Cat Proudly Contributes To The Christmas Presents Under The Tree— A Live Venomous Snake!

• A family got a surprise gift of a highly poisonous snake from their cat.
• The cat smugly looked at the snake curling among the presents under the family’s Christmas tree.
• The family and the cat are safe while the snake was immediately released into a nearby bushland.

---

Cats show their appreciation by leaving gifts.  They can be lizards, birds, socks, leaves, toys and yes, occasional snakes.  One family in Hampton, in Australia’s Queensland state, was surprised with what their cat gave them under the Christmas tree— a highly venomous red-bellied black snake!

The cat looked pleased at the snake curled up with the Christmas presents.

In the Darling Downs Snake Catchers’ post on Facebook, a spokesperson said, “[The] cat seemed quite proud of itself.” 

They immediately removed the cat’s present and released it into the bushland near a creek. They also reassured everybody that neither the cat nor the snake were harmed.

Comments on the post ranged from “Oh no way! Naughty cat!” to “That’s it, not getting a cat.”

According to the spokesperson, there was also an incident of a non-venomous Keelback snake found hiding among the presents in Hervey Bay, Queensland last December.  But it was not deposited by a cat.

And although venomous, red-bellied black snakes like the one that the cat caught, have not caused any recorded human deaths. But when bitten, “People have lost fingers, due to its flesh destroying toxins,” the spokesperson added.

Their poison would cause blood from clotting, damage muscles leading to bleeding and swelling at the bite area, sweating, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, muscle pain and red-brown urine.

They are the most frequently encountered snakes on the east coast of Australia, according to the Australian Museum, accounting for the most number of bites. However, they are very shy animals and would only bite as a last resort. 

They live in moist habitats like grasslands, forests and woodlands which are under threat. They feed on reptiles and frogs, fish and other snakes and can grow up to six and a half feet in length.

The Australian Museum said that the species is one of the most frequently encountered snakes and that it’s responsible for numerous bites every year. However, they are very shy animals and will only bite as a last resort.

They may be poisonous but they are susceptible to the Cane toad’s venom, contributing to their decline in population in parts of Queensland and New South Wales.

Source: Newsweek