Woman Finds Deadly Snake ‘Coiled Tightly’ Around Her Pet Cat’s Neck

A cat owner was shocked to find a deadly snake “coiled tightly” around her beloved pet cat at her home in Australia.

Rebecca Daynes, who lives in Brisbane, found her cat Mabel struggling as the incredibly venomous eastern brown snake wrapped itself tightly around her neck.

The cat usually spends all her time indoors, but on Wednesday, she managed to sneak outside when Daynes took her child to school.

“She’s very old and slow these days, so on the rare occasion she manages to get outside she typically just finds a spot in the sun to sleep, so I wasn’t particularly worried,” Daynes told Newsweek. “Around lunchtime I saw her walk past a window and instantly noticed the snake around her neck. I was obviously shocked and ran to remove the snake, thinking it was most likely a small python. Pythons can deliver a nasty bite but they aren’t venomous, however as soon as I got closer I could tell that it wasn’t.”

It turned out to be an eastern brown, one of the deadliest snakes in Australia. The species are native to the country and are responsible for more snakebite fatalities than any other species in the country. They possess the world’s second-most toxic venom, which can shut down a victim’s heart, diaphragm and lungs, all within a few minutes.

“I was desperate to save our much-loved cat, so I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a pair of tongs,” Daynes said.

Daynes snapped a photograph of the snake in case her beloved cat had already been bitten by the deadly serpent. Photographs are used to identify species so that the correct antivenom can be administered.

She then used the tongs to remove the snake from Mabel, who still appeared to be struggling. Eventually, Daynes got her beloved cat free.

“I called my son as he is our family’s best snake identifier and he informed me that he was 90 percent sure it was an eastern brown. So then the dread really kicked in,” Daynes said. “My husband was at least an hour away with the car. So my adult daughter and son came rushing home. When the kids arrived the snake was still at the door. It struck at them and then moved into the garden. We haven’t seen it since.”

Luckily, the cat seems to have had a lucky escape. The snake however was covered in bite marks, meaning it likely died from its injuries.

“Cats can react differently and the effects of snake bites can be delayed, so for the first 24 hours we took shifts watching her for signs. It’s now been over 48 hours and she is still completely fine, she’s currently sitting by the fridge trying to convince me she needs a second dinner,” Daynes said. “We think Mabel has definitely used up all her luck and nine lives with this one. She is very old, skinny and frail, having already outlived her life expectancy after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, so we know her time left with us will be measured in months rather than years but we are extremely grateful we still have for a little while longer.”

Just a few years ago, their younger cat was bitten by an eastern brown. The cat had an immediate reaction but luckily, his owners got him to the vet in minutes and he survived after intensive care.

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