why do snake owners have cats??

[MudBoy]

Hi all.
I got some bad news today. About a month ago we got a visit from some new snake people that wanted a carpet, they had all the licences and paper work and had owned a little childrens for about a year.
They wanted a BIG snake but after showing them a couple of my bigger ones the changed thier minds and got 2 snakes, a nice little tully jungle that we had bred and a 6 mth old coastal carpet with beautiful markings and an orange skin almost like a light bredli.
I did the usual and gave them all the help I could and about a hundred pages of care sheets and info, and as they had a pet store built set of inclosures I felt I had done my job pretty well,UNTIL!!!
I get a phone call today saying and I quote " is it ok if we come round and get some more snakes? Our cats killed the other ones and we miss them, oh and do you have something a bit bigger so the cats cant kill them ??

I tell you it was lucky he was on the phone and not standing in front of me or he would be needing some new teeth to go along with his new snakes!!
Well I told him no and said come back when you have rid of the cats (4 of them) and we will talk. Well you should have heard the carry on, it was like I had asked him to drown his children or something so I told him to make a choice snakes or cats and if you choose snakes then bring the cats to my place for some payback, I will put em in with my scrub pythons and see how they go, scruby's love a little pussy on the side!!
He hung up!
I like cats as much as the next person but if you want to have snakes dont have cats. How many times have we been told about the deaths from cats even here with experienced handlers.
I say make the choice one or the other!

[Jeff_Favelle]

For some people, they have to learn the hard way. And for even fewer people, they never learn at all.

My hat's off to you Rick. I would have done exactly the same thing.

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

WOW.

Damn good to see your sticking to your guns and protecting your snakes, good to see that. I quiz an new buyer before I sell anything too. Its nice to sell but not at the animals expense or life.

Keep up the good work.

[GekkoGeck0]

My question is, why did he let the cats even go near the snakes?

I have a cat and I don't own snakes, but I do have a few geckos. I don't even let him near the area with my geckos in it. I caught him a few times when I first got the geckos, just lying on top of the enclosures sleeping or just basically staring at them and since then I haven't let him anywhere near them.

From what I know, most snake enclosures are locked down tight (or are supposed to be). So irregardless, how do the cats even get access to the snake?

[MudBoy]

I dont know how the cats got them I was too upset to ask.
That little jungle was one of 6 that was my first tully jungle breeding. I dont know if you guys get them over there ut they are damn hard to breed, you pretty much have to make them a rainforest home in a tank and maintain it 24/7 for 3 mths before they even think about breeding. And that includes 3 rain showers a day so the tank has to have drainage and everything, its bloody hard work.

The carpet was nothing special just a nice colour that was part of our "no black markings" breeding program, but still way to nice to be bloody cat food.
I had asked all the right questions and he told me he had a cat but it was an outside animal and the snakes had a seperate room for themselves. What more can one do ??
Oh well, put it down to experience and I will never sell to a cat owner again, simple as that.

[GekkoGeck0]

It could be likely the cat(s) got a hold of it if he took it out of the enclosure for a while to handle it.

Nonetheless, it's a sad story. I just wish more cat/reptile owners would be more responsible in keeping their mammalian carnivores away from their reptiles.

Has anyone heard of any dogs killing reptiles? I know they have an apparent bad habit of pestering chelonians.

[Mardy]

Good going Rick!

Mardy

[Colonel SB]

What an ***, Good fro you Rick.

[sydcire]

thats great you tell him! I have 2 cats and they dont go near my snake room,and even if they did the couldnt get in the cages to kill them,all I can say is that guys a wanker and some one should slap the **** out of him it might smarten him up.


Syd

[sydcire]

Originally posted by GekkoGeck0
It could be likely the cat(s) got a hold of it if he took it out of the enclosure for a while to handle it.

Nonetheless, it's a sad story. I just wish more cat/reptile owners would be more responsible in keeping their mammalian carnivores away from their reptiles.

Has anyone heard of any dogs killing reptiles? I know they have an apparent bad habit of pestering chelonians. I have 2 dogs a staffi and a half coyote,my bull snake was in its screan tank,when my staffi Zues saw him.He calmly walked over and liked it down its backthrough the screan.they bothed looked at eachother as if to say what the hell are you.after thet my dog doesn't even look at my snakes,even if im holding them.It's as if he now has a healthy respect for them.


Syd

[ETET]

I have a cat but all my snakes are in the Hot room. My cat seems to know the snakes are hot and he never get near the door of the hot room.

ETET

[LISA127]

i have a dog and two cats. i also have lizards and snakes. my dog just ignores all the reptiles. i don't think she's ever met a breathing being that she hasn't liked. my cats, however, are more predatory. they would love to get at my snakes and leos if they could. they coexist beautifully with my blue tongued skink, however. the cats and the blue tongue bask in the sun streaming in the window together. however, they are never left unsupervised. anyway, don't blame the man's cats, blame him. i have been keeping reptiles for 6 years, and never once have my cats ever gotten to a reptile. he needs to be more responsible.

[Classic]

We can't blame the cats. I did a neighbor a favour last year and got them a baby corn snake. (They had no cat) After a week, they came back to me asking for another. When i enquired as to why? She said it had escaped. OK, it happens to alot of new herpers.
I gave her all the hints required to help find the little corn. A few weeks past with no luck and I agreed to get them another. Low and behold, they loose it within 2 weeks. I was pissed. Carelessness. Leaving the lid off and walking away and thinking it would not go anywhere. She had the nerve to ask for another while showing me a dried out baby corn that she found in the cushin of the couch. I said her next corn would be full price from a pet store because she would not be getting it from me. As far as I know, because of pet store prices, she has no snake some months later.
"Lose it once, shame on her. Lose it twice, shame on me."

[PoiSoNouS]

I dont see why he couldnt get a cat even if he has snakes, I have a cat and 21 snakes, but I must say I have a reptile room always closed..
I guess he just had to make a "cat proof" enclosure and it would be ok.....

[SerpentLust]

I always...ALWAYS keep my door securely shut and LOCKED while I'm handling my snakes in my room.

She's not too enthusiastic about Montey anymore...it's moreso Chaos, the active one, that she wants...

Cats and Snakes don't mix, why do I have both. I'm a snake lover, Mom's a cat lover lol

Jenn

[MudBoy]

Good points made by everyone.
I know its not the cats problem its the owners but I still mourn the loss of two beautiful snakes because of someones stupid mistake.
We are adding a new care sheet to our list on cats and dogs and keeping snakes with them in the house, you know what I mean, the do's and donts sort of thing.
That way I know I have covered every base.

Thankyou for your comments one and all.

[lolaophidia]

You're right that you can't blame the cats, their owners are definitely the ones to blame. Irresponsible pet owners drive me crazy. If the cage for the snakes is secure (snake stays in, cats stay out) the cats eventually get bored and leave the snakes be. I've got two cats and 9 snakes and other than locking the cats out of the snake room during feeding time, I don't worry about them. Locks on cages keep every one safe.
It truly is a shame about the snakes needless death.
Hopefully your care sheet will prevent this from happening again!

[fanmaninacan]

Hey!
Good Work!

I cant believe HE HAD THE GUTS TOO ASK U FOR "more"

YeP A true A**.

T.P