Woman ignores scratch from her pet cat because ‘it didn’t bleed’ — days later, she was rushed to the ER

A woman had a close call with life after a bizarre turn of events landed her in the hospital, with her pet cat as the culprit. Kara Marie was struggling to sleep one night, so she moved to the living room. Hoping to start a fresh day, Marie didn’t expect to end up in the hospital because of her feline companion. Her pet cat, Sponge, had awoken her with scratching noises on the litter box. In the early hours, as she was about to get up, a mishap unfolded. Marie's cat jumped on the couch and scratched her finger with its claw, as reported by PEOPLE. 

"As I put my hand on the couch to roll over, he jumped up, and his claw went directly in between, like my nail and like the fold of my skin," Marie told the outlet. The 35-year-old felt an odd gut feeling that this minor incident could become a “problem.” Still, not thinking much of it, she decided to wash her hands after, but noticed that the wound was not bleeding. Regardless, she applied antibiotic ointment on the finger and covered it with a Band-Aid. Marie, who goes by @imkaramarie on TikTok, hinted at her nerve-wracking experience that followed in two viral posts. 

The first post, liked by 225,600 people, showed her lying on a hospital bed with IV bags. “POV: Your cat poked you with his dirty litter box nail 5 days ago, and now we’re paging hand surgeons,” an overlay note read. Though Marie appeared to smile, the ordeal had taken a toll. “I love my life!” she quipped in the caption. In the interview, she revealed that pus had developed on the finger right after the scratch, and her condition worsened over time. “I called my doctor, and they said, 'You need to soak it and massage it while it's in the hot water, the infection is trapped in there and needs to come out,'" she recalled. 

Since the wound did not bleed at the time, the infection was trapped inside her finger. Marie tried to draw it out but only felt more “uncomfortable.” She was rushed to the emergency room and checked by a hand surgeon, who said they might have to remove the nail and clean the wound. Two urgent surgeries later, Marie returned home with pain and a “Flintstone finger.” Following the freak accident, her cat sensed something was wrong and stayed beside her the whole time. Her nail was removed, and she had to soak her finger several times daily. Doctors told her the nail would grow back within a year. 

However, Marie defended her cat and hygiene when people speculated about cleanliness. "My cat is very well loved and taken care of. We're very clean people. I'm like a germaphobe, and there's nothing wrong with my house or my animals; it was a freak accident," she explained. For Marie, this incident was a reminder to be aware of your body and better be safe than sorry. 

You can follow @imkaramarie on TikTok for more updates.