Cats and Snakes
Just found this while stumbling and it reminded me of (yet) another farm story....

The other summer my monster sized black cat, Mog was out in the garden lazing around and enjoying the sun.

The kids had gone off for a walk with granny, the farmer was busy either combining or on a tractor somewhere and I had a precious half hour or so to put the washing on the line (yes, my life was thoroughly exciting in those days).

I wandered up the garden with my basket of wet clothes and noticed that Mog was worrying something in the long grass over by the bushes.

I saw something brownish wriggling right under Mog's nose...something quite large from the look of it. A rat's nest perhaps? It certainly seemed to be wriggling like a load of baby rats. And despite not liking rats, I didn't want the cat to slaughter a load of babies. So I decided to intervene, and was about to grab the cat and drag him away (picking him up really isn't an option, he's huge and heavy). But as I moved closer I realised that this was no nest of rats but a fully grown SNAKE!!!!

So I tried to shoo the cat away, particularly as I could see blood...whose I wondered?

Then I ran back to the shed by the house to get a bloody big shovel to whack the evil adder that was trying to kill my lovely fluffeh pussycat.

The only bloody big shovel I could find was actually a small dainty planting spade, but in this instance it would have to do.

I ran back to the cat and evil viper - the cat was still standing over its attacker and I knew what I had to do....kill it with the dainty planting spade - the snake, not the cat.

So there I am, dainty spade in hand, poised to beat a snake to a pulp...I take a deep breath....and....WHACK!


Well, actually more of a smack and the snake didn't move.

I was shaking...I had *killed* something. But I had protected my cat.

I picked up the lifeless reptile body on the spade and carried it (at arm's length) to the path, thankful that the children hadn't been there too to see me murder something.

Then I decided to go in search of another adult to help me deal with the snake's body and to determine if the cat had been done any mortal damage.

A tractor drove past so I ran out to see if it was the farmer...no, his father. I flagged him down and told him in a slightly hysterical manner that I had just killed a snake and could he come and help me deal with it...

Erm....Snake you say?

No. Can't help...frightened of them.

And with that he slammed the cab door and drove off.

So I run over to the farm to find someone else to help me...the place is deserted.

Well, I think to myself, the snake is dead so I'll just pop back and check on the cat.


I get back, the cat is lying under a bush snoozing in the late afternoon sun. I check him all over...no sign anywhere of bites, puncture wounds or blood...

I go over to where I had left the snake....all that remains is a little pool of blood...snake blood.

Had I killed it? No idea.

Had the cat eaten it? Knowing that beast it's quite possible.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 14:54, 2 replies)

It was a grass snake
but at the time I was sure it was an adder.

I felt rather bad afterwards...I'd beaten up a grass snake that had just been mauled by my cat.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 15:00, closed)