Mabel the cat with an eastern brown snake wrapped around her neck (left) and an eastern brown snake after Mabel’s owner, Rebecca Daynes, removed the reptile from her pet (right).Photo:Rebecca Daynes
Rebecca Daynes
Quick thinking and kitchen gadgets helped an Australian woman save her cat from a potentially deadly situation.
According toa Facebook post from Rebecca Daynes of Brisbane, the pet parent found her cat Mabel “with an eastern brown snake tightly coiled around her neck” on Jan. 30.
Eastern brown snakes are a venomous reptile found throughout eastern Australia, including in densely populated areas. They are responsible for more snake bite deaths in Australia than other snake species,per the Australian Museum.
Daynes added on social media that she responded to the shocking snake sighting in an “adrenaline-filled haze.” Mabel’s owner unraveled the snake from the cat’s neck “with a pair of kitchen tongs.”
“It has been 24 hours, and so far, Mabel hasn’t shown any symptoms or signs of distress,” Daynes wrote on Facebook alongside a photo of the snake wrapped around her pet, adding that the snake got injured but survived the incident and is now “presumably somewhere in the garden or the bushland behind the house.”
Rebecca Daynes cat Mabel with a eastern brown snake wrapped around her neck.Rebecca Daynes
News.com.aureported that Mabel the cat has a brain tumor, which affects the feline’s mobility. Because of this health issue, Daynes has been trying to keep her cat from going outside, but Mabel still manages to slip out occasionally.
Daynes added in her Facebook post that Mabel has “tried to escape outside again” since encountering the snake, “so she clearly hasn’t learnt any lessons.”
The brave cat owner toldNewsweekthat when she first spotted the snake on her pet, she thought it wasn’t a venomous species.
“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,” Dayna told the outlet.
“I was desperate to save our much-loved cat, so I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a pair of tongs,” she added.
The eastern brown snake Rebecca Daynes remove from her pet.Rebecca Daynes
Daynes said she later sent a photo to her son and a snake identification group to learn more about the reptile that potentially bit her cat. Once she was told that the snake was an eastern brown snake, Daynes worried she would lose Mabel, but the feline persisted.
“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,” Daynes toldNewsweek.
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She added that Mabel has likely used up her “nine lives” with this incident, especially since she is living with a brain tumor.
“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,” Daynes said.
source: people.com
