A second route of infection is through scratches and bites. Cat scratch disease, for instance, is a bacterial infection spread when a cat scratches or bites a person enough to break their skin.

These organisms cause infections in cats when inhaled, ingested, or passed into the skin through a wound or scratch ... coat ...

I hurried to a nearby hospital emergency room, where they said that, without treatment, the infection was potentially life-threatening and that I might need surgery. For a tiny cat bite?