Our cat (1YO) found with Brown Snake.
 

I just found my 1yo cat laying on top of the end of a brown snake, very deadly, I killed the snake but now it's a waiting game as to whether he's been bitten, so far 45 minutes have passed and he is still ok.
Much worried!:oops::cry:

If your cat is not particularly large, i would say that if no results have been observed within about 2-3 hours your in the clear.

I would observe your cats behavior.

make sure the cat is reactive to any sounds and stimulus you provide.

Make sure the cat does not appear lethargic (any more lethargic than a cat would be) difficulty breathing etc

If your cat is ok after a few hours, it will probably be just fine.

If it is the "brown snake" you think it is, they are like the second most venomous snake in the world and your cat would probably be more or less paralyzed after 45 minutes

He's sleeping at the moment, about 1hr 15mns have passed!:oops:

Glad it didn't do harm to people.

45 minutes seems like an awful long time not to be dying if the cat had been bitten.

Snakes make nice delicacy btw..tastes just like chicken only less tender. Good for the skin too they say :D...I have a vendetta with snakes ( 2 legs or none). :O:

Well I think all is ok, it's been about 2.5 hours and he is still walking around as though nothing has happened! - Whew!!:yep:

Australia + Brown Snake = KIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x6VhNCKw5Q

Sounds like your kitty is lucky. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJJRZBrH45c

Apparently cats metobilse venom differently to other domestic animals for example they are almost totally immune to funnel web spider bites. That said I'd be giving it a good look over an if there is any evidence of a scratch or bite i'd be off to the vets with it.

You want to watch for paralysis and apparently treatment with vitimin C works on cats: http://www.cat-world.com.au/forums/i...n-snake-bites/

I'd want to check that with a vet though before I dosed moggy up with a bunch of crushed VC tabs.

Brown Snake are some of the most venomous snakes worldwide, so that even in Europe we have heared of them. Like all venomous snakes, their poison is not so much meant for defence or "bitings as a hobby", but hunting, and the more precious prey is due to it being rare in extreme climatic zones, the more toxic predators's poison tends to be - so that the bitten prey cannot run away for hours.


Wouldn'T one expect then that the venom of such a snake starts to be effective on an animal just sligthly bigger than its natural prey much sooner than just after several hours? When such a snakes bites a dog or a cat, I would expect the venom to effect the animal within few minutes at the latest - so that the "prey" cannot run a way (that'S why these poisons are so unbelievably toxic).

Just asking, I really don't know.

Skybird your logic is sound. Venoms do different things though.

Some begin to dissolve tissue, others shut down the nervous system, others target respiration or impair heart function.

I think in this case, any cat of about 5 lbs or less would have experienced symptoms inside of 30 minutes.

Lethargy
Extreme thirst
Irregular breathing
Lack of coordination
Dizziness
Unusually dilated pupils

If the cat has made it this long it's out of the woods. If a brown snake hit that kitty it would be dead by now.

As they say... 9 lives

:o

That's one very very lucky cat if he's gotten away with it.

I'm guessing he tried to 'kill' the snake?

Yes since the cat was sitting on the snake panting and the snake sort of groggy and docile I would say they both pooped each other out and resting!:o I'm glad I got there in time to stomp my boot down on it's head, didn't like that, I just put all my weight on it and twisted my boot a few times.!!:x
Tiggy is still ok so obviously didn't get bitten, but we live in the bush and snakes are thick here, have lost 3 cats before to snake bites, still, better the cat than one of the grandchildren!:yep:

Some cats display an absolute phobia over snakes. Others regard them as play things.

Evidently your cat did not get bit fore at the very least there would have been some swelling at the bite.

Either the cat is very talented or very lucky. Either way I'm glad it worked out for the best evidently.

I'd probably take the cat to the vet anyways, but that's just me. But if by now he's still causing mischief I'd say he's okay :03:

I wonder if maybe you have had a cold day and the reptile thus was lethargic, maybe even enjoyed to get warmed by the cat. But on the other hand I read that brown snakes are very agile and quick to bite. I also read that the teeth are short anbd not much poison gets injected per bite - and that this would relativise the lethality of the poison. If kitty got bitten, it maybe just was a too small dosis. I read that adults usually do not get endagred, sometimes even do not realise any symptoms, but that human childrenren are at risk to their lifes if getting bitten. I felt a bit confused this morning after having red quite some very different stuff about brown snakes.

Two years ago, in hot summer, I found a blindworm on trhe way, asphalt, and it got grilled by the heat, frantically tryinmg to get off the pan, it took it up, and it immediately lied still, enjoying the "cold" of my hands.

Many more years ago, I also had found a blindworm in the garden, on a relatively cold summer morning. I concluded that it was somekind of paralysed by the temperature. When I laid my hand open and flat beside it, after some seconds it slid onto my handpalm, and rested there, closing its eyes. I had the impression that it enjoyed my hand's warmth very much. A very beautiful creature, coloured like living red-bronze.

And when I was a child, I once had fallen asleep on the meadow were my grandparents camped, when I woke up, there was a grass snake/ring snake (Ringelnatter) close to me, like flowing silver with the typical yellow crescent behind the eyes. It moved slowly and inspected me, and I still remember it because due to the slow movement of the snake I was not afraid, but fascinated. Since then I love "Ringelnattern".

Many snakes look beautiful in colours, and elegant by mvement. Just that the faster they move the more it scares us. Same with insects and spiders. If it sits still on our handplam, we can bear it, even marvel at it. If it starts moving fast and hectic, we feel alarmed.

Because we all know that spiders and other small creepy crawlies go straight for the underpants. :yep: