Claws for applause: Fearless tabby cat saves bedridden girl from venomous cobra
In a tale of courage and claws, a fearless tabby cat saved the life of a bedridden 12 year old girl from a venom-spitting cobra snake in her bedroom in Saraburi Province. The incident took place yesterday at the girl’s home in Kut Nok Plao Subdistrict. The cat, a female white and brown tabby, defended its young owner by standing guard over the snake and raising the alarm, causing the girl to wake up in shock and run out of the room.
The girl, known as Kaimuk, was at home with only her elderly grandfather as her parents were out working. While she was asleep in her bedroom, a black cobra appeared by her bed. The cat, seeing the threat, jumped towards the snake, hissing loudly. On seeing the snake, the girl quickly fled the room and called her parents for help.
Upon their return, the parents found the snake ready to strike at the cat, which stood its ground fearlessly. The cobra managed to spit venom at the cat, which hit its eyes, causing the cat to flee the room. The parents quickly closed the door, trapping the snake inside, and called the Saraburi Reptile Rescue Team.
The officials found the cobra near a blanket by the little girl’s bed. They used a metal hook to try and capture the snake. It managed to evade capture at first, spitting venom at the rescue team. It then slithered under the blanket where the rescue team finally managed to capture it.
The snake was a Siamese Spitting Cobra, approximately 1 metre in length. The rescue team placed the snake in a net bag to be released back into the wild. Meanwhile, the girl’s mother washed out the cat’s eyes with saline solution, fearing that the venom might cause blindness. She expressed her gratitude to the cat for saving her daughter. Had the cat not intervened, the snake might have bitten her daughter.
The girl’s father, who was working in another district, rushed home after receiving a call from his daughter. He said his daughter had not attended school that day due to a fever and was resting in her room with the cat. Usually, there was another person at home, but that day, he was out working. When he got home, he saw the snake coiled by the bed, with the cat standing guard. He then called the Reptile Rescue Team.
He was relieved that the rescue team caught the snake but was still worried. He didn’t know if more snakes would come into the house as the captured snake was still young.
He plans to take measures to prevent more snakes from entering. He warned everyone to check their bedding carefully and keep their rooms tidy. He wasn’t sure how the snake had entered the room but speculated that his daughter might have left the door open as she usually did not close it properly. This could have allowed the cobra to crawl into the room.
