# Snake eats cat, owner says "it's just nature"



## Miss Morph-lette (Nov 9, 2007)

This is what is meant to happen! I think that the woman was fantastic to behave in the way that she did!

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22729296-910,00.html

*A SNAKE in Queensland has taken the cream by gobbling down a family cat.*

January Clay, of Redlynch in Cairns, got the shock of her life when she saw her fully-grown cat disappearing down the throat of the 3m python. 

She had let the cat outside about 5.30am on Wednesday morning and when she went to check on it 30 minutes later made the gruesome discovery. 

"When I came out of the house the cat's legs were hanging out of its mouth," she told The Cairns Post yesterday. 

"I knew there were snakes about, but I never expected one to come into my yard." 

Ms Clay only moved to Redlynch four months ago and had not seen a snake in the outdoor area before. 

Despite her sadness at seeing her five-year-old pet killed by the python, she was not upset at the snake. 

"It's just nature, he was just doing what he normally does," she said. "My cat was in the wrong place at the wrong time." 

The python eventually left of its own accord. 

Ms Clay's attitude is in stark contrast with some other Cairns residents, who have recently played a role in bludgeoning several native species including pythons and a crocodile to death. 

Tropical Wildlife Protection president Anthea McAllan applauded Ms Clay's actions. 

"I definitely do commend her for not doing anything to the snake," Ms McAllan said. "They've got their place in the ecosystem and it's important that we respect that." 

She said the best thing to do was to keep cats indoors or build a snake proof enclosure to avoid such a tragic event. 

*The Cairns Post*


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## Radar (Nov 9, 2007)

:shock::|


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## minusone (Nov 9, 2007)

http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5742090,00.jpg


darwin carpet python?


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## herptrader (Nov 9, 2007)

I like this story. It is full of common sense and natural justice!


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## carinacat (Nov 9, 2007)

im not sure that i would take it that well! good on her thou


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## herptrader (Nov 9, 2007)

minusone said:


> http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5742090,00.jpg
> 
> 
> darwin carpet python?





Looks like a scrubby to me.


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## RevDaniel (Nov 9, 2007)

I would say scrub python. I was very happy to read that the woman did not kill the snake but accepted that it was in the wrong place at the wrong time.


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## Ozzie Python (Nov 9, 2007)

Good on her. if only we can get the rest of Australia to act like that.

It's a nice looking scrubby too


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## AngusBeefisBest (Nov 9, 2007)

Its about time it was the cat that was eaten. A bit of a roll reversal:lol:


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## Surfcop24 (Nov 9, 2007)

What a great story to read.... I mean unfortunate for the Cat...

But good to see the owner has common sense about what happened.....


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## Miss B (Nov 9, 2007)

Haha awesome. That would have been my reaction too, if a snake ate my cat :lol:


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## Chris1 (Nov 9, 2007)

AngusBeefisBest said:


> Its about time it was the cat that was eaten. A bit of a roll reversal:lol:



agreed!!


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## MatE (Nov 9, 2007)

We used to have a cat she was great but we used to lock her up at night,and through the day she wore a bell around her neck and was kept in the yard by a high fence.Good on her for the great attitude.


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## Veredus (Nov 9, 2007)

Don't wanna start the cat argument up or anything but bells only make them better at killing.


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## cris (Nov 9, 2007)

I think its a shame they dont focus on how irresponsible she is for killing her cat and risking our native wildlife.


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## Miss B (Nov 9, 2007)

cris said:


> I think its a shame they dont focus on how irresponsible she is for killing her cat and risking our native wildlife.


 
Huh?


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## cris (Nov 9, 2007)

Miss B said:


> Huh?



She puts the cat outside where it can easily get killed and kill other animals, this is not responsible cat ownership and is actually technically illegal. Sure it worked out good on this occasion but more often than not the cat will survive and kill native wildlife etc.


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## Miss B (Nov 9, 2007)

Ah ok, I get where you are coming from now. I wouldn't really say she was responsible for the death of her cat though, it was just bad luck and bad timing. Lots of people keep their dog in the backyard, and a snake could easily come into your yard, bite the dog and kill it (assuming the snake was venemous of course). 

As far as allowing the cat to roam and kill wildlife, I totally agree. Very irresponsible.


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## herptrader (Nov 9, 2007)

Veredus said:


> Don't wanna start the cat argument up or anything but bells only make them better at killing.



and besides it is not going to help animals snakes which basically have not hearing!


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## snakesrule (Nov 9, 2007)

minusone said:


> http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5742090,00.jpg
> 
> 
> darwin carpet python?



Dont know where you get that it's a darwin.


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## moosenoose (Nov 9, 2007)

Certainly a scrub if that's the right pic. You got to love some good ol' Aussie muscle! :lol: I think the owner of the cat should be commended with her outlook on it all - it would have been a horrible shock.


