So, yeah, I never got around to doing that cat post I promised.

Short story: My parents are moving and we took their cat.

Latest development: The cat bit me last night on the thumb. When I woke up this morning, my thumb was sore and I could hardly move it. I turned on the lights and saw that my whole right hand was swollen and there was nasty redness around the bite mark.

So...I got to wait 4 hours at a clinic this morning to see a doctor for 5 minutes and get a tetanus shot and a prescription for "powerful" antibiotics. Apparently cats carry particularly aggressive bacteria, making their bites some of the nastiest around. Also, hand infections are apparently classified as "medical emergencies" due to their tendency to lead to permanent paralysis in fingers/thumbs.

O.o

So I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow with my family doctor to make sure it's under control.

Also in medical news, just last months I had a series of visits to my doctor due to a certain "lumpage" that needed removal. I'm fine, don't worry. But! This gives me a chance to highlight the Canadian socialized medical system:

Call Doctor, get appointment 1 week later.
See Doctor, he decides to remove the lump to be safe, sets up appointment for the next week.
Have minor surgery. I'll be phoned with the results shortly.

Total cost to me: Nothing. And I don't have any insurance either.

And for this cat-bite thing? Neither the all-day clinic nor the follow-up visits will cost anything. The doctor warned me that the antibiotics I was prescribed would be VERY expensive.

At $30, I suppose they are for Canadian drugs.

The U.S. government spends more per capita on health care than the government does in Canada. In 2004, the government of Canada spent $2,120 (in US dollars) per person on health care, while the United States government spent $2,724.

However, U.S. government spending covers less than half of all health care costs.