The feline was bitten while fending off the reptile.
Thanks to their cat, a Florida family safely escaped a rattlesnake that got a little too close for comfort.
It all started when the Peterson family noticed a diamondback rattlesnake in their Leesburg backyard last weekend. As they were going inside, their cat, Oreo, took matters into his own hands, fighting off the venomous reptile.
"He's a little protector," said 10-year-old Jaiden Peterson, who adopted the feline just over a year ago.
Oreo got bitten by the snake during the fight but survived.
"His leg was swollen. It was like his whole entire leg from here and there, and he was bleeding," Jaiden said.
The family was worried about their beloved pet. A bite like the one Oreo had could be fatal if untreated.
Dana Lowe, a veterinary technician, said it’s uncommon to see cats with snake bites.
“We do see it with dogs a little more often that get bit,” Lowe said.
It seems like this feline just wanted to protect his family.
"To be honest with you, I think he was protecting the people of the home because that's just the kind of cat he is," grandmother Cyndi Anderson said.
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