Savannah Cat Motzie Caught a Snake

by Deborah-Ann Milette
(USA)

Motzie – a special Savannah cat – photo copyright Helmi Flick

My Savannah cat Motizie caught a snake! OK, I will more than gladly enter a cage with a lion, tiger, cougar, serval, caracal or jungle cat. You name it in the feline world and I’m fine. I also have no objections to the human’s preference as to what animal they own. No problems at all with that. It is our right to own what we choose. BUT can I have a problem with an animal species? You bet I can and it comes from a childhood fear. My precious son, Motzie thought he would give Mommy a “Mother’s Day gift. Thank you, but no thank you and NO WAY!

Motzie has been real bored because of the severe restrictions due to my health and having to give up not only going to a couple of cat shows but some therapy time as well. Motzie is really a working cat, loves it and when we do shows I seriously think he thinks he is working and he works very hard for a cat in my book! So he has been going through what I am going to call, “show and heavy work load withdrawal”. He is extremely demanding; he wants more and more walks and he can really drive you right up a tree if he tried with his demands. The way he does it can make your skin curl from his way too many vocalizations both high and low pitched. His serval kicks in and the confusion of his other breeds as well. So the solution is a walk.

So we went for a walk. When Motzie walks it is not unusual for him to cat play and do short runs here and there playing as if to say, “Isn’t the outdoors great!” He will pounce on different things and when a leaf flies by he prepares and calculates for what is called a “serval two point pounce”, meaning he will gather up his hind legs and will launch himself in the air and perfectly with his two front feet, pounce on the leaf or object. He checks a hole in the ground that is up for investigation at full length. He’ll put a leg in the hole, dig and then place both feet in the hole. And he thinks that if he dug it deep enough he can fit his non-serval sized head in the hole. All of this is really a comedy in full swing in my book and is my personal entertainment. Unless a neighbor happens to see and they think Motzie is having a fit whereupon he gets a wide birth.

Well, we were walking and I didn’t realize that Motzie stopped for one of his investigations so I was about 12 feet away. Motzie is pouncing up and down on something and I am chuckling. This effort carries on for about 7 pounces then he begins fishing in the grass. I think he is done fishing. WRONG! His head comes up with a garter snake in his mouth with this thing squirming all around his head like he suddenly became Medusa from the ancient Greeks. Me, I am freaking and yelling a having a fit yelling “drop it, drop it now, do it, let it go!”

Me and snakes don’t mix at all since a snake wrapped itself around my feet as a child while picking blueberries in the woods. Well, I am the first to hit the doorstep! I am shaking the lead, still yelling at Motzie and man this darn cat insisted he was bringing it home. Finally he let go and tried to chase the snake, I am yelling “NO, let it go!” Needless to say I lost enthusiasm for the walk lost along the way. After that any time he pounced he was almost dragged away from what ever it was, there will be NO snakes in my home, NONE!

Deborah-Ann Milette
Home of the Best Known Savannah
“Motzie”

Savannah cat Motzie Caught a Snake – Note: This story is from an email from Deborah, which she kindly agreed to let me publish her. Some words have been changed slightly for search engine optimization reasons.

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