Man saves cat from python in S'pore by swinging snake around with cat in tow

A man saved a cat from being strangled and eaten by a python — by swinging the snake by its tail when it was wrapped around the feline.

A video of the incident, shot by the man, Marcus Lee, was put up on Facebook on Oct. 30.

Used one hand to film, another to swing snake

As he filmed with one hand, he used the other hand to swing the snake around to shake the cat loose.

In the caption, he wrote that the cat survived, after it "shot into the safety of the shadows" when it was released by the python.

Before his rescue, the cat was seen in the midst of being suffocated by the python in the drain, according to a photo he shared.

The exact location was not disclosed.

The man wrote that he had heard a "gurgling gasp" initially from the vegetation, which caught his attention.

"In a flash, I saw the snake's exposed tail. Acting on pure instinct, I seized it and lifted both predator and prey from the concrete," he also wrote.

What video showed

In the one-minute clip, the man pulled the python out of the drain.

It was coiled around a cat.

He then twirled both animals in the air, before using his foot to pry the python from the cat.

He appeared to step on both animals.

He continued to swing the animals repeatedly and the cat broke free in the end.

The snake was seen slithering off, while the cat likely bolted away and was no longer seen in the video.

After the snake slithered away, the man took another video, and shared it with the caption: "Apologising to the python."

Opinions divided

The video was shared on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook page, where it divided opinion.

Some were of the view that the man had interfered with nature taking its course and deprived the python of a meal, while others praised him for rescuing the cat from certain death.

Others said he should not have filmed his rescue and instead used both hands from the start to save the cat.

All media via Marcus Lee