A researcher for the study says that a cat’s teeth can drive bacteria deep into the affected tissue. This can lead to infection. The study looked at 193 cat bite patients who were bitten on the hand. Of those, one out of three patients required hospitalization. Surgery was required to flush out infections in two-thirds of the hospitalized patients.
The most common bite victims in the study were middle-aged women. One woman who was bitten by her own cat tried to self treat the wound for a week before she went to the hospital. By the time she sought treatment, she couldn’t move her wrist. She said the cat bite on her hand led to eight weeks in and out of the hospital. Every other day for two weeks, she had to have surgery to flush out the wound and remove infected tissue. The incident led to $150,000 in medical bills.
If you were bitten by someone’s cat, you might have the right to seek compensation for your medical bills and other expenses related to the animal attack. Seeking the advice of a Massachusetts attorney might help you to understand how to proceed with filing a claim for compensation.
Source: USA Today, “A cat bite can turn into a hospital stay, study says” Mary Bowerman, Feb. 09, 2014