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## Forensick (Nov 9, 2007)

i am gonna agree with cris (oh dear god no)
its irresponsible to let your cat out...

but that said...
if only (attitude wise) there were more people like her.

if a human or pet gets killed by a croc/snake/shark it's sad, but thats it... you cant kill the animal in retribution


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## Reptile dude007 (Nov 9, 2007)

I would cut the snakes head off if the cat was still alive. but if it was dead i would be very sad but i would say the same thing.


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## Chris1 (Nov 9, 2007)

Reptile dude007 said:


> I would cut the snakes head off if the cat was still alive. but if it was dead i would be very sad but i would say the same thing.



would u cut the cats head off if u saw it eating a lizard?

fairs fair,....


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## moosenoose (Nov 9, 2007)

Personally I'd bash the cat with a shovel so it didn't injure the snake with it's claws ...or perhaps just subtly clip it's rear claws with a toenail snipper while it's been gobbled up hehehe


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## Forensick (Nov 9, 2007)

cutting the snakes head off would be pointless.... the cat would be dead by then


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## Reptile dude007 (Nov 9, 2007)

Chris1 said:


> would u cut the cats head off if u saw it eating a lizard?
> 
> fairs fair,....


No i would do like i normaly do pry the cats mouth open take the small animal put it in a box make it better then let it go. or i would with the snake poor vodica in its eyes.


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## Dodie (Nov 9, 2007)

Do you shoo away those pesty abattoir workers too?

Poor vodka in the snakes eye?! (Insert infraction worthy remark)


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## PhilK (Nov 9, 2007)

Beaut scrubby and good on her for taking it in stride.


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## Inkslinger (Nov 9, 2007)

Miss B said:


> Ah ok, I get where you are coming from now. I wouldn't really say she was responsible for the death of her cat though, it was just bad luck and bad timing. Lots of people keep their dog in the backyard, and a snake could easily come into your yard, bite the dog and kill it (assuming the snake was venemous of course).
> 
> As far as allowing the cat to roam and kill wildlife, I totally agree. Very irresponsible.



We lost a $7000 dog to a tiger snake in our backyard 5 years ago:cry:


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## reece89 (Nov 10, 2007)

hope the snake enjoyed it =D


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## cris (Nov 10, 2007)

Reptile dude007 said:


> No i would do like i normaly do pry the cats mouth open take the small animal put it in a box make it better then let it go. or i would with the snake poor vodica in its eyes.


thats too much drumk talk even for me :lol:    :shock:


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## MatE (Nov 10, 2007)

Veredus said:


> Don't wanna start the cat argument up or anything but bells only make them better at killing.


Just wondering how a bell makes them better at killing?And not everyone has scrub pythons in there backyard.If the cat is in your own backyard which she couldnt get out of.People have dogs in the backyard which kill all sorts of things but nobody says anything about a dog.


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## sid94 (Nov 10, 2007)

said but ture


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## PimmsPythons (Nov 10, 2007)

ok,so most of us agree that its a scrubby,so who's missing one. adelaide is a long way from home.


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## Adzo (Nov 10, 2007)

Its an Adelaide paper but it states that it happened in Cairns,QLD.


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## Reptilefreak95 (Aug 14, 2011)

minusone said:


> http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5742090,00.jpg
> 
> 
> darwin carpet python?



No, scrubbie  BIG snake, one of my favs


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## snakeluvver (Aug 14, 2011)

Cough cough


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## Trouble (Aug 14, 2011)

... wow talk about bringing threads back from the dead ....


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## alrightknight (Aug 14, 2011)

haha.


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## HoffOff (Aug 14, 2011)




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## Fuscus (Aug 14, 2011)

Another zombie thread resurrected to wander the halls of the internet crying out "BRAIINS, BRAIIIIIINS".
Mind you - this is an exceptionally interesting thread, especially as it occurs around the time a scrubby was hacked to death and a small croc hooked and killed in the same area.


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## Khagan (Aug 14, 2011)

Reptilefreak95 said:


> No, scrubbie  BIG snake, one of my favs



4 years too slow mate.


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## Nighthawk (Aug 14, 2011)

Blargh.


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## MSD Reptiles (Aug 14, 2011)

Go easy! He is new to the forum and is obviously doing the right thing in reading/researching through old threads rather than just posting willy nilly all over the place. Ive seen how people shoot down those that join and then start posting new threads on topics that have been covered before. 

If people are against the resurfacing of old threads, then maybe they should be automatically deleted after a certain time... bring in a shelf life of dormant threads?

I hadnt seen this thread, but i enjoyed reading about it thanks to the bump


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## snakeluvver (Aug 15, 2011)

Yeah he probably didnt realise how old the thread he was replying to was.


