There are few greater joys in life than waking up to gifts and family on Christmas morning.

But one family ran into some trouble when their pet cat dropped a deadly surprise under the tree.

A family in Queensland received an unwelcome gift from their pet cat after it caught and carried a venomous snake between piles of presents.

The feline friend took a red-bellied black snake and placed it underneath the tree. It was a thoughtful but dangerous gesture on the cat’s part.

Gunter Glasser, from Darling Downs Snake Catcher, was called to the property to capture the snake – which thankfully seemed to have left the cat unharmed.

Cats (even domesticated ones) are natural hunters. Credit: FOX/Pexels

Mr Glasser also shared that the snake sustained ‘no real damage’ from the cat. He told reporters that the snake was quite small – around 60 cm in length.

‘The cat wasn’t bitten and quite proud of itself,’ he admitted.

Mr Glasser added: ‘The family are snake lovers but didn’t want to touch it. It was an unexpected Christmas present.’

Red-bellied black snakes are relatively abundant in some areas, such as in northern and central eastern Queensland, and feed on a variety of fauna. This includes fish, tadpoles, lizards, and other snakes (including other red-bellied snakes).

Shy by nature, this type of snake will only deliver a serious bite under extreme stress or provocation. However, they are venomous and dangerous to humans. Fortunately, there are no recorded deaths from any red-bellied snake bites.

The snake was caught by Mr Glasser and released into the wild. Credit: Facebook

Mr Glasser, who was hospitalised after being bitten by a brown snake, revealed that most people won’t realise they’ve been bitten by the red-bellied black snake because there’s minimal pain.

Rising sightings of snakes across the country have been reported, as the reptiles venture into homes and yards in search of food or a mate.

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, here are some first-aid tips from the Australian Resuscitation Council:

• Apply a pressure-immobilisation technique by taking a bandage and wrapping it around the affected area firmly and tightly.
• To delay the spread of venom, apply another bandage starting at the fingers or toes, and cover as much of the limb as possible.
• Apply a splint, including the joints, on either side of the bite to restrict movement. Further movement encourages the circulation of the venom.
• Keep the bite victim and limb completely at rest.
• Transport the victim to medical care as soon as possible.
• Do NOT wash the area or try to suck out the venom.
• Do NOT cut the bite or apply a high tourniquet. Cutting the bite won’t help and tourniquets can be fatal.

Key Takeaways

• A Queensland family recently received an unwelcome gift from their cat in the form of a venomous snake.
• A red-bellied black snake was caught by the feline and left among presents under the Christmas tree.
• Red-bellied black snakes are considered venomous and dangerous to humans, and can sometimes cause minimal pain from a bite.
• Snake sightings across Australia have been increasingly common as the reptiles search for food and a mate.
• If you are bitten by a venomous snake, the recommended plan is to use the pressure immobilisation technique to reduce the spread of venom and limit movement of the bitten limb.
• Do NOT wash the area of the bite, incise, or cut the bite, or apply a high tourniquet as these can be ineffective and even fatal.

We think it’s cute that the cat wanted to give presents to their humans. What about you, folks? What can you say about this story? Let us know in the comments!

 

[JayKay]

I think the pussycat cat is a very lucky cat.
A friend of mine recently lost her 4 year old doggie to a brown snake flushed out of it's home due to exceptionally heavy rainfall in outer Melbourne. The snake was sunning itself on her path way, and the poor doggie tried to protect the owner. The dog was bitten multiple times.

 

[Macarj]

We have had a couple of snakes passing through our property here in Tasmania

 

[Ricci]

I sometimes have to shut the dogs in when a snake decides to pass through my garden. I can't risk either of them getting bitten, 1 weighs 3kg and the other 5kg so they don't have a lot of body mass to fight the venom.

 

[Hrynpa]

There are few greater joys in life than waking up to gifts and family on Christmas morning.

But one family ran into some trouble when their pet cat dropped a deadly surprise under the tree.

A family in Queensland received an unwelcome gift from their pet cat after it caught and carried a venomous snake between piles of presents.

The feline friend took a red-bellied black snake and placed it underneath the tree. It was a thoughtful but dangerous gesture on the cat’s part.

