Venomous Rattlesnake Slithers Up to Hudson Valley Home

A housecat had an encounter with a venomous rattlesnake that made its way to the backyard of a Hudson Valley home.

The DEC announced on Wednesday, a Department of Environmental Conservation officer recently received a call from a resident in the town of Rochester reporting a Timber rattlesnake in their fenced backyard.

Timber rattlesnakes are the third most dangerous rattlesnake in North America according to Reptiles Magazine.

Before the officer arrived, the snake found its way out through a gap in the fence. While gathering information from the caller, the ECO heard the snake rattling nearby.

The officer then found a housecat seemingly playing with the coiled snake.

A few hand claps and whistles sent the housecat away unscathed, a testament to the reluctance of the rattlesnake to strike, officials say.

The officer then moved the snake a short distance from the busy roadway to a wooded area and later coaxed the snake into a pet carrier and released it to more appropriate habitat.

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Timber rattlesnakes are a threatened species in New York State, but common to the Shawangunk Ridge area where this snake was found, according to the DEC.