Floridians face yet another threat, as a tiny caterpillar wandering into their backyards could cause excruciating pain.
Cat caterpillars are the most poisonous in the Sunshine State, but they look like a tuft of cat hair.
Floridian Joel Mathis found one of the creatures climbing his white picket fence after Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on the southern state.
“Be very careful when picking up debris and/or hand tools found in the backyard,” he wrote to Click Orlando.
Bri Oteri remembers being stung by a cat caterpillar in 2019 while attending her son’s sports practice.
“The morphine didn’t even relieve the pain,” he told Click Orlando at the time. ‘Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to faint and then the pain came. On my chest, all over my right arm, radiating from my wrist to my entire shoulder.
Cat Caterpillars Are the Most Venomous in the Sunshine State, But They Look Like a Tuft of Cat Hair
Their fur appearance is actually filled with stiff hairs that when injected into the body are filled with venom, causing the victim to feel severe levels of pain. The creatures can be difficult to spot, typically measuring only 1.2 to 1.4 centimeters long (pictured: caterpillar on a stick).
‘The pain was so unbearable. I cried hysterically in the hospital, begging the doctors and nurses to help me.’
Even though the little insect looks fluffy and harmless, it’s anything but.
Its fur-like body is actually filled with stiff hairs that, when injected into the body, are filled with venom, causing the victim to feel severe levels of pain.
And the creatures can be difficult to spot, typically measuring only 1.2 to 1.4 centimeters long, depending on Vermont BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS).
Biologist, Chris GilletteHe said the insects typically have “dull brown” fur.
“It doesn’t seem like much,” he said. “Keep an eye out for these guys, especially after the hurricane, if you’re cleaning things up.”
BCBS says that severe pain, swelling, restlessness, nausea and vomiting, fever, muscle cramps, swollen glands and symptoms of shock are signs that a cat caterpillar may have been bitten.
“If you come into contact with a cat caterpillar, remove the broken spines with cellophane tape or a commercial facial scrub and call your doctor,” the health organization recommended.