Cat Scratch Fever – Sunday, May 28, 2006 – 1:06 AM EST
I never even heard of it until I got it. I knew that people can get gravely ill from cat bites but I didn’t realize that one could get sick for so long from a cat scratch. This whole thing could have been avoided had a friend of mine told me her cat constantly scratches her daughter giving her this fever. This is exactly why black people don’t like cats. God forbid my black friends should find out about this. The fear, oh the fear.
At the building I use to live in the apartment manager (a black woman) hated to go into apartments that had a cat. When she went into Sg’s apartment and saw her cat she bolted out the door. Another friend of mine had a cat that the manager wanted in a cage when she came to do inspections and what not. They do inspections in govt. housing quite often so she bolted out of many apartments to the shock and humor of the cat owner. Being this afraid of cats is something learned. Like I’ve said before, it’s passed down much the same as any other wives tales, fairy tales and superstitions. I think my generation is more accepting of cats than the generation before us. Many, many older black women do not like cats and would rather fight a pit bull than to be in the same room with a kitten.
About this fever thing….I know Gracie doesn’t carry this bacteria (not right now anyway) because Lord knows she’s scratched me a hundred times more than what UK’s cat did. This cat has some serious separation anxiety. I'm lying. This cat is just crazy, mentally ill feline. His name is Scrappy and he’s about 6 months old. Cute, very cute kitten but he wants you to hold him all the time and if you don’t he’ll find a way to get in your arms. He is known for jumping from the ground to your shoulders with exceptional accuracy. I'm not sure what happened the day I didn’t love on him fast enough but he missed his mark and scratched the crap out of my back. Hello cat scratch fever. Imagine my surprise when I realized she knows he’s a carrier (through his nails) and that he is constantly infecting her 15 year old daughter to the point that she needs steroids to recover. Okay UK, where did the laps in judgment come in? Why does this cat still live with you? Take a step back. The cat is cute but your daughter takes priority over the fluff and the purr. I don’t know about this here. Well, I do. UK holds onto those animals because she feels they are the only things that truly love her. When she is feeling depressed or used, lonely or needy her house pets begin to multiply. I know this behavior because I use to do it. I needed something to love and something that needed to be mothered. I would get a puppy and bring him or her home with the intent of filling some inner need. It never happened and the loneliness and emptiness continued. Her options are so few and dang it if she isn’t the exception to the rule. I know too many people with too much on their plate and no support whatsoever. We as people seek out what we need but most of the time we fail to fill the void. We return to those same tactics that have proven to be faulty with the expectation that this time things will be different. The need to love and be loved is a strong one so it almost seems logical to walk down a path even when you know the outcome will still leave you empty.
Aussie
Hi Aussie – I had cat scratch fever as a kid and it’s pretty painful. Can’t imagine having it on my back where you can’t get at it easily! Soaking in epsom salts was what they did to me. Anyway, UK can do a lot for the problem by trimming her cat’s nails. Just take the points off with a regular nail trimmer or even fingernail clippers so he can’t dig his nails into you.
Carmon
Aussie,
I grew up around cats, never liked them. I am black.
About 1/4 of may neighbors, all black, had cats. Now 3 of my good friends, all black, have cats. I worked with a woman, she was white, who thought all black people were afraid of dogs. She said this while I was in the back seat of her car stroking her beautiful 80 pound golden retriever. I am a dog lover.
So you see, there is no all, with black people when it come to loving any animal.
Oh yes, Desiree’, she’s black, has 6 cats and will collect as many as she can rescue. She has a BIG heart. All of her siblings have cats also.
I hope everything works out with the cat.
While not ALL black people have a disdain for felines, the vast majority are either indifferent or hold a measurable abhorrence for them, at least that’s been my experience. It’s a rare sight to see an adult black male petting a cat, it’s probably due to the “macho” man, I’m a thug image so many feel the need to pretend. As a former police officer in an urban area that was largely black I can attest to the weekly, or more often, tortured cat issues I came across. Black children would stick kittens in garbage cans and a) pour gasoline on them and light them on fire, b) Throw rocks into the can as hard as they could, or c) urinate on them first then do a combination of the first two. Talk to a cop, we have many cat torture stories, unfortunately.
By the way, only a fool would believe behavior of humans has anything to due with the amount of melanin in their skin. It’s not the skin, it’s the culture and upbringing. After all, much of a person’s behavior is learned, especially in the inner cities as they often don’t formulate opinions or use analytical thinking very often.