Wednesday, and all is, well....

Wednesday, and all is, well…

I wish it were better. On Sunday, the 12th, we went to Petsmart, which I used to think was Pet Smart, but not anymore. Stupid cat. Anyway. We went to see the pet adoption cats and the lady was in the room with us. She let me know the cat I was petting was not available but this other one, a gentle 3-4 year old male was. Large cat, grey and white, very nice. Purring, loving, reached out his paw to get petted again. I told Scott, “I want to see if he likes to be picked up. Well, when I did, Scott commented that, wow, he didn’t even put his claws out or anything! So, I am holding the cat, he is purring, when all of a sudden, he grabs my hand with both paws and bites down into my wrist as hard as he could! I have had cats all my life and have NEVER experienced anything like this! No growling, no ears back, no nothing. Purring to biting in .05 seconds! ¼ inch deep puncture wounds on the top and bottom of my wrist. It didn’t bleed much, it was right next to the vein. So I was able to see how deep the hole was. Well, little bleeding means that the toxins the cat deposited into my hand did not come out. So, the swelling and subsequent infection traveling down my wrist were no surprise.

So, the people at Petsmart told me to go to the Urgent Care covered by my insurance, which is in Van Nuys. Great. Pile the kids in the car and drive down there. It was 5:45 when it happened. Urgent Care dr. gave me a prescription for Zithromax. I was allergic to the first and second line drugs. Great. The doctor also told me that because of the diabetes, I run the risk of having a major infection. She was very concerned.

So, now I am supposed to go home and take care of it. Try explaining to a two year old why you can’t pick her up. Or carry her to bed. Why your four year old can’t hug your arm and make you feel better. The slightest pressure on my hand hurt. Still does, but it is a smaller area.

Then, the following Sunday, I wake up and can’t move. The muscles on the left side of my back were frozen. It took about ten minutes to get out of bed. I didn’t figure it out until about a week later, but this, I contribute to the cat bite as well. I was compensating. Lifting what I needed to pick up with my left hand, using my left hand when I would normally use my right hand. After a week of this, my back was out of balance and decided to throw in the towel. Another trip to the doctor. Took four days to get the prescription for muscle relaxants from the pharmacy. It still hurts. Not nearly as bad, but it does hurt. Very stiff and sore, especially if I am in one position for too long.

The asst. manager at Petsmart called me the day after this happened. The woman at Petsmart’s insurance company called me a few days later and told me that because the cat belonged to Claws rescue, the adoption company, that Petsmart is not responsible. So, wouldn’t you think that the people at Claws would call me? She hasn’t returned my phone calls or the Petsmart insurance companies phone calls. That is unbelievable! They probably think I did something to this cat! It bothers me that this cat may go to a home with small children because they think he is “gentle”.

I have had cats all my life. I have never been afraid of cats…ever. I am now. And I am angry that these people are more concerned with the life of a cat than the life of a person.