Guys, I am typing this message from my phone with one hand from my hospital bed. And believe me: I am absolutely gutted. No updates on the breeding birds or preparations for the racing season this week, but I need to give a dead serious warning to all my followers, pigeon fanciers, and fans.
The incident: 04:00 AM in my underwear
Last Thursday, right at 04:00 AM. I woke up to an absolute racket in the loft. Wings flapping, birds screaming… total panic among the homing pigeons. In a moment like that, you do not think twice. I jumped out of bed in my underwear and ran like a rocket through the yard.
When I opened the door of the pigeon loft, there was a huge neighborhood cat right in the middle of the floor. It was trying to snatch a few of my best racers. Not on my watch! I dived right on top of it to get that beast out of there. My homing pigeons were saved, not a single feather harmed, thank God. But when I tried to grab that intruder by the scruff, it whipped around and sunk its teeth deep into the muscle of my hand. It was a proper nasty wound. It was bleeding badly and the tissue was torn open, definitely not just two tiny puncture holes.
My first thought was simple. I thought I would just rinse it under the tap, slap a tight bandage on it, and get on with my day. That was the dumbest mistake of my life.
From antibiotics to two surgeries
As most of you know, I had a kidney transplant a while back. I take heavy medication every single day to prevent organ rejection, which means my immune system barely works.
Listen closely to this: even if you are as healthy as a horse, a cat bite is pure poison. Within a few hours, my hand started throbbing like crazy. Twelve hours later, my entire hand was red, burning hot, and swollen like a balloon. My wife rushed me straight to the emergency room.
I have been stuck here for a full week now. It did not stop at a simple IV drip of antibiotics. I have already gone through TWO SURGERIES under general anesthesia! The surgeons had to cut my hand and the tendon sheaths in my fingers wide open to flush out the pus and deep bacterial infection. At one point, they were genuinely worried I would end up with permanent damage to my tendons.
Why is a cat bite so dangerous?
The surgeon explained to me why a cat bite is medically way more dangerous than something like a dog bite:
They act like hypodermic needles: A dog usually causes a crushing or tearing wound. That bleeds heavily and can be washed out easily. But the long, sharp teeth of a cat act just like hypodermic needles. They inject bacteria filled saliva deep into your tendon sheaths, joints, and bones.
The wound seals up quickly: The moment the cat releases its grip, the surface tissue closes right back up. Those bacteria, especially the notorious Pasteurella multocida, get trapped in a warm, oxygen deprived spot. They multiply at an explosive rate.
Extremely high infection rate: Between 30% and 50% of all cat bites get severely infected. Since pigeon fanciers almost always get bitten in the hand or wrist while catching an animal, that infection travels straight into the deep tendons.
What you must do IMMEDIATELY after a cat bite in the loft
If you, your partner, or a fellow pigeon fancier ever get bitten by a cat, no matter how big or small the wound looks, follow these steps right away:
Step 1: Flush for 1 to 2 minutes under lukewarm tap water. Run straight to the sink. Keep the wound under running water for at least a full minute to wash away as many surface bacteria as possible. Do not pour harsh chemical disinfectants deep into the wound because that damages healthy tissue.
Step 2: See a doctor THE VERY SAME DAY. Do not wait until tomorrow. Do not wait until it turns red or swells up. Call your doctor or urgent care immediately.
Step 3: Get antibiotics and check your tetanus shot. A cat bite to the hand almost always requires preventive antibiotics like amoxicillin / clavulanic acid. If your last tetanus shot was over 10 years ago, get a booster right away!
Step 4: NEVER let them stitch or glue the wound shut. A doctor should almost never stitch or seal a fresh cat bite because that traps the dangerous bacteria inside your hand and practically guarantees a trip to the operating room.
Closing
My homing pigeons are safe in the loft and my mates are taking great care of them, for which I am truly grateful. But I am stuck attached to this IV drip for a while longer to recover properly.
Take good care of yourselves, guys. Protect your homing pigeons from predators, but never forget your own hands. Without healthy hands, you cannot clean lofts, feed birds, or crate your champions!
Drop a get well message in the comments below, share this post with other pigeon fanciers, and make sure your lofts are locked up tight.
Best regards from the hospital bed,
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
