Freaking out over a poor cat
I have health anxiety and part of me knows I’m freaking out over probably nothing but we have stray cats around the house. They had kittens and one of them was in our driveway laying there weak. My mom took it in and it wasn’t aggressive or friendly, just weak. Couldn’t lift its head or do anything beyond mewl. We had seen it before and it was skittish. It had some sort of really bad eye infection when we found it. They were swollen and full of puss. And the poor thing was skin and bone. My mom decided to try and make it eat our cat’s wet cat food. I tried scooping a tiny piece into its mouth but it did nothing.
We ultimately decided it wasn’t going to make it through the night and put it in a box with a towel so he wasn’t laying alone outside. It passed a few hours later.
But I’m so afraid that it might have had rabies and me putting my finger near its mouth was enough to come in contact. I pick at my hangnails and my forefinger had one sorta open? I realized the possibility immediately and washed my hands and everything the cat touched several times over within minutes. I’m not sure if the cat died because the eye infection went all over its body or if it was something else for sure. I took a benzo about it last night because I can’t go to my mom and ask to be taken to the doctor for a rabies shot over that kitten because I will be treated like I’m crazy and overreacting. I also don’t have insurance and we’re sadly broke.
The day after was fine I ate burgers for the 4th of July. But I also got a swollen lymph node in my arm. Not quite my armpit but just past that. And it happens to be the same hand and my brain thinks coincidences can’t exist. Mind you I have lymph nodes swell pretty often because I’m pretty sure I have MCAS which is just overproduction of histamine. Which can cause that and I was outside. But I’m just terrified and also feel stupid.
I have read the FAQ. The wound thing about bleeding I’m not sure about because it was kinda earlier that day.