SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (CTV News) – A family cat in Australia is advertised as a “four-legged hero” after he died fighting a venomous snake that slipped near two small children.
The discouraging story of the short-haired cat named Arthur was recounted in a Facebook post by Animal Emergency Service, which provides urgent veterinary care in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.
“Heroes come in all shapes and sizes,” the group said. “His family, understandably devastated, remembers him with affection and is forever grateful that he saved the children’s lives.”
The cat was still playing with two small children in the family’s backyard when an eastern brown snake approached them, which Australian Geographic magazine included as one of the ten most venomous snakes in the country. The medium also said the species are well known for their aggressiveness and agility.
“Arthur jumped into action protecting his young family by killing the snake.” Unfortunately, in the process, Arthur received a snake bite of fatal poisoning, “the group wrote in the message.
The message said that in the process of removing the children from the yard, no one had seen the actual bite, it was only noted that “Arthur collapsed and recovered quickly as if nothing was wrong shortly afterwards.”
In loving memory of Arthur, the four-legged hero. ♥ ️🐾🐈 Heroes are all shapes and sizes! Arthur, an adorable …
Posted by Animal Emergency Service on Sunday, February 14, 2021
Published by Animal Emergency Service on Sunday, February 14, 2021, Animal Emergency Service explained that animals that collapse after biting a snake are common, but it is not a fact known to pet owners. A snake bite from an eastern brown snake can cause progressive paralysis and can prevent blood from clotting, causing the victims to collapse.
The next morning, when the family found that Arthur had collapsed again and could not get up, he was rushed to a hospital in the rural town of Tanawha, 90 miles north of Brisbane.
“Unfortunately, Arthur’s symptoms were too severe to recover,” the group said. “It was with the heaviest heart that his masters had to abandon Arthur after he had won his angel wings.”
The staff of the Animal Emergency Service was not at all unknown to Arthur, who called him “our little hero” who “was always naughty.” “He had previously visited us before he had had accidents and was much loved by our team.”
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