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## Fuscus (Aug 15, 2011)

W4NTED said:


> ...If people are against the resurfacing of old threads, ...


I hope that is not the impression I made :cry:


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## GeckPhotographer (Aug 15, 2011)

> Go easy! He is new to the forum and is obviously doing the right thing in reading/researching through old threads rather than just posting willy nilly all over the place. Ive seen how people shoot down those that join and then start posting new threads on topics that have been covered before.



I don't really mind old threads resurfacing but I would have preferred if people resurfaced them just by saying bump or by actually adding useful information. Answering a question that has already been answered in the thread several times looks like he has not even read the thread and could be just trolling.


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## Nighthawk (Aug 15, 2011)

GeckPhotographer said:


> Answering a question that has already been answered in the thread several times looks like he has not even read the thread and could be just trolling.



That why I deleted mine; I didn't actually notice it was a 4yo thread at first. Hey, it was late, I haven't slept properly in weeks lol... but in my defense the question I was answering hadn't been answered yet.


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## hazza88 (Aug 15, 2011)

i like the caption at the bottom that said "This 3m python swallowed an adult cat whole"


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## MSD Reptiles (Aug 15, 2011)

Fuscus said:


> I hope that is not the impression I made :cry:



I was directing my comment to anyone.... just generalising. Just seems people get shot down for bumping up old threads, but ive found a lot of the threads that get bumped to be an interesting read! 



GeckPhotographer said:


> I don't really mind old threads resurfacing but I would have preferred if people resurfaced them just by saying bump or by actually adding useful information. Answering a question that has already been answered in the thread several times looks like he has not even read the thread and could be just trolling.



Valid point though!! Like a thread a while back that i saw bumped. I think it was a good old 'help me pick a name....' that everyone loves :lol: Someone was nice enough to suggest a name about 4yrs too late!


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## mmafan555 (Sep 7, 2011)

MatE said:


> Just wondering how a bell makes them better at killing?And not everyone has scrub pythons in there backyard.If the cat is in your own backyard which she couldnt get out of.People have dogs in the backyard which kill all sorts of things but nobody says anything about a dog.



Very true...I like Dogs better than Cats but the hypocrisy is incredibly annoying...Dogs are every bit as destructive to unprepared native wildlife as cats are...Yet people constantly moan and bitch about cats but say nothing about dogs.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Sep 7, 2011)

I dont mind when old threads get bumped, 
sometimes its a better read than half the other threads anyway.


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## sagara_cp_2006 (Sep 7, 2011)

Wow. I am not sure I would have reacted that way. However, my cats dont' go anywhere near my snakes and my snakes are way too small to do any damage to the cats. I guess I wouldn't be too happy if a snake ate my cat, however animals rely on instinct and you can't blame them for that.


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## mmafan555 (Sep 7, 2011)

AdelaideReptiles said:


> That's true but IMO the point is that the majority of dogs don't go crawling through other people's property or the neighboring parks destroying wildlife like cats do. I wish I had a scrubbie in my backyard at times....



Well I don't live in Australia so I have no idea but people seem to like to think that Dogs are somehow less of killers/less predatory than cats are and that's just complete crap...My dog pretty much attacks/kills any smaller wild animal that he sees and is every bit as predatory as any cat I have ever owned...It's because people like dogs better( as do I) but lets be real here...That small lizard that was a cat killed would meet the same fate if it was unlucky enough to encounter a dog.

Aren't Cassowaries being devastated by packs of feral dogs?



sagara_cp_2006 said:


> I guess I wouldn't be too happy if a snake ate my cat, *however animals rely on instinct and you can't blame them for that*.



Unless of course they are cats...in which case they are evil satanic monsters that need to be ruthlessly killed.


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## MathewB (Sep 7, 2011)

mmafan555 said:


> Aren't Cassowaries being devastated by packs of feral dogs?



No, I don't think so (feel free to correct me), I put it down to land clearing etc.


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## Snake_Whisperer (Sep 7, 2011)

mmafan555 said:


> Well I don't live in Australia so I have no idea but people seem to like to think that Dogs are somehow less of killers/less predatory than cats are and that's just complete crap...It's a function of range and capability. The cats in question (domestic) are not limited to a single yard. The problem is when they are free to roam the neighborhood, etc... coupled with a FAR more savage predatory intstinct than _Canis lupus familiaris, _they can lay waste to local populations. My dog pretty much attacks/kills any smaller wild animal that he sees and is every bit as predatory as any cat That may be, but your dog, by simple genetics, will never be as capable a predator as Fluffy the house cat. Ever. I have ever owned...It's because people like dogs better( as do I) No and irrelevant. What you see on this forum is "reptile people" having a problem with "cat people" letting their animals run willy nilly in the streets. I personally love cats but the last one that chased my chicken/snake food around the yard copped a size 14 in the head. but lets be real here...That small lizard that was a cat killed would meet the same fate if it was unlucky enough to encounter a dog. Grammatical abortion aside, you are either being deliberately obtuse, or you just don't comprehend how Aussie herpers feel about their local herpetofauna.
> 
> Aren't Cassowaries being devastated by packs of feral dogs? Cassowaries are being devastated by habitat destruction and regular encounters with thousands of pounds of fast moving steel.
> 
> ...



