As unpleasant as antibiotics are, if the puncture wounds are bites you HAVE to be on them. Cat bites carry an anaerobic bacterium that loves puncture wounds. (Been there, done that.)

What kind of puppy, and how old?

My last dog bite - one dog was grabbing another dogs collar, got teeth stuck on collar, the dogs panicked, I had to grab/hold lower jaw to separate, resulted in deep puncture on finger. Once dogs were released all was right in their world. I went to dr, got shot and treated. This was before RA. The wound healed.........and then a few weeks later, the finger, in a very short time, swelled and turned bright red. I ended up getting cellulitis and abscess in the finger. I spent weeks going to 3 doctors, 2-3 times a week, stronger and stronger antibiotics for months, finger drained, and a year before my stomach felt good. As Alto says, you need to take it.

Again, this was BEFORE RA. I can not imagine while I had RA. You might want to consider, possibly, and I know there are a lot of people that think this is bad --- getting the cat declawed? If it is an indoor cat, it should be ok, and you wouldn't have to worry about kitty claws.

alto, this same cat bit me a few months ago - a perfect puncture wound on my middle finger. i let it go overnight and WOW it got big and hot. doc put me on levaquin that time.

both myself and the PA thought two of the wounds on the back of my knee looked like punctures. that's the main reason i went last night instead of waiting until this morning. i have numerous concerns - ever since my RD diagnosis, i feel like regular cuts and scrapes don't heal as well. i have like 15 open wounds on my left calf and have no idea what to expect. taking the augmentin as directed and slathering on neosporin.

puppy alice is about 13 months old, we rescued her last april and they said she was 4 months. we were told she was a mini pin/chihuahua mix but she's definitely terrier, we think rat terrier. which means she's much more high maintenance than we anticipated. terrier was the one breed i didn't want because of our cats. dh and i have briefly discussed rehoming alice because of the issues with the cats, but we're also in a small apartment right now waiting to move into a larger home. we're hopeful that moving into a home with a yard might help relax alice.

2left, i'm concerned about cellulite too. i've had it once before in my right calf and remember how much it sucked. i couldn't walk for days. but i would rehome jake before declawing. america is the only industrialized country where declawing for non-medical reasons is still legal. in most of europe, it's only allowed when a specific cancer is present that affects the bones in the toe. declawing is not like pulling the nails out (which would be bad enough), it removes the entire bone that the nail is attached to. so it would be like chopping off all of your fingers from the topmost joint. (one of the causes i'm passionate about.) however, we have considered soft paws claw covers in the past and are reconsidering them now.

As I said, a lot of people think it is bad for a cat to be declawed..... Hopefully, you will recover fast. without an complications

Many states have outlawed declawing cats and most vets won't do it. It is actually amputating the ends of the fingers and toes of the cat and often leaves them in so much pain, they are forever behaviorally challenged. Can you imagine how it must hurt to have your fingers and toes partially amputated and how that must hurt?

Look at the claw covers that are glued on but quite frankly, if you watch My Cat From Hell, the cat behaviorist will tell you that training the puppy is the real way to stop the chaos. The cat just felt he was under mortal attack and couldn't help his response. When threatened, cats kick into fight or flight(just like humans do) and he tried to save himself. Train the pup and it will be better.

I rescue feral cats....the ones that are dumped but can't survive for one reason or another as wild cats. I currently have 3 adult males who are all abused and feral......a truly monumental task. One even has PTSD from being deep in the woods for 3 months. To him, every noise is a coyote or fox trying to eat him.

But keeping life calm has allowed all of them to make the best of being house cats. Two have settled down and are now more pets than feral and the PTSD cat is slowly starting to explore the house.....after over 3 years. You can change their behavior.

But teaching the puppy to leave the cats alone will go a long way to help the situation. Puppies need to be trained so now would be a great time. Did you know that puppies can be trained right from the day they are born and it really helps them? It's never too soon and the dog appreciates knowing the rules of the house....makes them much better dogs.

It wasn't the cat's fault.

Hugs.............Jen

PS....I have lots of neosporin on hands and lots of large gauze pads(the 4"x4" type) so I can at least cover large scratches for the first few hours. That will stop the proliferation of the bacteria under the claws. The true BAD bacteria on a cat is from the mouth so bites need antibiotics but in my 60 years of experience with cats, scratches heal with few problems but once you have RA, a pad with lots of neosporin really helps to keep infection away. Repeat neosporin if the wounds turn bright red again. Infection from scratches rarely is serious if treated with OTC preparations.