Cats and Snakes

Cats and Snakes

Cats have a natural instinct to hunt. Anything fast, wiggly and small are basically a cats “best friend”. However; this does not turn out well for wildlife such as snakes, frogs and chipmunks.

The pictures below are of 2 snakes that have fallen victim to the regular house hold cat in the Lillooet area. The first one is a wounded adult Rubber Boa and the second is a lifeless baby Yellow-Bellied Racer, both are blue listed. Blue listed means that they are considered to be of special concern in British Columbia and are protected by the Wildlife Act.

So can house hold cats and snakes get along? Probably not. The best thing we can do to protect both snake and cat is to keep them apart. Easier said than done! Keeping cats indoors is probably the easiest way to protect snakes from cats as well as protect cats from larger predators that may be hunting them!

 Another thing we can do is to spread awareness about snakes. In Lillooet we have 5 different species of snakes.  Between April and October is when it is warm enough for snakes to come out of their den. Because snakes cannot regulate their body temperature they go back to their dens when it becomes too cold which is usually from October to March. These are some dates for cat owners to keep in mind 🙂

Yes, we love our furry friends. We also love the wildlife that makes Lillooet so beautiful. Together we can protect both.

Injured Rubber Boa Dead Yellow-Bellied Racer

by Splitrock Environmental