Current Events > Lesson learned: I am not good in a crisis situation, at all.

(+) Yeah! (+)

So I had something kind of wild happen to me last night that really showed me how badly I panic when the chips are down.

In the mid-evening, I was just kind of chilling at my computer, when I suddenly started hearing a weird clicking noise. I thought it might be something wrong with my fan, or maybe a bug, but I didn't pay it much mind. However, I then saw my cat absolutely freaking the fuck out near my bookcase and grew suspicious that something was up.

I got up and looked, and to my absolute shock and horror, I find a 4~ foot long snake.

I know that some people really like snakes. I do not. Between just the shock of seeing it and the fact that it was making an unfamiliar clicking noise, I feared the absolute worst that it might be a rattlesnake. I grabbed my phone and my cat (who wasn't having it at all and absolutely shredded my arm as I was grabbing her against her will and carrying her away, but I was not going to take any chances).

(Bonus pic of the arm shortly after it happened, I guess)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/1/AADDXjAAE7bX.jpg

So uh, I got to a bathroom, the safest room I could think of for myself and my cat, and just legit broke down. I tried calling my parents first, because I was just flat-out panicked at that point, but I couldn't even speak, I was just trembling and sobbing. After some negotiating and no one being super sure what to do with no pest control place nearby and not being sure if the police would even help with that, we settled on calling up a family friend to help, since he had some experience with that.

It was a long wait, where I largely just avoided the fuck out of the snake, but the family friend came and (unfortunately) killed the snake. I do sincerely feel guilty that it ended like that, as the snake didn't do anything wrong and just happened to somehow get inside, but the family friend kind of made the call and acted.

Honestly, I feel pretty shitty about how I handled the whole thing. Between how I broke down, the conclusions I jumped to, and just being paralyzed by fear, I was pretty much useless for that entire thing.

Other lesson of the day: living on the ground floor of a place that's in the woods in southern Missouri really, really sucks. The cost of living is quite cheap, but full ass snakes inside is just a bit more than I'm capable of handling.

you had the presence of mind to protect your cat, so i think you did fine.

I don't really know what you expect to hear here. You froze up. Do better. Its just a snake.

You did right trying to protect your cat. But you also should have found a weapon and dealt with it.

Crying over it is definitely a bad deal. At some point you need to act like an adult and deal with situations like this.

Fluttershy posted...

you had the presence of mind to protect your cat, so i think you did fine.

There's pretty much nothing that would stop me from protecting my cat. I love the hell out of her.

Just_a_loser posted...

I don't really know what you expect to hear here. You froze up. Do better. Its just a snake.

You did right trying to protect your cat. But you also should have found a weapon and dealt with it.

I don't really expect anything. I know I screwed up.

It's more of a "This was a really wild thing that happened to me, and I'm trying to take it as a life lesson to do better in a crisis situation" thread than asking for hard advice.

Damn, your cat went deep with those claws.

telling people just don't be scared is pretty fucking dumb. it's more about the decision-making you still manage to have during.

you got yourself to a safe place and protected your pet. maybe you had a little ugly cry too. so what.

damn, you could have died from your cat.

you lived, and you know what the issues are, so silver linings I suppose.

Make sure you clean those scratches well.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23537-cat-scratch-fever

Fluttershy posted...

telling people just don't be scared is pretty fucking dumb. it's more about the decision-making you still manage to have during.

you got yourself to a safe place and protected your pet. maybe you had a little ugly cry too. so what.

No one said don't be scared. Everyone feels fear. Its facing that fear and doing what you need to to protect yourself and others that makes you brave.

Of course the silver lining here is you lived, as well as your cat. Just gotta keep those nerves in check.

I'm not much better.

I found an adder (only poisonous snake in the UK) in my garden a couple of years ago. They aren't even that dangerous, but I was straight on the phone to an animal charity to have it removed.

get this and keep a box handy
REPTI ZOO Portable Mini Snake Hook Collapsible Stainless Steel Snake Tongs and Snake & Reptile Hook Retractable Catching Snake Handling Tool https://a.co/d/4ptXuk8

Should have just grabbed it by its head and thrown it outside. It just wanted to be free.

