Man contracts the ‘Black Death’ after cat bite

This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken July 6, at a hospital in Bend, Ore., shows Paul Gaylord as he recovers from the plague. Gaylord contracted the disease when he tried to pull a mouse out of the mouth of his cat, Charlie, because it was choking on the rodent.

One look at Paul Gaylord’s hands shows why the plague is referred to as “Black Death.”

The welder’s once-strong hands have been withered by the cell-killing infection and darkened to the color of charcoal.

Doctors are waiting to see if they can save...

Published: 07/18/2012