I know that some people do not like snakes. I happen to think they are interesting, beautiful and useful creatures, but that doesn't mean I want one as a house guest. Snakes are clearly not allowed in the house, yet here was one sitting on my living room floor again and he looked rather ticked off. 
I knew that the last time a snake found it's way into the house that Lily the cat looked guilty, but the evidence was circumstantial so she didn't even get a slap on the paw. Some time had passed but I knew she couldn't stay on the straight and narrow for long. Lily is getting more brazen and the snakes are getting bigger, but this time she was caught in the act. She was spotted carrying this harmless but rather annoyed racer snake in the house from her secret cat door under the bathroom cabinet she doesn't think I know about. I let her have her secret because she stopped leaving any stinky little treasures in the litter box for me to scoop up and dispose of. Litter box duty is at the top of my least favorite chore list. Horse poop, cow poop, goat poop, none of it bothers me a bit. I rather enjoy that type of work, but cat poop just stinks. Give me a barn to clean out over a litter box any day.She dropped the snake on the living room floor and then had the nerve to act like I was the criminal when I took it away from her. I can understand, she probably worked hard for that scaly souvenir but I have to draw the line somewhere and a snake murder on my living room floor is a pretty good place to draw a line. Actually Lily is no killer but she is a habitual kidnapper. She catches them and brings them home to smack around and torture, but usually lets them go alive in my house, both snakes and mice alike. I would respect her more if she just killed them quickly, especially the mice! The last snake escaped Lily without injury, but this one wasn't as lucky. He had a couple small puncture wounds but they were down pretty far on his body so hopefully he will be OK. No wonder he looked so ticked off.
I asked my snake wrangling partner Jamey to hold him so I could take some pictures then we let him go. I regret that I didn't think to put some tamed iodine or something on the puncture wounds before we released him, but it didn't occur to me until afterward. This snake was taken further from the house and released at the woods across the road, so hopefully Lily won't find him again. That poor snake has been traumatized enough. There is no need for a trial, Lily is as guilty as they come. The punishment...her secret cat door is getting patched over. Now she will have to beg to be let in and out again and it looks like I will be back to cleaning out the litter box. Just beautiful. So I guess it is really a punishment for both of us.
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24 comments:
Cat doo is the absolute worst thing. Naughty Lily and Naughty Winter (Anna Colleen had to save a hummingbird from him yesterday) look like very similar criminals. I'm sure Anna would say she is just "smoochie".
I like your snakes. Your snakes that are far, far away from me. You are so brave. I wish I wasn't scared of them, I know it's irrational but I'm not scared of bugs! Spiders and bees, wasps, whatever-Love 'em. No snakes. None. Yuck.
Smiles,
Lisa
Oh my! What a cute post. Just once, my cat brought a snake in while I was asleep and left it on the pathway to the bathroom. My bare foot stepped on the treasure on a trip in the dark to the powder room! OOOOHHHHHHH!
I have the exact same problem with the cat box! Winter, my cat, looks very much like your Lily. He always lays upside down for pictures too. And yes, my mom is right I think she is SMOOCHIE! Snake lips and all!
Oh yuck! I am glad our cats eat the snakes that they catch as well as mice and chipmunks, etc.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Snakes! When I get to Kansas remind me to get a bulletproof room to keep them yucky, slimy, creep-me-out things OUT! OMG!!! Jen, I don't think I'd make a good farmer. :-)
I lived in an older house, years ago, that had one of those secret entrances. I didn't have a cat though. The snakes found their way in. Scared the crap outta me one day when I found a rather large black snake under my sink, just where my hand had been. I chased him out. I don't kill black snakes cause they keep the other snakes away. But I'm like you, I don't want them in the house.
EEEEEWWWW! Snakes...EEEEEEWWWW! Know they can be good, but...EEEEEWWWW!
Every summer it seems a rattlesnake will make an appearance at the vineyard. Usually it will be far from the houses and DH will just leave it alone. We have had a couple very close to the house and unfortunately DH had to dispose of those. Very scary!
Sorry you have to deal with the litter box. How about teaching you cat to use the toilet? My daughter taught her 3 siamese. http://www.karawynn.net/mishacat/toilet.html
This is just the first site I saw on google. My daughter used a paper method where gradually a hole was opened. There must be lots of methods. I hate litter boxes!!! I think this training worked with my daughter because they set aside the downstairs bathroom just for the cats. But I'm with you... give me a a barn full of cow, horse, goat poo over a litter box any day. Love reading your blog.
