An American man who was inches from death after contracting the bubonic plague from a stray cat will survive, but at the expense of his fingers and toes.

Paul Gaylord, of Bend, Oregon, fell seriously ill in June after coming into contact with a stray cat. It was thought Mr Gaylord may have become infected after being bitten by a flea living in the animal's fur.

After initially believing he had the flu, Gaylord was rushed to hospital after his lymph nodes swelled enormously.

He has chosen not to let the harrowing illness get the better of him, telling OregonLive.com he just felt "lucky" to be alive.

paul gaylord

Gaylord's hands became gangrenous during the illness

"I'm going to have a long row to hoe but at least I have one," he said.

The 59-year-old was kept in intensive care at nearby St. Charles Medical Center for a nearly a month, with his family told at one point he would not survive the condition.

Gaylord's son, Jake, even flew from Texas to Oregon, 1900 miles away, to be with his father and say good bye, while Paul's mother, Almeda, organised a baptism just in case.

paul gaylord

Gaylord had to have his fingers and toes removed to prevent the gangrene spreading

However, he managed to survive, although doctors were forced to remove his gangrenous fingers and toes.

Gaylord, formerly a welder, will have a long road to recovery and relearn how to walk and use his hands.

Gaylord's niece, Andrea Gibb, has started a fund for donations to reconstruct Paul's home to allow him to live.

Loading Slideshow...

  • Paul Gaylord

    This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken July 6, 2012, 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. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)

  • Paul Gaylord

    This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken July 11, 2012, at a hospital in Bend, Ore., shows the blackened hand of 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. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)

  • Paul Gaylord

    This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken July 5, 2012, 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. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)

  • Paul Gaylord

    This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken July 6, 2012, 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. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)

  • Paul Gaylord, Jake Gaylord

    This photo supplied by the Gaylord family taken June 16, 2012, at a hospital in Bend, Ore., shows Jake Gaylord, left, with his father, 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. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)

  • Paul Gaylord

  • Paul Gaylord

    This undated photo supplied by the Gaylord family shows Paul Gaylord at his Prineville, Ore., home. Gaylord contracted the plague when trying to pull a mouse out of the mouth of his cat, Charlie, because it was choking on the rodent. The disease, a version of the medieval scourge that wiped out at least a third of Europe, took away the 59-year-old welder's fingertips, his toes and his ability to make a living. He faces an arduous recovery surrounded by constant reminders of his misery, the infected cat died, and the trailer he's living in has a mouse problem. (AP Photo/The Gaylord Family, ho)