A Brisbane woman discovered an eastern brown snake invading her home “tightly wrapped” around her cat’s neck on Wednesday.
Rebecca Daines posted a photo of the incident on the Facebook group Snake Identification Australia, describing it as “absolutely horrifying”.
She added that both the cat and the snake were lucky to survive the battle.
“It’s been over 24 hours and my cat is still not showing any symptoms or distress,” she said. “We are not completely out of the woods yet, but we are hopeful.”
Daines said her cat is old and frail and has a brain tumor that makes her slow and barely able to escape the house.
When she did, “we thought the snake must have slithered right past her because she usually just lies in the sun and waits for someone to notice and open the door again.” I am.”
Commenters on her Facebook post speculated that the snake may have wrapped itself around the feline’s neck as a defense mechanism to protect itself from feline bites.
“(The snake) is injured but still alive,” she said, but could not find it after it ran into the garden.
“Now that we’re back in the bushland, I think we’re far away.” Hopefully, my cat’s will to life and daring to die is the same as my cat’s. I hope you’re both okay.”
Mr Daines added: “It certainly hasn’t taught us anything,” as the cat tried to go outside again in the morning.
Daines removed the snake from her cat herself, which she said was an adrenaline moment and “probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
“I’m just glad I didn’t get bitten either.”
This Facebook group is co-run by Craig and Jackie Adams of SSSAFE, which teaches snake and spider safety awareness and sells bite first aid supplies.
“Snake identification is not always easy and many factors can make identification from photos difficult. This group should always maintain a safe distance from reptiles in the wild and seek immediate medical attention if they are bitten by a snake. “We recommend that you seek medical attention,” the group’s description reads.