Oh no, I had not thought of this aspect of cat ownership this time around. We haven't had a cat in many years. We have rattlesnakes here and our new cat had better not try to pick one of them up. Racers, Kingsnakes, garden snakes, we have them all but if she trys to go for a rattler she's going to be one unhappy cat. We may have to keep her inside during the summer. This was a wake-up call "post" for me. Thanks
Ooooohh but no Lily,BAD BAD BAD cat;)
I am no fan of snakes, but will take pictures of them if someone else holds them! Out cat is a barn kitty, and we find treasures in the barn!
A couple of years ago, one of mine (I forget which one—there are eleven—but it was one of the youngsters) brought in a garter snake and proudly laid it down for me to admire. Which I did, as I picked it up in the dustpan and took it back outside . . . (John was no use; he hates snakes. I don't mind them, I just think they belong outside. There's enough clutter in here already.) Half an hour later, she brought the snake in again; I took it out again. Another half hour—yep, here she is again, and this time the snake looks pretty annoyed. I took him down in the woods, where she doesn't usually go, and distracted her with cat treats.
Fortunately, we don't see snakes often. I suspect it's because there are so many cats around.
Oh, sounds like someone needs a kitty time out.lol
We were clearing brush today and saw a big black snake, we let him be on his way but years ago all snakes I saw were dead snakes, I am learning :)
Great post! I love a naughty kitty! Argh..the litter box, we all have our trials, don't we?
Our Farm cat Fred brings snakes in too. Once he brought the tail of a Western skink. I learned that because it is electric blue. There are not too many electric blue tailed lizards around.
It is nice to meet another goat blog!
Oh those darn cats! And we love them anyway. Just goes to show, discipline hurts the one dispensing it as well as the one receiving. But Lily won't think that way, will she?
Oh Jennifer, that was priceless. And Lily looks so innocent in that photo all stretched out and fluffy. Like, me? You tawkin about ME?
My cat prowls around on inside our pool screen enclosure and thinks he's a macho outside cat. I don't have the heart to tell him he's not. But he lives for those little chameleons that sneak in through tiny crevices. He's not gentle with them. I've found carcasses in the strangest places - usually halved or mangled or chewed almost beyond recognition. Once I found a lizard (the front half anyway)inside the house. When I went to pick it up it was still breathing. Half a lizard! Now I leave lizard duty to my husband. On a few occasions a snake has gotten inside the back porch and our cat has chased it into the pool. Other than that his trophy case is empty.
Thanks for the awesome post. You always brighten my day.
We've had two snakes in the house with no cats to blame it on! Nothing like a little snake wriggling down your hallway to set your heart pounding! I have to say, I wasn't as kind to my last visitor as you were to yours. I was by myself with the kids, and I took care of it as best I could. The lizard that made it inside, I did carry back out. Wildlife needs to stay outside!
~Jenny~
Oh how funny to read, but I know I would not find it amusing at all if the cat(s) brought a snake into the house! ACK!
Our outside cats are outside cats, they don't come in the house, and our inside cat is just that. So small chance it would happen here anyway... the outside cats do a super job taking care of the mice and rats, although they do seem to prefer to bring them close to the house to show off their skills. Ugh.
And like you, I prefer cleaning horse or dog poo to cleaning the litter box. That has got to be one of the nastiest, nose-holding jobs there is!!!
I would much rather have snakes in my apt. than have to empty that litter box! And if I put it off, Emma resorts to racing around madly to get my attention. Her original rescue name was Lily - wonder if she would bring me snakes like your Lily?
Nancy in Atlanta
well you know Lily is on duty anyway.
I respect snakes too, and don't freak out about 'em, all part of nature.
yout lily looks identical to my daddy cat! cricket killed a beautiful green snake a month ago...i had never seen one before either. i am glad you don't kill the snakes. our black snakes are friendly and one sniffed noses with sammy then the snake just sat there and sam went off to do his business. i was scared at first but learned a good lesson!
EWWW!
eww eww eww!
Good kitty, thank you for the present, but EWWWW!
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