Do cats eat snakes?

The short answer to this is Yes. Cats do eat snakes. Cats love to hunt, kill, and eat wiggling and moving things. Thus, a snake will always be in their diet.

While most cats are not eating snakes, they will hunt, chase, and play with them.

Thus, a lot of interaction happens between these two creatures, and there’s a lot more than that.

Let’s know more about cats and snakes!

Cats and Snakes

Cats and snakes go a long way. They can be enemies and friends with each other.

A snake can fear a cat and vice versa, but that entirely depends on the types and sizes of both.

There are a lot of stories, even myths, about snakes. They are famous in our minds for being slimy, dangerous, scary, and poisonous. But it’s not necessarily true.

It’s the same thing for your cat or any other cats for that matter.

Can cats kill and eat snakes? Are snakes afraid of cats?

As stated before, cats are born hunters. They attack with an instinct of killing and preying on anything that moves.

Thus, a snake sight, which shows constant movement and wiggling, entices a cat to prey on it.

If an already frightened snake appears in front of a cat, that will be a sure kill. This fight usually happens when the snake ends up in a corner with nowhere to run.

The kind of snakes that can feel fear in front of cats are the small ones. These are usually the non-venomous snakes.

To be specific, these are the usual types of snakes that cats harass and play with:

• U.S. King Snakes
• Garter Snakes
• Corn Snakes
• Rat Snakes
• Bull and Gopher Snakes

With these snakes’ size and non-venomous, even a kitty would show no fear and play with them.

Snakes fear cats because of their quick movement, attacking with claws and teeth.

Further, cats are usually larger than most of the snakes’ species.

With cats being so curious and even aggressive, any snake of smaller size will be afraid.

Can snakes kill and eat cats? Are cats afraid of snakes?

Size does matter to turn the tables for these two creatures.

When it comes to constrictor snakes, they have the upper hand against a cat.

Snakes like pythons and anacondas can reach sizes as long as fifteen feet. Further, these snakes can get thicker than a regular human thigh.

Snakes like these can chunk down a lamb or antelope, making any cat only an appetizer.

Even six-foot-long boas and pythons can eat a kitty with ease, especially those who try to play with them.

With a cat’s curiosity and playfulness, they will put their lives in danger if they face these snakes.

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Can cats sense snakes?

Yes, cats can sense snakes with ease.

Unlike us, cats and dogs have enhanced senses that help them hunt and find food.

Cats are good at detecting movement even in low light conditions. They have a sharp sense of hearing and smell.

Further, cats have an enhanced sense of touch. Through their whiskers, this capability extends from their head towards their entire body.

Thus, even at night and in areas with low light conditions, cats can hunt and sense snakes with ease.

Where do snakes like to live?

Snakes live almost everywhere, from the wild and even in residential areas.

Their natural habitat can be in forests, deserts, swamps, and grasslands.

Many snakes live underground as well as in small spaces under the rocks. Other snakes can even survive in water.

Thus, it’s not unusual for cats to sense snakes and start a fight with them whenever they feel like it.

How do cats kill snakes?

Like all other animals they hunt, cats use a specific skill to take them down.

Cats are famous for being smart hunters, and swift movers. Thus, a snake that they target will likely end up dead in their paws.

A particular individual has seen how a cat can kill a snake. He says:

It was an unequal fight. The snakes had no chance. Cats are simply too fast and agile for most snakes, at least in cooler climates. Hobie [the name of his cat] would bring large rat snakes and rattlesnakes home. He would twirl them around in his jaws to make them dizzy and then throw them into the air. It rained rattlesnakes at my house. They would be stunned for a few minutes, but would then try to get away. Hobie would follow them and bat at their tails. The snake would turn and try to bite, but the cat was much too fast. He would go around the snake, pick it up by the tail again, twirl it around and throw it. He apparently thought it was lots of fun.

Joseph Carl Allen

Cat or Snake: Which is faster?

A snake can never outrun a cat when it comes to speed.

When it comes to acceleration, a snake can get to more than 160 meters per second. That’s almost 358 mph.

Even so, a regular snake movement comes to only 3 meters per second, approximately seven mph.

On the other hand, a typical house cat can run at a fantastic speed of 30 mph.

With their speed and wit, cats will pretty much catch and hunt a snake with success.

Cats vs. Snakes: Who will win?

If a cat and snake struggle and fight each other, a cat has the upper side.

Cats are agile and fast. They have the highest kill rate among their species, even higher than the famous predators like lions, cheetahs, and jaguars.

