses etc he was a rebel. My father had him gelded at the ripe old age of 2 (when we got him) which many of you might know is rather late in the game…by this time they assume they have “it” even if they dont.
Anyhow…unbeknownst to my 14 year old mind…there are several animals that react strongly to the smell of menses…horses being one of them (ever seen a stud around a mare in season…rated X stuff for sure). So picture this…me at 14 deciding to go out into the pasture to call up Buddy and give him some carrots…like always. Generally speaking I have to walk around awhile and call him several times to get him to come to me…he was still rather skittish but would come round eventually. Imagine my consternation and then my very real fear when he suddenly came pounding over the ridge straight for me. It was like watching a beautiful freight train bearing down and having nowhere to run too. He dare say he would have run right over me if I hadnt started waving my arms frantically and shouting…he swerved away at the last possible second…I actually felt his tail hit my face.
For the next 15 minutes I was stuck in the pasture with what can only be described as a “randy” horse…head up and alert…nostrils flaring and blowing..taking in deep breaths around me and whinnying…not to mention some other “visuals” going on. Every time he came charging at me I would whoop and holler and wave my arms…or maybe pretend to throw something at him…he would swerve away at the last second. Finally I managed to get myself down to an area where I could climb over the fence…and succumb to my impending heart attack…no lie. I almost lost it I was so badly frightened.
When I described what happened with the horse later to a friend of my moms (no way was I telling my dad…if you knew him you would understand)…the first thing he asked me was if I had my menses….and of course I said yes…and he just let out a shout…”Girl….are you crazy going into a field with a half wild horse who can smell you coming a mile a way?” Apparently I was…but lived to tell the tale…such as it is.
Sorry for the graphics but Carols story brought up that memory and wanted to share the joys of horse ownership with all you guys…ahem…ladies…lol.
Carol,
I’m so sorry that you went through all this but you have provided a very valuable lesson/reminder for animal lovers the world over. I know it is terribly difficult to push away a creature that so obviously and desperately wants affection.
I hope that you feel better very soon.
Bedu! Oh dear that was a dossy! Glad to hear you are recovering- keep an eye on the wound and make sure you don’t skip any of your doses- hoping for your quick recovery!
Alhamdulilah, it is reassuring to hear that you were well taken care of and I was impressed with the level of attention given by the health care staff.
I suppose Big Cat must have been wondering where did you go for the past week or so.
Coolred – that is incredible and I had no idea horses had such a keen sense of smell. Thank goodness you lived to tell the tale!!!
All – thanks. This was a tough lesson learned and I hope anyone who is like me and wants to be friendly to all stray cats takes heed and care. It may be a good idea to remind children too. As I am typing this, Tripod, my indoor vaccinated three legged wonder cat is sitting in my lap and helping me type. It’s like he knew something bad happened and just wants to be close! And yes, Big Guy has been mewwing at the door since my return but since we know he does carry some kind of infection or disease I cannot take the chance around him any more. )-:
Alhumdulillah that you got medical attention when you did! These kinds of infections can spread very quickly and overwhelm even an otherwise healthy patient!
Recently, my daughter complained of a stray cat sitting in her gazebo. The cat liked that place and slept there on summer afternoons.
I approached the cat, and it was very friendly, wanted to be petted, and purred sweetly. Its fur was clean and it appeared to be someone’s pet. I almost said, “See? This is a nice cat!” when the cat turned on me and bit my hand, but lightly, not breaking skin. Its ears went back, and it growled at me, but immediately wanted more petting.
My toddler granddaughter was nearby and wanted to pet the cat, but I couldn’t risk giving her the same experience. I picked her up and left the gazebo. My daughter then did a very smart thing. She picked up the garden hose, and blasted the cat with a gush of water. It disappeared instantly and never came back.
I am so glad you are doing better.
I must add, in defense of the street cat, that indoor kitties are also not that much safer. Cat bites can get infected very quickly.
My entirely indoors and entirely psychotic Shadow got pissed at my roommate for refusing to feed him (he had a full bowl of dry kibble but was demanding the wet food, NOW), and bit her.
Next thing I know, Roommate’s foot is twice it’s normal size, she is running a temp, and generally at death’s door. To top it all, she didn’t have insurance.
Let me just say, cat bites, feral or homebound, are NOT something to trifle with. But yes, I agree, extra precautions are definitely needed for ferals.
And good for you to feed the psycho. I have lived with so many ungrateful feline-panhandlers my entire life that I have come up with the theory I must have owed a lot of people a lot of money in my previous existence. Every time their food bill makes me wince, I just remind myself I must be paying back a forgotten debt with interest.
lol @ olivetheoil
poor roomate…i hope you paid her dr. bill
Marahm – As a new and protective Grandmother, I understand your daughter’s actions completely! And congrats – I did not realize you were also a Grandmother!!
Olive – In the defense of house cats as least with mine I know their shots are always up to date…and thankfully they have not attempted to bite me or anyone else!
Shadow does indeed sound like quite a character!
sounds like you just got a biter. We had one, domesticated street cat and he would bite. He would be petted everything seemed fine than out of nowhere he would take a bite out of my mother. He did have all his shots though. Must be a saudi male cat thing
He has really been yowling at my door but I’m not risking it.
He’s sorry.
Because he’s not getting nice food and petting anymore…
I’m sure he is! But don’t make me feel guilty!!!!
Bismillaah
May Allaah grant you a swift recovery with no trace of illness left behind. Thank you so much for teaching us this valuable lesson. As a cat loer I would never have thought twice before bringing a street cat home and trying to tame it to make it mine. No wander all my Arab friends here in the United States are terrified of my cats. lol Allaah forgive me. I thought their fear was the silliest thing (sadly shaking head no).
