Dmitry Ukhin, 55, was scratched by the cat as he tried to bring it home - tragically by the time emergency services arrived he had already died from loss of blood
A man has bled to death after he was scratched by his beloved pet cat.
Dmitry Ukhin, who suffered from diabetes and poor blood clotting, was injured by the cat so severely that he died of blood loss at his home in the Kirishi district of Leningrad, Russia.
The 55-year-old is understood to have suffered scratches to his leg when he went to look for his cat on November 22 after it ran away from home two days earlier.
Mr Ukhin reportedly found the pet on the street and brought it home but that evening, the cat scratched Dmitry's leg so badly that he later died.
Dmitry's wife was away, so he had called his neighbour telling him he was badly injured and he could not stop the bleeding. Emergency services were then also called.
A police source reportedly told local media: "Around 11pm, a man called 112 to report that his friend was bleeding from his leg due to a torn vein. The doctors who arrived only confirmed the man's death, which the police received a telephone message about."
According to the unnamed neighbour who provided first aid to the man, the medical team took a long time to arrive and the deceased's wife confirmed this information to local media. The woman, named as Natalya, said that the cat, called Styopka liked to walk by himself, was kind and was harmless. The fate of the killer cat is currently unclear.
The cause of death is yet to be confirmed by forensic experts but the cat's owner suffered from diabetes and poor blood clotting, apparently caused by high blood pressure.
Meanwhile, last month the world’s fattest cat died in Russia despite losing weight at a feline rehab centre. Crumbs ballooned to two and a half stone and was too big to walk but after losing 2.2lbs he could move around again.
However he died at a veterinary diet centre in Perm after struggling to breathe. It is believed Kroshik – Crumbs in Russian – became obese after living on biscuits and soup in a hospital basement. The tabby’s efforts to slim down through diet, exercise and massages brought him global fame.
But the carers said: “Yesterday Kroshik suddenly became ill. He began to choke. Until that moment, the doctors had never noticed signs of shortness of breath in him. We acted immediately - in half an hour Kroshik was already in the oxygen chamber. Gradually, his condition began to deteriorate. And even the resuscitation efforts of the doctors could not help him. Dying, he was not alone. Until his very last breath, the best doctors fought for his life.”