House cats, even kittens, are always adept at hunting and killing snakes in their sight.

It’s not an outright win, as snakes may get the chance to land a fatal bite to cats.

Even so, if the cat is intelligent enough to attack while avoiding the bite, it can win.

Snakes: Are they prey or predators?

As stated above, snakes can be both prey and predator.

What makes them different from other prey that cats target is that they are carnivores. Thus, snakes are more dangerous compared to other victims.

In most ecosystems, snakes can act as predators, but can also become helpless prey.

Giant snakes are dangerous in the sense that they can be poisonous and fast. Thus, they can eat big animals and kill them with ease.

Thus, a curious and playful cat may end up getting stung with a wrong move.

Small snakes and other types with no poison in their body can be an easy target for other predators.

Aside from cats, other animals take an interest in snakes. With these capabilities, these predators can drive a snake to an instant kill.

Some snakes serve as predators to other snakes. For example, a kingsnake can prey on a rattlesnake. The reason is that a kingsnake is immune to the rattlesnake venom.

With snakes proving themselves dangerous, what will happen to a cat that tries to eat it up?

What happens if a cat eats a snake?

It’s not unusual for cats to devour a snake after successfully killing it. However, if what they caught was a poisonous one, then it’s a different story.

A cat playing with a poisonous snake may end up dead if the snake was able to bite.

But let’s say the cat gets lucky and escape the snake’s bite. Even so, that particular cat will suffer from the poison if it eats the snake.

Eating a snake can lead to the cat ingesting the bacteria that can lead to sickness.

What can Poisonous Snakes do to cats?

While there are poisonous snakes, most of them are not.

Even so, neither of these two snakes will attack a cat, not unless the cat provokes it. With cats being playful, that’s what usually happens.

Thus, a cat is more likely to have a snakebite than humans or any other animals.

A snakebite can make the cat pale. It can also increase the cat’s heartbeat and its breathing.

The usual danger for kitties is their encounter with venomous snakes. The cat’s playfulness won’t go well with a poisonous snake.

Can a snake bite kill a cat?

A snakebite is common for cats and even dogs due to their curiosity and innocent bravery to snakes.

If you think that its usual occurrence makes it less dangerous, you got it wrong. More than any bite, the ones from the snakes can be fatal.

A snakebite can drive the bitten animal to lose its blood-clotting ability.

For this reason, an animal that got a snake bite can die due to excessive bleeding.

Do cats know snakes are dangerous?

Cat’s don’t see snakes as dangerous, especially if they see one for the first time.

If a cat first encounters a snake, the curiosity and hunting soul in them would rise. Thus, they will try to inspect it close and play with it.

Snakes, both the poisonous and non-poisonous ones, don’t attack unless provoked.

In front of playful creatures, they would likely end up in a fight.

While both cats and snakes end up fighting when facing each other, it doesn’t happen every time.

You see, cats and snakes can be friends.

Can cats and snakes be friends?

Yes, you read it right. Cats and snakes can be friends.

Many people who have both snakes and cats in their house will tell you that they can be friends.

This friendship is possible, and there is much documentation to prove it.

Despite that, the fact remains that cats can be aggressive. With a protective instinct of snakes, both pets can be in danger in one another’s company.

To ensure their safety, keep both separated every time.

Summary

• Cats do eat snakes. They love to hunt wiggling things. Thus, they will pursue and eat a snake if they see one.
• Cats and snakes have constant interaction. A snake can be afraid of cats, and big snakes can scare a cat.
• As born hunters, cats can sense snakes with ease. They have an enhanced sense that helps them detect movement even at night.
• Snakes live almost everywhere, which is why cats usually see one roaming around.
• Cats use their agility and speed for hunting a snake.
• While a snake can speed up fast, especially when attacking, a smart cat would still be able to catch any snake.
• Cats have the upper side if they pick a fight with snakes. With small and non-poisonous snakes, it will be the cat’s victory.
• Snakes can be both prey and predators. They can attack cats, and cats can attack them.
• A cat eating a snake is a usual thing. However, if a cat eats a poisonous snake, then the cat may be put in danger.
• A snakebite being ordinary doesn’t mean its okay. It is fatal, especially to cats who love to approach snakes of all kinds.
• Cats seeing a snake for the first time wouldn’t know it is dangerous. Even a kitty would approach and try to play with it.
• Snakes protect themselves by fighting back. A snake can lunge to bite the animals who attack them.
• While the two fight all the time, they can also be friends. Even so, they should be kept away from each other for their safety.

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