I can just imagine how terrible you must have felt.
I can’t help but wander how were you able to post new topics each day you were in the hospital? I mean, I know we can write posts ahead of time to post at a later date, is that what you normally do so that there is always a daily post?
Also, I have linked to you and would love a link back from you so much. I really enjoy this blog a lot. You’re a great blogger.
Sincerely & Gratefully
Halimah bint David
http://survivorsareus.wordpress.com
UmmSumayah: yes I got her medical care:)
American Bedu: Shadow is up with his shots too. He just lives for the fun of harassing people. Recently he managed to get himself nearly strangled to death on electric wires and spent some time in a kitty icu in an oxygen tent. He celebrated his recovery by biting the vet. Then he came home and gave me the what for and bit me as well.
When I take him in for annual check-ups, vets take evasive action and reach for their dart guns. Mind you, he is 17 and age has only made him crankier.
He is crazy. But I guess all cat lovers wind up with one crazy in the course of their life. My other kitties are complete dolls so I guess it evens out.
I hope your kitties are being nice to you in recovery!
What a nightmare – but thank goodness you sought immediate treatment. I wish you a speedy recovery!
Halimah – Yes, I do indeed write posts in advance and thank goodness I’ve got a good backlog stored up! A dear and trusted friend took care of uploading posts when I was unable to do so and then dear blogging friends kept everyone else up-to-date as to why I was not chiming in with my own comments!
Olive – ahhhhhhh…..you didn’t tell us he is such a senior citizen! He would be what…more than 100 in people years? Can’t blame him too much for being cranky! (smile)
Susie – thanks my dear! (big hug) And you said the right words… I learned that immediate treatment is essential and can make a huge difference in the outcome.
Carol, just wanted to remind you about the Cat Woman, that the Prophet spoke of. She was a prostitute but because of a small kindness to a cat she will be one of the people of paradise. Actions are judged by intentions and you did a kind thing and your intentions were to continue doing so until you were attacked. So insha’Allah you will continue to be rewarded for your intentions.
Carol, I think what sdhe is saying is that everything you singled Saudi girls/women about could very well be applied to women/girls worldwide. i actually see the exact oposite. In America I was never around crafty people until I became Muslim. Once I moved here I was amazed at how crafty people are. Maybe you are around highclass people. I am around the average people. I had a neighbor who never threw away clothes. She would send me aprons and oven mittens that looked like quilts…she made them out of old clothes. The young girls are also very creative. At every Quran memorization program you wil find a great deal of the time spent there…making arts and crafts or cooking. I guess the poor religious Saudis are different – but those are the ones I am around so I rarely see some of the issues you discuss.
Thanks Umm Adam. It is a beautiful story about the cat woman.
[...] my recent stay in the hospital due to an encounter with a street cat I was back in Ward 5 of the National Guard Health Affairs hospital for the last three of the six [...]
When I adopted my dear Zuzu last month my mom (the NP) immediately had me write down what meds and doses to take should she (zuzu) ever bite me. That very morning she had seen a patient who, within 12 hours of getting bit on her wrist by her housecat, had track marks up her arm almost to her armpit. You do not mess with cat bites. And also mind you that this is in the United States so its not about street/indoor or third world/developed nation cats.
I’m glad you’re ok, I can’t believe that you had to spend 6 days (!!!) in the hospital for it though.
I just wanted to make a correction though. The story of the prostitute involved her giving water to a thirsty dog. I’m not being nit-picky, I just like to point out that despite Muslims’ overall disgust of dogs we are rewarded for treating them well.
I try to remind myself of that everytime the pack of 10 stray dogs in my neighborhood start a barking/howling fest at 4 AM.
Molly, thanks for the correcvtion! I mixed up two hadeeth. The Cat Woman is actually going to the hell fire for mistreating a cat! Ya know the one where she locked a cat away and didn’t feed it. Same concept. Jazakallahu khayr.
Thanks for sharing Molly. I couldn’t believe the cat put me in the hospital for 6 days either! To make matters worse, both my arms ended up pretty much disabled while I was in. The “cat bite arm” was in a cast and the “good arm” received all the IV’s!
Umm Adam- oh I forgot that hadeeth, you’re right! It makes me sick to think about, how could anyone do that?
You poor thing, and its sad that you’re afraid to pet them now.
life’s lessons are hard sometimes.
I would not say I am afraid of street cats now but am indeed very cautious!
[...] given my last experience with a Saudi street cat, I had no desire for a repeat and spending more time in the hospital. I called my trusty vet, Dr. Majed and asked his advice on how to safely remove this kitty [...]
[...] is widely available. I had the luck (or misfortune?) of requiring several operations and other treatments in Saudi Arabia. However the point of this post is to remind everyone to be their own advocate [...]
Very interesting. I have “adopted” 3 street cats. Two were very young when I got them- one much older. One has become completely domesticated, her brother is essentially wild at heart- but also loves us. And I’ve told the kids to be very careful and never try to force him, and to learn his moods. He is easily overstimulated and you can tell when he’s had enough- and you must respect it. The third, is very scared and hard to even touch, though she spends much of her day looking in the window.
They’ve all had their shots- and they’ve all been neutered. I do have an occasional stray female try to drive them out of the the territory- but I trap them and release them in another dumpster community. It can actually be very complicated to adopt a feral cat when there is a feral colony living on the other side of your wall.
There are so many feral cat colonies in Saudi. Thankfully there is also Saudi Paws which does such a wonderful job in spaying/neutering and finding homes for them.
[...] love their pets, he or she will have little interest or notice in pets. In Saudi Arabia the Saudi street cats abound. They are typically referred to as Street Rats due to their high numbers and sickly [...]