Karnak Street Kats

An enormous black and white cat began hanging out on our block. I soon determined that this was an unaltered male, that explained his frequent disappearances. He was not fat, just long and sturdy. I asked around and even put an ad in the paper (this was before the internet). No one knew anything about this cat. I tried approaching him, but he was very skittish. Over some weeks, I was able to pet him. Gradually, he became friendlier. Eventually, I was able to load him in a carrier and take him to my veterinarian. There, I had to provide a name. Harlequin came to mind, and Harlequin he became although in time he was just Harley. Harlequin got a full physical (he passed); then he was neutered and vaccinated. When I picked him up, I received a warning. He was a biter.

Harley did not fit in with the other cats because he wanted to attack any cat in his territory. I had a large cage (4ftx4ftx2ft) that I used for sick or injured cats where I put him to recuperate. I made a discovery. He relaxed in the cage and completely ignored the other cats. He also was much more relaxed with me. I formed a plan. Harley could go out during the day where he would be our only outdoor cat. At night, I would bring him in and place him in the cage. To my amazement and relief, this worked. Harley actually loved the arrangement. In the morning he waited for me to take him outside, and when I came home from work, he was ready to come in. I did have to watch where I placed my hands. Too close to his head and Harley would bite. My mother would not touch him.

The day came when Harley got a kitty cold that turned into a respiratory infection. Off to the vet, then home with pills to take. All went well for several days, but Friday night, I was tired and Harley was in a bad mood. As I gave him a pill, he spit it out. I retrieved it and started to drop it back in Harley’s mouth. I don’t know what was the trigger, but Harley nailed me. His teeth went through the flesh of my left hand between the thumb and forefinger, all the way through, double punctures. He seemed to realize what he had done and to have regretted it. I was able to push the pill into his throat then put him back into his cage.

I washed the wound out with soap and water, and tried to squirt antibiotic ointment into each of the holes. The wounds had bled freely. I hoped that I would escape infection. I did not. When I woke Saturday morning, red streaks ran from the holes several inches up my arm. I called my doctor’s emergency number and reached the doctor on duty. I had to demand antibiotics. He wanted me to wait until Monday and see my own doctor. I finally did convince him, and he called in a prescription for three days worth of antibiotics. (Antibiotics are problematic for me because I am allergic to many of them.) I started the antibiotics immediately, and by Monday when I did see my doctor, the infection was under control. My doctor continued the antibiotics, and I healed without incident.

Cat bites are extremely nasty. Always see your doctor if a cat bites you. A friend had to have hand surgery when a cat bite infection did not respond to antibiotics. The surgery was successful, but she was disabled for several weeks. She was bitten because she stopped her cat from biting the vet by putting her hand in his mouth, although that was not her plan. I have been bitten several times and twice needed medical care afterward. Always respect your cat. I have never been bitten by a feral cat, only by a pet.

Labels: black, cat, cat bite, Harlequin, Harley, tuxedo cat, white

# posted by January Cat @ 1:46 PM