Elderly man suffered from life-threatening lumps on his neck after catching an infection from his cat
An unnamed man developed strange boils on his neck after he caught a life-threatening infection from his own cat. The 68-year-old, who is believed to be from Missouri, went to the doctor after he suffered from excruciating red lumps on the right side of his next for about two months. The blood tests that were performed on the man were able to reveal that he was fighting off a rare condition called Tularemia, known to cause fatal pneumonia in up to 60% of cases.
It is believed that the man contracted the disease from his cat who died two days before he started to feel quite ill. Tularemia is a rare disease that can affect humans and animals if undercooked meat from an infected animal, normally rabbits, is injested. Even skin-to-skin contact with a pet can spread the disease.