While your feline family member is close to your heart, you’ve probably learned the hard way that she has a mind of her own. Cuddly one minute, your cat might lash out and bite the next. And although it may not seem like a big deal, significant dangers lurk in a cat bite.

While a dog’s blunt teeth usually create a relatively large wound, a cat’s smaller chompers deliver comparative pin pricks. But those needle-like teeth drive bacteria deep into tissues and joints. It’s usually a hand that suffers the bite, and the resulting infection can be so severe that one out of three people end up being hospitalized for treatment. Of this number, two of three patients require surgery to clear up the infection.

So if your cat ends up biting the hand that feeds her, don’t take it personally. Just take it seriously, and seek medical attention.