Four years after being bitten by a cat, a man passed away as a result of the serious infection he acquired from the bite, which also resulted in the loss of a finger and his deteriorating health.

According to Gizmodo, his recent passing was disclosed by his family in an effort to spread the message that cat bites should never be taken lightly. 

A Flesh-Eating Bacteria Was Spread Throughout The Man's Body

In 2018, Henrik Kriegbaum Plettner adopted a cat and her kittens from a shelter. But while attempting to move one of the kittens, he received a bite to his index finger.

Plettner didn't consider getting help until a few hours later when his hand had doubled in size and he decided to call a doctor, who advised him to wait until the following day.

He eventually found himself in Denmark's Kolding Hospital, where he spent a month and underwent 15 operations.

He appeared to make some progress, but four months later, doctors decided to amputate the finger completely because the surgeries could not restore his finger's proper functioning.

Until his passing in October 2022, Plettner reportedly battled health issues like gout, diabetes, pneumonia, and a compromised immune system.

According to Desiree, the 33-year-old man's widow, they did not know that Plettner was seriously ill, but bacteria reportedly reached his bloodstreams, leading to major infections and his eventual death.

"The cat had bitten right into a blood vessel, and when a cat bites and pulls its tooth out, the hole closes and the bacteria spreads," Plettner's mother tells the local media.

Read More: Dog Attack Allegedly Kills Amazon Driver While Making Deliveries 

Cat Bites And Scratches Transmit Deadly Infections

Gizmodo writes that cat bites and scratches can cause serious disease risks, particularly if they cause deep punctures in the skin.

These include Capnocytophaga bacteria, Bartonella henselae, and Pasteurella multocida, the latter of which is thought to be a major source of potentially dangerous hand infections caused by domestic pet bites.

While these infections typically only result in a mild illness, anyone is susceptible to serious complications, especially those with compromised immune systems or other medical conditions.

Lad Bible says that as per Dr. Christoph Specht, notes that a cat bite can be infected by dangerous bacteria only activated when it gets on a person's skin.

He even details that a cat bite gets into human tissues and becomes problematic once it reaches the blood, joints, or bones of a person.

With this, the Cleveland Clinic recommends that people who have been bitten by cats wash their wounds with soap and running water right away to avoid damaging the surrounding tissue.

Cat bite victims should also apply pressure to the wound to stop any bleeding, use any available antibiotic cream, and wrap the wound in a sterile bandage.

Additionally, those who have suffered animal bites should seek help from a physician as soon as they can to avoid possible complications that may result in death.

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