 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / October 2004YIKES!!!!! Not Your Ususal Monday Morning Before Work
Monday morning, I walked out the front door, down the short walk way to the driveway to get my keys out of the ignition of the truck, and go back to lock the front door. I locked the door, went back to the truck, petting Big'Ead, who was on the walk way (Big'Ead is our recently adopted recentl;y ex-tom, who still stays outside/in garage until he starts taking his litter box more seriously) got to the truck, and remembered I wanted to take my swim suit to work with me, so I could take a dip in the pool after work. So I headed back to the front door, again stopping to pet Big'Ead, who seemed more interested in something next to the walk way than me petting him. I came back out the front door with my swimsuit, locked the door, and there Big'Ead was, even more interested in something next to the walk way, so I decided, while bending to pat him on the head once more to glance over at what this mysterious thing may be that he was so interested in. And there, inches away from us was a full grown, adult Water Moccasin aka Cotton Mouth Snake, poised and ready to strike. My heart almost stopped I pretty sure. I immediately shoved Big'Ead away, and screamed NO!!! at him, and he came right back, because, well, because he's a cat, and he's a cat with an agenda. I slowly moved away from the snake, that was literally inches away from me, and grabbed 'Ead, and shoved him under the slightly propped open garage door, and shouted NO!!!!! at him again. I knew I couldn't leave for work with that snake and Big'Ead interested in it, couldn't shut the garage door with 'Ead in there, since it's Houston, Texas where I live and the heat would probably kill him. So, I very carefully walked to the front door once more, putting as much room as I had between myself and the snake, who didn't miss a single movement from any direction by anything, and came back out with the squirt bottle. Of course, there 'Ead was again, ready to take a swat at the intruder, and I quickly, from the porch squirted him with water, which didn't even phase him, until about the 10th squirt. 'Ead went to the corner of the house, where he could still watch, but out of reach of the squirt bottle, and I started squirting the snake, trying to make it leave. Didn't work. The snake wasn't going anywhere. So I reluctantly went back inside and came back out with my 9 shot .22 revolver in one hand, the squirt bottle in the other. I again, for about what? the 6th time or so, walked past the snake, who was getting more pissed by the minute, because I wasn't even going to shoot towards the neighbors house, even possibly hitting 'Ead if he came around the corner of the house, So, with my left hand, I squirted at Big'Ead, to keep him over by the garage door, and with the pistol in my right, reluctantly, and nervously shot the snake. (I've never shot a critter in my life, nor would I normally) The first shot found it's target, but it didn't instantly kill the snake, so I shot it again. Then had a neighbor come over and put it into the bed of the truck. I feel just terrible about all of this. It's certainly not the snakes fault that it was born a venomous snake, but I could NOT go to work, leaving Big'Ead there interested in it. I hope I did the right thing, because I sure feel crappy.:(( -bonbon >Monday morning, I walked out the front door, down the short walk way >to the driveway to get my keys out of the ignition of the truck, and >go back to lock the front door. YIKES indeed! I hope Big'Ead knows he's so well looked-after. Too bad about the snake, I'd feel bad about it too, but you did the right thing. Pardon me, though, for giggling at the mental picture of you with the gun in one hand, and the squirt bottle in the other. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com >I again, for about what? the 6th time or so, walked past the snake, >who was getting more pissed by the minute, because I wasn't even going [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > -bonbon Yeah, you did the right thing. I know what you mean though, I hate to have to kill any living creature. Very lucky that B'Ead didn't get bitten. Or you. Also very scary that the snake ended up at your house....I naively thought they stayed around water. DH's sister was trudging through a pile of leaves couple weeks ago and stepped on a copperhead, which was the same color of the leaves, she didn't see it. She recovered okay, but was awfully sick for a while. Poisonous snakes are nothing to take chances with. Sherry Sherry >>I again, for about what? the 6th time or so, walked past the snake, >>who was getting more pissed by the minute, because I wasn't even going [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >recovered okay, but was awfully sick for a while. Poisonous snakes are nothing >to take chances with. We have cottonmouths and copperheads around where I grew up. I'd heard so many horror stories as a kid (99.9% totally untrue) I was almost phobic about going for a walk in the woods or along the banks of a lake. And then you watch that Crocodile Hunter guy on TV (especially the "Crocodile Hunter Diaries" program), and they're all like "oh, there's a python in your chicken house? we'll be right there to get it ma'am." no big deal... "oh, there's an extremely poisonous Taipan in your garage? we'll be right there to get it sir" lalalala... no big deal... what practical joke can I play on my co-worker while we're dumping this snake into a pillowcase..... Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 12:25:53 -0500, Jeanne Hedge <jhedge@rcn.com> >And then you watch that Crocodile Hunter guy on TV I am waiting for a croc to take a great big bite out of that guy's butt. If you were a croc, and you saw legs like that guy's running around in short shorts, what would you think? I would think "Dinner *and* leftovers." Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com You did the only thing you could do, and the fact that you feel bad about it shows that you are a good person. -- Joy "You can never do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late." - Ralph Waldo Emerson > Monday morning, I walked out the front door, down the short walk way > to the driveway to get my keys out of the ignition of the truck, and [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > > -bonbon sheesh, that would have scared the beejeesus outa me, bonbon. I hate snakes. Not for anything they do or are, it's just that I get the creepies when I see snakes. You were very brave, and Big 'Ead was one lucky cat. Good for you. Jazz & his mama  SignatureIrulan from the stars we come to the stars we return from now until the end of time > Monday morning, I walked out the front door, down the short walk way > to the driveway to get my keys out of the ignition of the truck, and [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > > -bonbon <big snip> ,> over by the garage door, and with the > pistol in my right, reluctantly, and nervously shot the snake. (I've > never shot a critter in my life, nor would I normally) The first [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > -bonbon You did the right thing. I once had to do something I felt really bad about myself. I'd tried everything, traps etc, to control the rats under the poultry sheds, and reluctantly had to use poison as the rats were eating through any woodwork they could find, and eating chicks. So - I laid poison down - and it wasn't many days before I went down to shut up my chickens and heard a sort of wailing noise. It was four baby rats coming out from under the huts - hungry of course, because I'd obviously killed their mother, and their eyes weren't even open. I felt *so* bad about it. I brought them up to the house in a big flower pot and was all set to hand rear them. (Don't ask me why, guilt, I suppose.) I had a friend there at the time and she looked in the flower pot. "What are they??" - "Young rats, I think I killed their mother" "So?" "Well, they'll die without their mother, they'll starve." "So? and don't even think about trying to rear vermin." I thought about it, and reluctantly had to agree that she was right. I had to think what to do with them. I could have put the flower pot in the field behind my house and tried to forget about them as they starved to death. I just couldn't do that. This is awful, and don't read any further if you're very sensitive. (back to top) I did a dreadful thing. I took each young rat by the tail, stunned it by hitting its head on a brick, and dropped it into water to drown while it was unconscious. They were very small, their eyes weren't open even. I still remember it, and it sort of makes me ashamed. I didn't know what else to do. Was I wrong? Tweed > <big snip> > ,> over by the garage door, and with the [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > Tweed My personal opinion is that you were humane. Much better to dispatch them quickly then to let them starve. A friend told me that the "proper" way to euthanize something like that is to soak a rag in turpentine or paint thiner and then put the animal in a bag with the rag. The paint thinner supposedly makes them feel "high" and kills them pretty quickly. I don't know about the mechanism but it might be easier on you if you ever have to do it again. SignatureMargaret Fine mefine@mindspring.com <snip> >I still remember it, and it sort of makes me ashamed. I didn't know what >else to do. Was I wrong? I don't think you were wrong. Unless you were prepared to raise them and keep them as pets (I've known people who've had pet mice/rats and loved them) there wasn't much else you could do. It's sort of like my first reply about snakes. Snakes, including venomous ones, fill a spot in nature. That doesn't mean I want to watch where I step when I'm out in the garden. The rats were only doing what rats do, getting in and eating the chicks, but you were also just doing what a human does by trying to keep them away from the chicks. Of course it probably doesn't need to be said, but I hope poison isn't used anymore with BF and KFC on rat patrol. