• Dan Perry suffers serious injuries after stray cat attack
• Speech ability declined following the incident

A man has warned about the dangers of cat bites after his finger became infected following an attack by a stray cat in his home.

Dan Perry said his cognitive and speech abilities began to decline in the days after the incident on 7 October, which required six surgical procedures to treat.

He explained that he was asleep at his home in Lambeth, south London, when he heard a noise and discovered a stray cat inside the house.

When he tried to gently remove it, the cat bit his left index finger hard for 20 to 30 seconds, leaving a deep and painful wound.

Perry immediately went to the emergency department at King’s College Hospital, where the wound was cleaned and he was given antibiotics and painkillers.

However, the pain worsened the next day, prompting him to visit St Thomas’ Hospital, where doctors discovered he had been infected with Pasteurella bacteria, which can cause serious tissue, blood, joint, and bone infections, and in some cases life-threatening complications.

Perry underwent six procedures to remove necrotic and infected tissue after the wound was found to be deeper than doctors initially expected, increasing the risk of sepsis and slowing healing.

He said he felt intense fear and a loss of focus and speech due to the pain, adding, “Part of me thought this was just a cat bite, but my finger was turning black and smelled bad.”

Veterinary experts explained that cats’ sharp teeth can quickly pierce the skin and trap bacteria inside, potentially causing infections, redness, swelling, and sometimes blood poisoning if not treated promptly.