Exclusive:
Fran Oborski lost her leg after being scratched by a stray cat – she didn’t hesitate in agreeing to the life-changing surgery, and doesn’t blame feline Jaffa at all
A woman ended up losing her leg after she was scratched by a stray cat.
Widow Fran Oborski was at home in Kidderminster when Jaffa, a stray cat she has fed for more than 10 years, lashed out and left her with a deep scratch on her leg. Mrs Oborski, who has been a local councillor on Wyre Forest District Council for more than 50 years and has diabetes, says she tried to look after the wound herself.
It was three or four weeks before she sought medical help, once she realised the cut wasn’t healing and she ended up with cellulitis. Things went from bad to worse for the 79-year-old when ahead of a planned visit to her late husband’s family in Poland, a nurse suggested using adhesive dressings, to make things easier while travelling.
Unbeknown to both the nurse and Mrs Oborski, she was allergic to the dressings and her wounds turned into deep ulcers which saw her hospitalised. She told the Mirror: “The consultant told me I could have some other treatment, but it would be painful and I’d still likely lose my leg within two years. He said he’d give me some time to think about it.
“Within half an hour I called him back and told him I would have the amputation. If I was going to lose it, I might as well get on with it.”
Mrs Oborski, who has four other cats – Bella, Wizzy, Czarna and a kitten named Tadeusz – says ginger Tom Jaffa still comes for food and lives in her conservatory. The cats were looked after by a Ukrainian refugee, Lesia, who came to live with her as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme in May 2022, while she was in hospital.
She added: “It wasn’t Jaffa’s fault, he didn’t deliberately scratch me or cause me to lose my leg. Jaffa was abandoned by a family once they had children, they threw him out. He’s been a stray for about 10 or 11 years.
“I would warn anyone with diabetes not to leave cuts like this. It all started with the diabetes, if you get a deep scratch, you must seek medical help immediately. I left it too late.”
Mrs Oborski is set to have a prosthetic leg and plans to get back to an active life as soon as she can. She added: “Age is just a number.”
