While people think of snakes as dangerous, mischievous creatures that can kill us, we think of cats as cute, cuddly, and sometimes even hilarious pets.
But the truth is that both of them are misunderstood but in very different ways. Snakes are grossly misunderstood, and cats are a lot more dangerous than you think. In fact, cats are one of the main predators of snakes on the planet.
That leads us to the question; are cats faster than snakes? Cats are much faster than snakes and their reflexes are a lot faster than snake reflexes as well. The fastest snake (Black Mamba) can move at 12 mph (19 kph) while the fastest house cat (Egyptian Mau) can move at 30 mph (48 kph), which is faster than the fastest human (Usain Bolt) at 27 mph (43 kph)
So, yes, cats are a lot faster than snakes, so it’s no wonder cats are used to control snake populations in parts of the world and that your cat will chase a snake when it sees one.
But speed is not everything, and to understand what happens in a snake vs cat encounter and what will actually determine the outcome, we need to talk about other things, so keep reading…
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How fast are cats?
Have you ever seen someone drop something out of nowhere and catch it on the fly? It’s remarkable how quickly they’ve reacted and prevented the thing from hitting the floor. This is an excellent illustration of when you’d say someone has “cat-like reflexes.”
But what does that phrase imply? It’s well known that cats have quick reactions.
Cats are not only really fast, but they have extremely fast reflexes as well. How fast are cats reflexes?
Cats have amazing reflexes and can run at speeds of 30 miles per hour. They have the ability to leap nine times their own height, as well as run, swat, balance, and jump. When compared to dogs, it was found that cats’ reactions are at least 1.5 times faster than those of dogs.
A cat’s reflexes are faster than those of a person. Cats generally outpace the general public. Even an Olympic athlete that trains every day to run will be defeated by a cat in a race. Yes, even Usain Bolt is slower than your house cat, assuming that your house cat is not snacking on treats and catnip all the time.
Cats also have much faster eyesight and sharper overall senses that allow them to detect things we may not be able to. You can learn more about how can cats sense snakes here.
So, in general, we can say that cats are really, really fast and agile animals. That’s why they are such good hunters, but if you already have a cat, you know that, and you see it every day as they bounce on bugs or while they’re playing.
How fast are snakes?
Snakes are fast when alarmed or when they are chasing prey, but they are not faster than us, and they definitely can not outrun a house cat.
Still, they slither surprisingly fast. They do so by combining muscular control and friction in an amazing way. Here is a little tidbit you may not have known about snakes as well; snakes can actually move backward.
Cat Reflexes VS Snakes
The real danger of a snake comes in its striking speed. While cats can move really fast, snakes strike with super speed, literally.
According to a recent study, It has been shown that all snakes may accelerate at more than 160 metres per second squared (ms2) and attain velocities of up to 3 m per second. This allows the snakes to traverse typical distances of 13.6–16.7 centimetres in 66–74 milliseconds, according to the study.
The study also found that Ratsnakes and rattlesnakes produce peak accelerations of nearly 300 milliseconds squared, which is about 10 times of the jackrabbits trying to escape the snakes.
Yes, cats are faster than snakes when it comes to speed. When slithering away, a snake can typically top out at around 12 mph. A typical domestic cat, on the other hand, may attain speeds of up to 30 mph.
When it comes to a snake striking versus a cat swatting, things may get a little murky. They’re such different creatures that how they react in situations is as though they were from two separate planets. There have been numerous accounts of cats being wounded by snakes, so their ability to react swiftly isn’t always the case.
In most situations, cats have superior reflexes owing to their suppleness and agility. When it comes to a snake, they’re giving them a run for their money. Snakes do have a backbone after all, but you’d never know it from looking at them moving. Their ability to totally wrap themselves up lends credibility to the idea that they are more slippery than fast.
Do Cats kill snakes?
Cats do kill snakes, and cats are used for snake population control in some areas. When a snake infestation happens in a farm or in a village, bringing in more cats is a very effective way to keep the snake population in check.
Just goes to show you that keeping a cat comes with a lot of extra benefits, even some that you may not know about.
How do Cats kill snakes?
Cats hunt snakes by bouncing on the snakes and using their sharp claws to slash and pierce the snake’s asking.
Snakes fight back by striking the cat, but cats are often fast enough to be able to respond to the snake’s strike by hitting its head mid-way and then bouncing on the snake before biting the snake on its head, twisting or breaking the neck and paralyzing the snake completely.
The cat may then decide to kill the snake right away or just play with it and let the snake die a rather painful death. As many cat owners can testify, cats can be quite cruel like that.
The cat may then decide to play with the snake’s dead body like a robe toy or chew and nibble on it. A cat will rarely consume the whole snake.
Conclusion
Cats are undoubtedly faster than snakes. Cats are also known for their reflexes and speed when hunting which they use to catch the prey, including snakes. But when it comes to reflexes, things can get murky and it can go either way.
The good news is that snakes are naturally fearful of cats and they can understand that they are predators, and so they will try to avoid a confrontation with a cat if they can.
Helpful Resources
Snakes strike with super speed
Debunking the viper’s strike: harmless snakes kill a common assumption
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