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky (RB) stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html ---------------------<snip>---------------------- >I feel just terrible about all of this. It's certainly not the snakes >fault that it was born a venomous snake, but I could NOT go to work, >leaving Big'Ead there interested in it. I hope I did the right thing, >because I sure feel crappy.:(( If you have a neighbor, you can't be too far out in the boonies. You did the right thing! What if it had been a child instead of that tomcat? I have no doubt that had you seen that snake out in the wild, you would have left him to his own devices, so don't feel bad about this one. Just a note, you might want to consider getting a small box of .22 shot shells and keeping one in the first chamber. <snip> >Just a note, you might want to consider getting a small box of .22 >shot shells and keeping one in the first chamber. Reminds me of a discussion years ago during a range safety class. The captain giving the class asked how many of us had loaded guns at home. I raised my hand, and when asked said what Dad always told me as a kid, "the only unloaded gun is one you, personally, just unloaded and cleared. Most accidently shootings happen when someone is handling an "empty" gun." The Captain didn't really say anything during the class, but afterwards approached me and told me my Dad was correct, and that he would start including that in future classes. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky (RB) stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html >Just a note, you might want to consider getting a small box of .22 >shot shells and keeping one in the first chamber. Is that the same as what they call bird shot? If it is, I do have some, just not sure where. I rummaged around in my dresser drawers for a few seconds looking for them, but to no avail, And knowing 'Ead was out there with that sucker, instead I just flipped open the cylinder to see how many rounds were in it (9 Stingers) and headed for the door. Cussing. If I'd been thinking clearly, I could have shoved 'Ead inside the truck, and then maybe could have gotten a bit more creative in ways to make the snake go away, but you know........woulda, shoulda, coulda, oughta...... -bonbon > ...there, inches away from us was a full grown, adult Water > Moccasin aka Cotton Mouth Snake, poised and ready to strike... [snip] Tough decision, but you did the right thing. I would have felt terrible about it, too, but you had to defend Big'Ead, and yourself, too - you could have been bitten as well! The kitty obviously had no idea what he was getting himself into. (Aren't all small animals supposed to be *afraid* of snakes??) It's great that you were prepared to deal with the snake. Joyce > I feel just terrible about all of this. It's certainly not the snakes > fault that it was born a venomous snake, but I could NOT go to work, > leaving Big'Ead there interested in it. I hope I did the right thing, > because I sure feel crappy.:(( > > -bonbon I don't think you had any choice. It must have been awful for you to have to do it, but you were amazingly brave and resourceful under the circumstances. I think it would have been dangerous and foolish to do anything else. It would have been nice if you had a professional snake handler ready and waiting to remove the snake and release it somewhere else, but it certainly is not something an ordinary person should attempt. Annie <snip> > And there, inches away from us was a full grown, adult Water >Moccasin aka Cotton Mouth Snake, poised and ready to strike. <snip again> >I feel just terrible about all of this. It's certainly not the snakes >fault that it was born a venomous snake, but I could NOT go to work, >leaving Big'Ead there interested in it. I hope I did the right thing, >because I sure feel crappy.:(( Oh I know you can't help but wonder if it was right to kill the snake, but I would have done the same thing in this case. Venomous snakes fill an important niche in nature, but I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable with one in my yard. Don't forget that it's doubful that this was the only one around - there may be others. One of the things we hoomins forget is that while we often go about eliminating wildlife's habitat, in the case of snakes, including venomous snakes, we sometimes create a very inviting new habitat as we when landscape our yard. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky (RB) stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html Thanks to all who responded, telling me I did the right thing. I don't feel so guilty now. I feel bad about the whole thing happening in the first place, but you know, I guess sometimes it can be good when life gives us a reality check. I think about, 'what if the snake had found the front walk way of the vacant house next door instead of mine? Chances are Big'Ead would have discovered it over there while I was at work, and I hate to think of what would have resulted from that. Looking at it from that angle, you could even say we were lucky the snake chose our front walk. This whole snake shooting thing is certainly NOT the way I wanted to introduce ourselves into our new neighborhood though (sigh). I've only met one family so far. I'm anxious for the weekend to get here, so I can go inform the rest of the families on the cul-de-sac to be on the look out, and suggest maybe they give their kids a crash or brush up course in identifying snakes > This whole snake shooting thing is certainly NOT the way I wanted to > introduce ourselves into our new neighborhood though (sigh). I've > only met one family so far. LOL!! I don't mean to make light of the incident, but this does create an amusing image in my mind, from your new neighbors' point of view. > I'm anxious for the weekend to get here, so I can go inform the rest > of the families on the cul-de-sac to be on the look out, and suggest > maybe they give their kids a crash or brush up course in identifying > snakes Great idea! Joyce |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.