Pet moggie eaten by scrub python in the latest attack on cats

A third pet cat in a matter of weeks has been eaten by a snake as calls to keep small pets safe continue. But this time, the attack came despite the owner taking steps to keep her beloved moggie enclosed.

ANOTHER Queensland pet cat has been eaten by a snake inside a cat run.

Atherton Snake Catcher Wayne Alderton said the three-metre-long scrub python was found with a bulging stomach on a property close to the Barron River in Mareeba, in Far North Queensland, a few days ago.

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The feline meal was at the third known time in weeks that a snake had devoured a cat.
A Brisbane family lost one of their two cats this month when it was eaten by a large carpet python.
A Noosa snake catcher has also issued a plea to Queensland families to keep cats inside after a Sunshine Coast family also lost their cat to a snake last week.
Mr Alderton said the cat in Mareeba was inside a cat run.

“The lady was had done the right thing by having a cat run, so was being quite proactive with keeping cats inside,” he said.

“Once snakes have wandered into chook pens or cat runs and their bellies are full there’s no chance of them getting out.

“They’re stuck there until they’ve digested the meal.”

An amethystine python, also known as a scrub python, that ate a cat in Mareeba recently. Credit: Atherton Snake Catcher/Facebook.

An amethystine python, also known as a scrub python, that ate a cat in Mareeba recently. Credit: Atherton Snake Catcher/Facebook.

Mr Alderton, 48, said the amethystine python, also known as a scrub python, would likely take up to a week to digest the cat.

The non-venomous amethystine python’s are considered Australia’s longest snake and can grow up to 8m.

Mr Alderton said the snakes particularly liked the wet season.

“The rain lifts the smells out of the ground and they go on the hunt,” he said.

The snake catcher said the cat’s owner had other pets and lived near bushland and the river, which was a prime environment for snakes.

The scrub python bit Mr Alderton when he removed it from the cat run.

“He was feisty. He actually did get me,” he said.

“It’s the first time I’ve been bitten.

“Some snakes are placid and you can cuddle them, but this guy was full on.

“They get very defensive when they’ve had a big feed and feel vulnerable.”

Wayne Alderton of Atherton Snake catchers. Credit: Wayne Alderton/Facebook.