Tonkinese kitten survives attack from two metre carpet python

A four-month-old kitten has survived a harrowing encounter with a snake that came within seconds of crushing the cat to death.

Jethro has reportedly recovered completely.

A Queensland cat has used up one of its nine lives after being attacked by a snake earlier this year.

The four-month-old Tonkinese kitten named Jethro was attacked by a two-metre carpet python that grabbed him by the head as he explored the backyard of his Gold Coast home.

The snake began crushing the kitten’s body (carpet pythons are non-venomous and rely on constriction to kill their prey) before Jethro’s owner managed to pry it off.

His owners took him to a nearby vet before Jethro was transferred to Animal Emergency Service’s Carrara location for treatment.

RELATED: Fungus turning cicadas into ‘sex zombies’

The cat required surgery.

RELATED: Border cops adopt ‘Morale’ dog

RELATED: Black ‘panther’ caught on video in Sydney

The kitten ended up suffering a fracture in his front leg and some bite marks to the head, but managed to avoid injuries to the ribs or lungs as is common with animals that have been constricted by a snake, according to the Animal Emergency Service.

Jethro was monitored closely, given fluids and blood.

He was also shaved around the bite marks and cleaned to prevent infection, as well as undergoing surgery to fix the fracture.

His owner said keeping the cat quiet was the hardest part of the recovery.

“Jethro is fully recovered and none the worse for his adventure,” a Facebook user believed to be one of the owners wrote.

“The hardest part was keeping him quiet during the weeks after the op,” they added.

“Snake season” usually begins around October or November, but warmer weather had it starting around September last year.