What was this thread about again?


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## mmafan555 (Sep 7, 2011)

MathewB said:


> No, I don't think so (feel free to correct me), I put it down to land clearing etc.



Feral dog attacks are a significant cause of Cassowary mortality.

"Unrestrained and wild dogs are a major cause of cassowary deaths, particularly in areas near residential development. Chicks and sub-adults are small enough to be killed by dogs. However, packs of dogs also kill adult birds, pursuing them until they are exhausted, then attacking them. Dogs also indirectly affect cassowaries through their very presence, influencing the feeding, movements and general behaviour of the birds. Domestic dogs can also attack and kill cassowaries when they wander into suburban areas seeking food or water."

Cassowary (Department of Environment and Resource Management)


Dogs are a significant threat to Cassowaries.



Snake_Whisperer said:


> The problem is when they are free to roam the neighborhood, etc... coupled with a FAR more savage predatory intstinct than _Canis lupus familiaris, _they can lay waste to local populations.



I disagree 100 percent...Cats are definitely more efficient solo hunters but from my experience they are no more or less predatory than dogs.



Snake_Whisperer said:


> That may be, but your dog, by simple genetics, will never be as capable a predator as Fluffy the house cat. Ever.



Yes that is true if we are talking about 1 dog...But most of the time it is dogs as in plural. Dogs are pack animals and the type of feral dogs that devastate local wildlife usually do it in packs...A pack of feral dogs is a hell of a formidable killing force that can bring down nearly anything. Every bit as devastating as any cat




Snake_Whisperer said:


> No and irrelevant. What you see on this forum is "reptile people" having a problem with "cat people" letting their animals run willy nilly in the streets. I personally love cats but the last one that chased my chicken/snake food around the yard copped a size 14 in the head.



Well thats just because most of the killings that people witness are domestic cats killing animals...Doesn't mean that dogs don't kill just as many animals as cats do..It's just that feral dogs are the ones doing the killing and many people have no clue that this is happening.



Snake_Whisperer said:


> Grammatical abortion aside, you are either being deliberately obtuse, or you just don't comprehend how Aussie herpers feel about their local herpetofauna



I would say the Latter...But you just admitted it yourself....The discussion isn't about which causes more damage to local wildlife on a overall scale...Its just which causes more damage to the local herpetofauna...Since that is domestic cats, they take the brunt of the blame and criticism when in reality feral dogs are as big of a threat to local wildlife overall as cats are.

So I guess it depends on what this discussion is really about. And of course I am basing my replies on what is the case for America...I have no idea if this applies for Australia..

So actullay after thinking it over...maybe you should just ignore my posts lol. Because Australia isn't America.

And plus their are additional reasons why you should not let your cat go outside...Even if you ignore the impact they have on local wildlife...their are other reasons and you don't want your cat eating rodents....I'll just leave it at that


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## Chris1 (Sep 7, 2011)

mmafan555 said:


> Very true...I like Dogs better than Cats but the hypocrisy is incredibly annoying...Dogs are every bit as destructive to unprepared native wildlife as cats are...Yet people constantly moan and bitch about cats but say nothing about dogs.



the difference is, councils put restrictions on dogs, IE, they must stay on the right side of the fence, and when theyre not they must be on a leash.

there are no restrictions on cats whatsoever, and cat owners feel the right to let their horrible critters roam and kill.

i dont hate cats, i hate cat owners and their attitudes..


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## mmafan555 (Sep 7, 2011)

Chris1 said:


> the difference is, councils put restrictions on dogs, IE, they must stay on the right side of the fence, and when theyre not they must be on a leash.
> 
> there are no restrictions on cats whatsoever, and cat owners feel the right to let their horrible critters roam and kill.
> 
> i dont hate cats, i hate cat owners and their attitudes..



Okay fair enough..I agree with you that their should be restrictions on cats to prevent the death of local wildlife especially since most of the small local wildlife has no idea how to deal with such an aggressive predator...having never evolved with them.( through cats have been around for 200 years in OZ) 

I can't say I particularly love cats either...but I understand that extreme predatory instincts are vital to their survival just like any other mega-carnivore. Felines are no different from any other hyper carnivore.


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