Durban cat brings home live puff adder as “present” to owner

Posted by Anita Froneman on 6 October 2022

Cats are known to surprise their owners with presents that are weird and sometimes a little gross. But have you ever been given a live snake? This Durban owner has.

A cat brought home a young puff adder to its owner in Inchanga. The owner promptly contacted snake rescuer, Nick Evans. ‘I was surprised the cat avoided the fast-striking, highly venomous snake. But cats do seem to be brilliant at dodging snake strikes. Fortunately, the snake was unharmed,’ Evans said.

Evans also got reports of other recent pet-snake encounters in the area.

Two cats at a home in Pinetown couldn’t dodge the spray of a Mozambique Spitting Cobra though, but hey recovered.

‘I also had a number of reports of cats bringing in or killing spotted bush snakes and green water snakes, both non-venomous snakes often killed by cats,’ he added.

Evans also had three cases last week of dogs being spat at by Mozambique spitting cobras. In two of the incidents, the snake escaped. They usually do. It’s a brilliant self-defence mechanism, but it doesn’t always work. The dogs survived after their owners rinsed their eyes out with water.’

‘There was also a tragic case where two dogs were bitten by a rhombic night adder they were killing,’ Evans continued. ‘Sadly, the one dog, a Boston Terrier, passed away. I’ve recorded many night adder bites in Durban, and it’s only the second or third dog to succumb to a bite. Very sad.’

If you hear of any incidents involving dogs or cats and snakes, in the Greater Durban area, you can WhatsApp Evans on 072 809 5806 or email him at [email protected].

In the event of emergencies, you can phone me for snake identification and advice.

Details to look out for when reporting an incident:

-Date

-Area

-Approx time

-Road name

-Snake species (if photographed)

-Dog or cat type

-Result: did both animals survive, was one killed by the other?

Remember, if you encounter a snake at home, always keep the pets away. If they find the snake first, please get them away from the snake without putting yourself at risk of being bitten.

Picture: Supplied

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