A man is set to undergo his sixth operation at St Thomas’ Hospital in London after a cat made its way into his home and bit him resulting in a serious infection
A man has issued a stark warning to all cat owners after a feline bite resulted in having to undergo six operations in less than 10 days. Life coach and entrepreneur Dan Perry took to TikTok to share his ordeal as he bids to make a full recovery.
“I’m going in for my sixth operation today,” he revealed in a video on Thursday (October 16). “People have been asking how it happened – a cat got into our house overnight and my wife tried to chase it out, but it ran up the stairs after hitting a glass door trying to get out. It lost its way so I picked it up and went to carry it outside and that’s when it bit me.”
Dan is no stranger to cat bites, explaining that when his own pet bites it simply “nips”. However, the intruding cat sank its teeth all the way in.
“What that does is puncture through all the different layers of flesh and pushes the bacteria in – then as the tooth comes back out, it sucks the bacteria off the tooth,” he continued.
As a result, Dan was left with a very deep and significant infection. “So that’s the big learning point here, cat bites don’t look like much other than little puncture wounds.
“I got antibiotics within hours and went to an emergency room immediately because I knew there would be lots of bacteria – but still that wasn’t enough and the infection keeps going.”
Others shared their cat bite horror stories, meanwhile, including one TikTok user who said: “My pet cat scratched me years ago and I ended up two days in hospital with blood poisoning! Intravenous, 10 tablets! Scary.”
A second person recalled: “I was bitten by a cat, hospital for two nights… IV antibiotics, my arm was a mess, the veins were changing colour, luckily the antibiotics sorted it otherwise they said I could’ve lost my arm!”
Whilst a third detailed: “I got bitten by a feral cat 12 years ago and spent 10 days in hospital on an antibiotics drip and three operations. Still can’t bend my finger at the first joint.”
When it comes to cat bites, VCA Animal Hospitals explains: “An infected cat bite wound will be red, swollen, and painful. Depending on the location and depth of the wound, the bacteria can spread in the surrounding tissues, causing a condition called cellulitis. Bacteria can also distribute through the blood to other areas of the body, causing a condition called septicemia (often called blood poisoning).”
As a consequence, people may suffer from fever and flu-like symptoms and, rarely, may die if proper medical treatment is not sought. Children, the elderly, ill, and immunosuppressed individuals are particularly vulnerable to developing severe infections if bitten by a cat.
VCA adds: “Immediately wash the wound under running water for at least 5 minutes. Avoid scrubbing the wound vigorously, or using strong disinfectants or other chemicals, since this may harm tissue and delay wound healing. You may clean the wound with a mild soap solution or a mild salt solution (mix 1 teaspoon table salt in 2 cups of water). Control bleeding by applying direct pressure to the wound using an absorbent dressing or bandage.
“You should see a physician as soon as possible. Most cat bite wounds are small punctures that drive pathogenic bacteria deep into the skin. Left untreated, a serious infection can develop within 24 to 48 hours.”