Man gets $122,000 for bite by sister's cat

A nasty bite on the hand that a man got from his sister's Siamese cat is worth $122,400.

A jury on Friday awarded Michael Sabo, 57, the money for an injury he got when the cat, Randy, bit his right hand in March 2004.

Sabo's fingers swelled so much that they looked like "plump hot dogs", his attorney, Tom Pabst, told The Flint Journal, and an infection put Sabo in a hospital for three weeks. He had to pay thousands in medical bills.

Pabst said Sabo's sister, Jean Toney, had warned people not to pick up Randy because he had bitten people before, but the newspaper said the cat leapt into Sabo's lap.

Sabo initially tried to get his sister's homeowner's insurance policy to cover the cost of treatment. When that request was refused, Sabo had no choice but to take the matter to court, Pabst said.