SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (CTV News) – A family cat in Australia is being advertised as a “four-legged hero” after he died fighting a poisonous snake that slid near two young children.
The terrible story of the shorthaired cat named Arthur was told in a Facebook post by the Animal Emergency Service, which provides urgent veterinary care in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
“Heroes come in all shapes and sizes,” said the group. “His family, understandably devastated, remembers him fondly and is forever grateful that he saved the children’s lives.”
The cat was playing behind two small children in the family’s backyard when they were approached by an oriental brown snake, which Australian Geographic magazine listed as one of the country’s ten highly poisonous snakes. The outlet also said that the species are known for their aggressiveness and agility.
“Arthur took action protecting his young family by killing the snake.” Unfortunately, in the process, Arthur received a fatal poisoning snakebite, “the group wrote in the post.
The post said that in the process of getting the kids out of the yard, no one had seen the actual bite, only noting that “Arthur passed out and recovered quickly as if nothing was wrong shortly after.”
In loving memory of Arthur, the four-legged hero. ♥ ️🐾🐈 Heroes come in all shapes and sizes! Arthur, a lovely …
Posted by Animal Emergency Service on Sunday, February 14, 2021
Posted by the Animal Emergency Service on Sunday, February 14, 2021, the Animal Emergency Service explained that the collapse of animals after a snakebite is common, but it is not a fact known to pet owners. A snake bite from a brown eastern snake can cause progressive paralysis and can prevent blood from clotting, causing victims to collapse.
The next morning, when the family found Arthur passed out again and unable to get up, they rushed him to a hospital in the rural town of Tanawha, 90 kilometers north of Brisbane.
“Unfortunately, Arthur’s symptoms were too serious to recover,” said the group. “It was with a heavy heart that its owners had to leave Arthur after he won his angel wings.”
The Animal Emergency Service staff were no strangers to Arthur, calling him “our little hero” who “was always getting into mischief”. He “already visited us before getting involved in accidents and was very dear to our team”.
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