A Dunoon woman got far more than she bargained for after returning home from a night shift, as she discovered a snake in her garden.
Katie Wilson had just finished work when she took her newly re-homed cat, Cookie, out for his usual morning stroll around the garden.
After finishing a night shift at 9am, I had just walked through the door and was running on very little sleep. I was sticking with my routine with Cookie.
Cookie, a 13-month-old cat, was being gently introduced to his new surroundings using a lead and harness. It was during that walk that Katie noticed something unusual lying in the grass.
She continued: While walking around the garden, I spotted what I thought was part of my dead plant that didn’t survive the winter.
It was orange and lying in the grass, so my initial thought was to go pick it up, but on closer inspection, I quickly realised it wasn’t a plant at all — it was quite literally a snake in the grass.
Katie said her first reaction was concern, particularly as she had no idea what type of snake it might be.
Thankfully, my son was away to nursery.
Although I love animals, I’m no Steve Irwin and I absolutely had no idea what kind of snake I was dealing with.
She quickly scooped up Cookie and called on her neighbour for help, as she knew they would be a bit more calm-minded.
Katie explained: My neighbour was great and we decided to place a bucket over the snake to keep it contained and give it some sort of heat, as it was still alive.
Before covering it up, Katie managed to take a photograph and posted it on social media: I snapped a photo to post on the Dunoon Facebook page, where we quickly concluded that this is likely someone’s missing pet.
I tried phoning the vet, the council and the SSPCA, all of whom were understandably unprepared for my morning snake drama.
Given my lack of experience and desire to keep my heart rate below dangerous levels, I decided not to intervene further.
Relief came quickly when two local residents with experience of pet snakes arrived to help.
Katie added: They came almost instantly, confidently picked up the snake, popped it in their beanie hat and took it home.
The pair later shared updates online, including photos of the snake warming up in a tank beside a radiator, and even listed it on Weebay in an effort to trace the owner. By the end of the day, the snake had been safely reunited with its owner.
Katie continued: I’m extremely grateful to everyone who helped, especially the couple.
It was certainly an educational experience and, from when I found the snake to the couple taking it away, it was all done within an hour. I’m glad the snake survived, but after a night shift the experience definitely woke me up faster than a coffee ever could — though I’d be quite happy if my garden returned to hosting nothing more exotic than the occasional worm.