I would have left my home, got in my car and call 911

darkace77450 posted...

Make sure you clean those scratches well.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23537-cat-scratch-fever

I did. I rinsed the wound after it happened and then used disinfectant once the snake situation was done just in case.

Just to explain the crying thing for what it's worth, it was a mixture of:
-I'm a very anxious person in general.
-I've very explicitly had a phobia of snakes since I was a kid when a snake chased me when I was out playing.
-With the strange clicking sound I heard and me not getting a good look at the snake, I was pretty convinced that it was a rattlesnake. I now know that it wasn't (it was some black snake), but in my panic, I was pretty sure it was.
-I was worried that the snake could have bitten my cat since she was near it.
-I wasn't sure who to call or what to do in the moment.

Basically, it was just pure, unfiltered panic with a lot of questions rushing through my head, and I just sort of broke down briefly.

*hug*

Looks like the cat presented more of a danger than the snake lol

Just_a_loser posted...

I don't really know what you expect to hear here. You froze up. Do better. Its just a snake.

You did right trying to protect your cat. But you also should have found a weapon and dealt with it.

Crying over it is definitely a bad deal. At some point you need to act like an adult and deal with situations like this.

Username and tag checks out.

TC don't listen to this guy. You saved your cat and got to safety. You weren't sure how to handle it so you called someone to help you in your situation. It is OK to ask for help. Crying is also fine as it is a outlet for releasing strong emotions. If you didn't call someone and tried to "man up" and it was a venomous snake, you could have screwed up and got yourself killed. You did the right thing in this situation, take pride in that.

You protected your cat even when it meant harm to yourself. You did a good job.

Im not scared of snakes so i dont know if you are, but you did what you needed to do, and then made yourself and your cat safe while you dealt with your emotions.

Do you think, because of this experience, you can do even more next time?

You were challenged and emerged the victor and as such have gained power how you achieved the victory is meaningless

You didn't burn your house down. You got scratched and a snake was killed. Not the optimal outcome, but it's okay enough. Makes for a good story at least.

Panicking doesn't feel great, but you'll get over that part soon enough

It would seem your cat was going to fuck the snake up and you didn't let it

Take it from me. I tend to handle situations poorly... the first time. Hopefully you won't deal with this again but if you do I suspect you'll handle it better.

The one area I woulda differed from you on is I would have killed it myself due to my pet being in danger.

I will get away from snakes wasps hornets etc if I'm by myself or around someone I know isn't that bothered in dealing with it. But a pet or loved one that isn't so brave... yeah my fear goes out the window to a degree.

Made a snake look like hamburger meat with a shovel cause it snapped at my brothers dog. So yeah there was still some fear. I say that cause I didn't stop swinging until I was 150% sure it was dead.

Wasps are my biggest fear due to child hood trauma. I will freeze the fuck up if I see one. One stung my mom once. Normally she ain't bothered by them but it nailed her good and I didn't even think and killed it with my bare hand.

Glad you and your cat are safe.

Just_a_loser posted...

I don't really know what you expect to hear here. You froze up. Do better. Its just a snake.

You did right trying to protect your cat. But you also should have found a weapon and dealt with it.

Crying over it is definitely a bad deal. At some point you need to act like an adult and deal with situations like this.

Bruh, stfu

Cats are apex predators, it probably had that poor snakes number and was pissed at you for interrupting.

CoyoteTheGreat posted...

Cats are apex predators, it probably had that poor snakes number and was pissed at you for interrupting.

Only outdoor cats. Indoor cats that never learned to hunt, not so much.

There is a huge difference in indoor vs outdoor cats. If you want pest control, you need one that actively leaves to hunt and hones its skills.

So yeah, depends on the cat. Cats are definitely capable of killing snakes.

Me, I would have grabbed a broom or something, and there would be a dead snake in the house. It may not be a rattlesnake, but you still don't know what kind it is. Take no chances.

But yeah, fight or flight. Only other option is call animal control. But animal control usually charges a fee.

You did fine TC. It's ok.

_____Cait posted...

Do you think, because of this experience, you can do even more next time?

At the very least, I think I'd be calmer with regards to calling for help and not immediately buckling.

As far as me handling the snake directly...I sort of doubt it. I've been really scared of snakes for a super long time, and even seeing them in captivity makes me pretty uneasy. I think I'd struggle pretty hard to handle the situation myself unless there was literally no other option.

Many people aren't because most people don't encounter it often enough. Unless they're unfortunate enough to live in a dangerous country or, they choose to work high risk jobs.

I'd say trying to protect your cat and yourself from a potentially dangerous animal isn't a bad instinct to have.

I dunno if constricting snakes that size can eat cats? Or if we even have naturally occurring constrictors that big in the USA?

I feel bad for the snake too, but it's not like you told your friend to kill it.

Fluttershy posted...

you had the presence of mind to protect your cat, so i think you did fine.

This. The way you acted wasn't necessarily ideal, but the fact you were determined to protect your cat at all costs says a lot. Both you and your cat are ok. You did fine. Although damn, your cat really got you good.

Did it turn out to be a venomous snake? Either way, you should figure out how it got in. I grew up on the gulf coast and I never left an open door or window. Also, cats are really good at killing snakes

You did, literally, the exact right thing.

You didn't know how to deal with a situation, so you grabbed who was important to you (your cat), and, despite the harm to yourself, you got to a safe place. You then called for help, from somebody who might know how to deal with the situation better than you have.

Don't listen to JustALoser or whatever. "Just deal with it, bro" is absolutely terrible advice, coming from somebody who likely has literally never had to actually "deal" with anything on their own in their life.

You have to really go out of your way to find venomous snakes in the mid-west. Don't worry too much about it.

Always good to learn new things, even if they're things you'd rather not know about yourself.

ExtremeLuchador posted...

You have to really go out of your way to find venomous snakes in the mid-west. Don't worry too much about it.

Ive never been there, but the article below says that southern Missouri has all three main pit viper species, including a bunch of types of copperheads and moccasins (none of which have any form of rattle).

https://sites.wustl.edu/monh/venomous-snakes-of-missouri/

You did better than you give yourself credit for, it could have harmed you or your cat much worse, I mean venomous or not, these are wild animals that act on instinct.

Now you have something invaluable too: experience.

Payzmaykr posted...

Ive never been there, but the article below says that southern Missouri has all three main pit viper species, including a bunch of types of copperheads and moccasins (none of which have any form of rattle).

https://sites.wustl.edu/monh/venomous-snakes-of-missouri/

I meant you'd have to venture out of human civilization to find those species.

A different angle on those scratches and you wouldve suicides by cat.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/5/3/AADDXjAAE7o1.jpg

Snake hunter/arm slayer reporting for duty, hanging out in a box meant to capture the snake when the family friend was after it.

You did great man. Saved your cat and had the wherewithal to call someone to deal with the snake. Doesn't matter how you got there, you did the job.

And fuck snakes honestly. They can all die in a fire.

dotsdfe posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/5/3/AADDXjAAE7o1.jpg

Snake hunter/arm slayer reporting for duty, hanging out in a box meant to capture the snake when the family friend was after it.

Better watch out, your cat really wants that box.

In any case, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't catch the mouse that somehow got in my place (I don't remember what happened to it other than the fact its no longer in the house). Oh wait, now I remember. We threw a box on it and chucked it outside.

Jupiter posted...

This. The way you acted wasn't necessarily ideal, but the fact you were determined to protect your cat at all costs says a lot. Both you and your cat are ok. You did fine. Although damn, your cat really got you good.

It ain't that bad. Then again I have been around a shit ton of cats. I'd still make sure that shit stays clean though

My worst is me being a bit of a dumv ass. We had a feral cat that somehow got chemical burns that wouldn't heal. We tried to capture her various ways but one day I got close enough and lunged and caught her by the tail. She tore me up bit I had her.

We got her to thr vet and taken care of

Is the cat OK?
Are you OK?

If you can answer "yes" to both questions, you are golden. On social media and irl, people like to paint themselves as capable and in control. In reality, everybody struggles when faced with danger or serious difficulties that aren't things they are used to or have learned to handle.

Cat vs snake isnt a risk Id ever take with my cats. See those videos on YouTube of them freaking out when they see a cucumber? They instinctively fear snakes for a reason.