So THAT'S why they call it "The black death"

Terrible symptoms: The infection turns body parts black, hence the disease's traditional name, the 'black death'

A 59-year-old man is out of hospital after spending a month in intensive care due to infection from the bubonic plague. 

Paul Gaylord, 59, developed the symptoms after he was bitten by a stray cat his family had adopted. The cat, named Charlie, had caught a rodent which was stuck in his throat. 

It is thought that the rat was infected by fleas, which carry the disease. More (with pics) here: