Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Nothing like a good, comforting antibiotic. Yummy.

You know what I like when I've been bitten by an animal and am possibly infected? What makes me feel all warm and snuggly and better? A VISIT TO THE FREAKIN' DOCTOR!!!

Get your butt to the doctor. When you get home you can have some mashed potatoes and gravy.

how about the cat that bit you gumbo?!

I work in a vet clinic and you NEED to be seen by a doctor. Even if your cat is clean, healthy and not an outside cat - their saliva can still be full of bacteria and infections happen VERY fast. One of our techs was bitten and her hand swelled and we rushed her to the ER. She was in the hospital for nine days. She would have lost her life or possibly her hand had she not gone in. I really hope you went and got this looked at.

We're withholding all comfort food tips pending a doc visit. We'll need a note as proof, plz.

Pasturella sp. and soft tissue compartments...you need antibiotics now, food later.

I was bitten by a dog a number of years ago, and as a result was forced to undergo (and still have to get boosters every couple of years for the rest of my life) Rabies treatment, which served to not only put me in a large amount of pain, but also made me really quesy.

Long story short, when I got home from the initial trip to the ER, where I had been bandaged and given the first part of the series, I asked my friend who picked me up (I couldn't drive, obviously) to drop by the local Tokyo Joe's (why aren't you in Minnesota???) for a bowl of teriyaki. When I got home, I found that I was sickened by the smell and taste of it, but for the next three days *lived* on delicious, yummy, whole grain toast and natural peanut butter!!!

Ah....I still have sweet memories of how good it tasted and settling to my stomach it was. To this day, I still eat toast and peanut butter when I am quesy.

AND PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW YOU ARE!!!!

Honestly, I love making macaroni and cheese from the box (if you can - get "Wacky Mac!"). Add lots of milk, butter and extra cheddar cheese to melt to make a gooey yummy bowl of comfort!

Hillary
Chew on That

P.S. You should probably go to the doctor.

Well, have you seen the doctor yet? Like @Laurel E said, we're withdrawing all comfort food talk until we hear you have.

Definitely make sure to take care of yourself!!

In terms of comfort food that wouldn't be to labor intensive, Amy's frozen mac and cheese is one of my favorites. Easy enough to unwrap and stick in the oven.

Sara

@PumpkinBear - just checking in to see if you have updated us all that you went to the doctor and all is good! Please let us know how you are!! I have my vet tech friend concerned about your condition now too...:-)

I have to confess that my concern is shifting to annoyance, a bit. I hope Pumpkinbear is alright, but posting about how you are ignoring a serious medical condition with a tangential, forced reference to food seems a bit attention-seeking--especially if you just 'leave' the comment and then don't update.

I really hope you are okay, given how serious this could be--as @Traveller, radley24, robincat, caramel, and many others have pointed out, very graphically.

lmao @olddad !! You sound like my Dad!

Ok Pumpkinbear ... time to check in and let us know how you are!

@Heart, I don't think PB is the type to make a dramatic, attention-seeking exit -- more likely she's dealing with whatever and hasn't gotten back online and doesn't realize we're all waiting to make sure everything is okay.

On the other hand, yes, I am worried. She posted in the wee hours of the morning after being bitten during the day. I'm guessing she didn't take herself to the doctor in the middle of the night, so she might have gone this morning...or not.

This makes me think that we ought to have some sort of "lifeline" way of contacting people if we're worried about them. I'd be happier if I knew someone called her and found out that her Internet was down or something.

Glad to hear you're all right and taking care of it! Hopefully, you're healing right and they won't need to cut it open. And whatever tastes good to you right now is your comfort food, be it a burger or a bowl of soup. Feel better!

Glad to hear that you're all right. Hopefully it wasn't a finger on your dominant hand. But if you need something comforting and easy to eat, try a creamy cheddar soup and drink it with a straw if it's awkward eating with a utensil.

How long have you had this cat? Rescue? Ferral? A friend of mine who owned a diner had a feral cat that slurked around the premises (probably attracted to the dumpster rats), and when she had kittens, he tried to adopt two of them. They ended up being named Gage and Church (Stephen King's Pet Semetary cats), which might tell you a bit about their personalities. We have three kitties from rescue groups, all of whom are well behaved. Hope your kitty learns some manners. Get well soon!

Thanks for letting us know you went to the doctor. We were getting a little worried about you. Hugs!

Doctor's are a rip off. If it starts to get infect I would go, otherwise going only adds to the doctor-happy society we live in. Its because people go to the doctor for every little thing (along with many other reasons) that Medical insurance is so gosh darn expensive.
Any-who when I hear comfort food I think of meatloaf with a tomato and beef gravy with a side of mashed potatoes and maybe some mac and cheese, yum!

So glad you had a doc take a look. I know how it is -- I'm not fond of doctors, either, but sometimes you just have to go.

Take the cat to a humane society/shelter.

Honestly, a pet is something you should choose for yourself, not something that should be a burden to you. And after that one bite, you're always going to be worrying that it's going to attack you or someone else in your home. That's not something I'd want to deal with.

Even antisocial cats can sometimes be placed in new homes. After spaying/neutering, people will adopt them as barn cats around here. They don't have to be friendly, they just have to eat mice. And since they're spayed/neutered, they don't add to the feral cat population.

@Pumpkinbear--you left something VERY serious out--do you know this cat's vaccination history? If it isn't vaccinated, you may need to take other precautions. Call your brother ASAP, or have a vet look at it.

I'm an animal lover, but when I fostered a dog and it bit me, I had to take it back. When you have a pet, it's cruel to both you and the pet to have an animal that doesn't fit into your lifestyle and temprament.

PB - I'm so happy you're okay. About the kitty (and my take only)- I like animals, I do, but in a case like this, I'd give it to a shelter. If there had been no infection, the bite wasn't a good thing, but it might not have been a deal breaker. I got from gown cat a shelter that was a biter. He'd attack ankles. I named him Fang, and I really kind of loved him in spite of it. I had him for many years, and over time, the biting did stop. With the infection though - deal breaker. In your situation though, how could one help but be skittish around it? Because you know that at some point, it is going to bite again. Maybe not in anger, maybe you'll just be playing and he'll get a little overly aggressive, but the odds are, it will. And another hospital run.

And seriously, if that were my brother, it would be worth it to me to go to Texas and kick his ass. That was a rotten thing he did to you.

@You should find out if it is vaccinated against rabies, regardless of what you do. Your brother is putting you in danger, and that isn't something to forgive and forget about, even from family.

You need to keep the cat or have it boarded at a vet or shelter for at least ten days after the date you were bitten if you don't know if the cat has been vaccinated for rabies. This is the standard period for post-bite rabies observation. If the cat should show any signs of sickness during this period, that is considered cause for you to undergo the rabies injections. Very serious business. Although rabies is rare, once you have it, there's no going back. I recommend you take the cat to a shelter or vet. You should have help taking it in and the animal should be handled by someone wearing elbow length leather gloves. You may want to call your local animal control officer who should be affiliated with your local police department. After the observation period is up, you can make a decision about the what you want to do with the cat.