What affects us affects cats
A Bengal cat living in the state of Victoria, Australia has been bitten by snakes three times and survived. The story reported by ABC News doesn’t tell us the species of snake but my research indicates that the eastern brown snake is responsible for an estimated 76% of reported snake bites on companion animals …
There are poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes distributed throughout North America. Normally bites from nonpoisonous snakes do not cause swelling or pain. There are four poisonous species: cottonmouths (water moccasins), rattlesnakes, copperheads and coral snakes. Rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and copperheads are pit vipers. They can be identified by their large size of 1.2 to 2.4 m …
Professor Bryan Fry, the leader of a study at the University of Queensland tells us that cat’s blood clots more slowly than the blood of dogs. It is a trait which works against survival if bitten by a snake when their venom activates blood clotting. Australia’s eastern brown snake is one such snake and …
In the USA, there are some insects that are more likely to sting a cat. The domestic cat is naturally curious and a predator. Wild cats (the domestic cat ancestor) sometimes feed on insects so we can see that there is a real potential for an outdoor domestic cat to be stung by a …
Do domestic cats kill snakes, today? We know that at the beginning of wild cat domestication (about 9,500 years ago) semi-domestic cats killed snakes because the snake is on the pray diet for the wild cat ancestor of the domestic cat. Therefore, today’s domestic cats should kill snakes. The short answer, therefore, is that …
We can count of the domestic cat to provide an amusing expression from time to time. There are millions of videos based on this characteristic. Here we have a cute cat who slowly raises himself up meerkat-style to his maximum height to peer at a snake on a box inside what appears to be …
Yes, a coral snake bite can kill a domestic cat. Some cats will survive but I suspect that the percentage of survivors will be around 30%. The coral snake bite when venom is injected will be excruciating for the cat. He will enter into a coma and possibly die.
This is Australia where poisonous snakes are a real hazard to people but usually not cats. As soon as I read the story it reminded me of the ancient history of the domestic cat. The wild cat ancestor of the domestic cat, the North African wildcat, is a very competent snake catcher/killer. Cats are …
