Snake catcher's grim warning to pet owners after being called to remove a 1.5-metre carpet python trying to swallow a kitten
A snake catcher has urged pet owners to keep a close eye on their animals after being called to a job where a carpet python killed a kitten before trying to swallow it.
Stuart McKenzie, from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers in Queensland, went to the home in Buderim after the homeowners made the grim discovery.
The kitten had ventured under the house only to encounter the carpet python, which Mr McKenzie said was most likely waiting for a feed.
The owners tried to intervene to save their kitten by using a broom handle to keep the snake away but the carpet python had already gone in for the kill.
A snake catcher has sounded a warning to pet owners after a carpet python killed a pet kitten on Queensland's Sunshine Coast before trying to swallow it
By the time Mr McKenzie arrived the snake was sizing the kitten up to swallow it but he was able to remove it so the family could bury their kitten.
'It's a very sad situation. It's someone's pet and they obviously want to bury it,' he said.
'It sucks when this sort of thing happens. A little kitten is the same size as a possum or a big bird and that's what carpet pythons are going after.'
Mr McKenzie estimated the snake was about 1.5metres long and while not yet fully grown it was more than capable of killing family pets.
In a Facebook post, Mr McKenzie said the family wanted footage of the encounter shared so other pet owners did not end up in the same predicament.
'I have permission off the cat's owners to share this footage to create awareness and educate everyone on what can happen if your pets have a run in with a decent sized carpet python,' he said.
The owners of the kitten had tried to intervene to save their kitten by using a broom handle but were unable to remove the snake
The carpet python was released back into the bush after it was captured by Mr McKenzie
Mr McKenzie said the carpet python eating the kitten was only natural.
'Please understand that the snake is just doing what it knows naturally to do and that is to hunt mammals and try and get itself a feed,' he said.
'Please be wary that if your cats are allowed to roam the streets at night they are more than likely killing lots of native wildlife and they also may not come home one day as they could get hit by a car or killed by another animal.'
The carpet python was released back into the bush after it was removed from the home.