Gunter Glasser, from Darling Downs Snake Catcher, was called to the property to capture the snake – which thankfully seemed to have left the cat unharmed.

View attachment 10885

Cats (even domesticated ones) are natural hunters. Credit: FOX/Pexels

Mr Glasser also shared that the snake sustained ‘no real damage’ from the cat. He told reporters that the snake was quite small – around 60 cm in length.

‘The cat wasn’t bitten and quite proud of itself,’ he admitted.

Mr Glasser added: ‘The family are snake lovers but didn’t want to touch it. It was an unexpected Christmas present.’

Red-bellied black snakes are relatively abundant in some areas, such as in northern and central eastern Queensland, and feed on a variety of fauna. This includes fish, tadpoles, lizards, and other snakes (including other red-bellied snakes).

Shy by nature, this type of snake will only deliver a serious bite under extreme stress or provocation. However, they are venomous and dangerous to humans. Fortunately, there are no recorded deaths from any red-bellied snake bites.

View attachment 10886

The snake was caught by Mr Glasser and released into the wild. Credit: Facebook

Mr Glasser, who was hospitalised after being bitten by a brown snake, revealed that most people won’t realise they’ve been bitten by the red-bellied black snake because there’s minimal pain.

Rising sightings of snakes across the country have been reported, as the reptiles venture into homes and yards in search of food or a mate.

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, here are some first-aid tips from the Australian Resuscitation Council:

• Apply a pressure-immobilisation technique by taking a bandage and wrapping it around the affected area firmly and tightly.
• To delay the spread of venom, apply another bandage starting at the fingers or toes, and cover as much of the limb as possible.
• Apply a splint, including the joints, on either side of the bite to restrict movement. Further movement encourages the circulation of the venom.
• Keep the bite victim and limb completely at rest.
• Transport the victim to medical care as soon as possible.
• Do NOT wash the area or try to suck out the venom.
• Do NOT cut the bite or apply a high tourniquet. Cutting the bite won’t help and tourniquets can be fatal.

Key Takeaways

• A Queensland family recently received an unwelcome gift from their cat in the form of a venomous snake.
• A red-bellied black snake was caught by the feline and left among presents under the Christmas tree.
• Red-bellied black snakes are considered venomous and dangerous to humans, and can sometimes cause minimal pain from a bite.
• Snake sightings across Australia have been increasingly common as the reptiles search for food and a mate.
• If you are bitten by a venomous snake, the recommended plan is to use the pressure immobilisation technique to reduce the spread of venom and limit movement of the bitten limb.
• Do NOT wash the area of the bite, incise, or cut the bite, or apply a high tourniquet as these can be ineffective and even fatal.

We think it’s cute that the cat wanted to give presents to their humans. What about you, folks? What can you say about this story? Let us know in the comments!

At least we don't have cats to do this to us as it might be a king Brown, red belly black or death adder for us

 

[Suzanne rose]

I think the pussycat cat is a very lucky cat.
A friend of mine recently lost her 4 year old doggie to a brown snake flushed out of it's home due to exceptionally heavy rainfall in outer Melbourne. The snake was sunning itself on her path way, and the poor doggie tried to protect the owner. The dog was bitten multiple times.

 

[Hrynpa]

Not good I hope our dogs never get near a snake

 

[JehazFNQ]

Ah, another reason not to have a cat! My dogs have always been wary of snakes and have a special, short and very sharp bark which alerts me that they may have found one in the yard. Happily not a frequent occurrence, although I have had a very pretty eastern carpet Python in the shrubbery outside, a little keelback down the end of the yard and a rather fine brown tree snake which tucked itself down for the night beside my only toilet. I used the bucket that night and removed the snake in the morning.

 

[Hrynpa]

Ah, another reason not to have a cat! My dogs have always been wary of snakes and have a special, short and very sharp bark which alerts me that they may have found one in the yard. Happily not a frequent occurrence, although I have had a very pretty eastern carpet Python in the shrubbery outside, a little keelback down the end of the yard and a rather fine brown tree snake which tucked itself down for the night beside my only toilet. I used the bucket that night and removed the snake in the morning.

That us real good