Huge Python Swallows Cat Alive After Straying Into Home Backyard, Regurgitates Feline When Caught

A nine-feet-long python swallowed a cat alive after straying into the backyard of a home and regurgitated it when caught by local residents. The incident took place in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Tuesday.

It came to light after villagers rushed to the backyard after hearing some noises only to find the reptile struggling to move. Upon a closer look, the villagers realized the snake had eaten some animal. They immediately alerted the forest department.

Speaking to local daily the Times of India, Hitesh Parmar, from local NGO Wildlife Rescue Trust, said, “The locals noticed the swollen belly of the python and realized that it had swallowed something. They reached out to the forest officials who contacted us. We reached the spot and began rescue efforts.”

"The python, which was hiding behind a heap of wood, tried to swallow the cat, but then found it too big and spat it out. When any reptile panics or feels that is under threat, it spits out the food it has swallowed to make a quick getaway,” he added.

After an hour-long rescue operation, the snake was rescued and handed over to the forest officials. Local residents said it was the first time they spotted such a huge snake in the area.

In a similar incident in the Indian state of Rajasthan earlier this year, a 13-feet-long python swallowed a dog alive and regurgitated it.

"We were going on a rescue and on the way we saw some people disturbing a four-meter-long (13-foot) Indian Rock Python that had eaten something... As we reached closer to the reptile, it was spilling out the kill which was a street dog," a witness said.

“There have been several cases of python preying on goats and dogs in the recent past in Indian villages and snake experts believe the excessive deforestation is leading to a serious imbalance in local ecological system forcing the reptiles and other wild animals to come closer to human habitat,” he added.