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Cat-shaped hole in my heart
Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone for the kind comments and support about the cat bite and the allergic reaction. The past week has been...really weird, but having you guys for support made it a lot easier. I completed the IV antibiotics on Friday, and the cellulitis (the infected tissue in my arm from the cat bite) was reduced quite a bit. In the pic below, you can see some pen marks on my arm; they usually draw the boundary of the infection to keep track of where it starts off, and they don't want it to spread past that when you start treatment, mine spread a little farther but not too much, and it definitely had scaled back a lot by Friday. The two right hand puncture wounds were the worst, but the left top one was really gross so I left the Band-Aid on. ;-)
I will continue to take antibiotics for the next week, and most of the redness is gone by now. I wish the pain was gone too -- that part is definitely harder. Anything touching the arm, especially pressure on the puncture wounds, is still just really effing painful, and it's hard to sleep since I'm a stomach sleeper and my arm rests at my side. I'm still taking pain meds and Benadryl to get rid of the allergic reaction, but my joints are a lot less swollen now and the aching and feverish feelings is mostly gone.
The hardest part is that I'm kind of afraid of Blues now. I just don't feel like I can trust him at all, and it's hard coming to terms with the fact that he's no longer my sweet little boy. He was always such a sweet, tender, loving little guy until he hit about three, and then he put on a growth spurt, gaining about four pounds and three inches in length. He also became a bully to Olive, and basically acted like a...frat boy. He was about 80 percent of the time a sweet, fun guy, and then 20 percent of the time an entitled, mean, bullying little shit monster who seems to think Olive and I are here to serve him. He is relentless in his pestering of her, and went from a guy who was always trying to get her attention in a "HEY LADY! LADY, HEY!" kind of way to pouncing on her and biting her neck. She could totally kick his ass, too, but she never does, and I feel so bad for her.
He cuddles up to me in my sleep in the mornings, but there have been times where, since he's a ginormous cat now and a bed hog, I try to move him over a bit and he'll start kicking furiously with his hind claws at my hand, and nipping me. He's never bitten through skin, though, and I think that it's probably likely that he'll do this again, despite the horrible reaction I had and that he was probably hurt by how hard I slammed him off of me. I just...I don't know how to get him to behave; Olive learned really fast that biting at hoomin was not a good idea, but Blues is just apparently incapable of learning lessons. I've picked him up a few times and tried to cuddle him but I just feel really wary of him now. I hate that. Those kitties are the only thing keeping me going and it's terrible to fear one of them.
He also never used to talk, now he sits in the kitchen and endlessly wails to be let out, which I won't do, and that seems to piss him off as well. Arg.
I had been making progress on my Idyll Challenge story. This set me so far back on my book that I haven't been able to work on it (and honestly, it hurt to type, so there was that). I doubt I can make the 22nd deadline.
I will continue to take antibiotics for the next week, and most of the redness is gone by now. I wish the pain was gone too -- that part is definitely harder. Anything touching the arm, especially pressure on the puncture wounds, is still just really effing painful, and it's hard to sleep since I'm a stomach sleeper and my arm rests at my side. I'm still taking pain meds and Benadryl to get rid of the allergic reaction, but my joints are a lot less swollen now and the aching and feverish feelings is mostly gone.
The hardest part is that I'm kind of afraid of Blues now. I just don't feel like I can trust him at all, and it's hard coming to terms with the fact that he's no longer my sweet little boy. He was always such a sweet, tender, loving little guy until he hit about three, and then he put on a growth spurt, gaining about four pounds and three inches in length. He also became a bully to Olive, and basically acted like a...frat boy. He was about 80 percent of the time a sweet, fun guy, and then 20 percent of the time an entitled, mean, bullying little shit monster who seems to think Olive and I are here to serve him. He is relentless in his pestering of her, and went from a guy who was always trying to get her attention in a "HEY LADY! LADY, HEY!" kind of way to pouncing on her and biting her neck. She could totally kick his ass, too, but she never does, and I feel so bad for her.
He cuddles up to me in my sleep in the mornings, but there have been times where, since he's a ginormous cat now and a bed hog, I try to move him over a bit and he'll start kicking furiously with his hind claws at my hand, and nipping me. He's never bitten through skin, though, and I think that it's probably likely that he'll do this again, despite the horrible reaction I had and that he was probably hurt by how hard I slammed him off of me. I just...I don't know how to get him to behave; Olive learned really fast that biting at hoomin was not a good idea, but Blues is just apparently incapable of learning lessons. I've picked him up a few times and tried to cuddle him but I just feel really wary of him now. I hate that. Those kitties are the only thing keeping me going and it's terrible to fear one of them.
He also never used to talk, now he sits in the kitchen and endlessly wails to be let out, which I won't do, and that seems to piss him off as well. Arg.
I had been making progress on my Idyll Challenge story. This set me so far back on my book that I haven't been able to work on it (and honestly, it hurt to type, so there was that). I doubt I can make the 22nd deadline.
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We have a screened in back porch (screen reinforced with chicken wire) we use for that purpose. Despite what some people say, once a cat wants to be an outside cat, there is not much you can do about except arrange a safe space for him. I have known cats who were content for years to be inside to suddenly become horribly aggressive or just increase bad behavior (i.e. urinating and crapping in the owner's bed or shoes) until they are allowed out.
Good luck.
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http://www.drsfostersmith.com/cat-supplies/outdoor-cats/ps/c/3261/20830
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Oh, man, I wish there was some easy answer about what to do with an aggressive cat. Good luck.
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