Cats love to chase things, so it may make sense to get some cats out in the yard to keep snakes away. After all, what are snakes if not self-propelled strings for cats to chase? While there may seem to be merit to this method of snake control, and some cats do regularly catch snakes, cats are not on the same level as dogs when it comes to hunting. It’s not that cats aren’t skilled hunters; in fact, cats have far more tools at their disposal when it comes to bringing down prey than do dogs, but dogs have something cats don’t: the carefully instilled desire to catch and kill little creatures for the sake of sport. Many dogs can trace their origins back to hunting alongside man. In fact, terriers are known for their instinctual drive to root out and kill rodents, and that desire is something mankind has bred into the genetic pool through countless generations. Cats are perfect killing machines, but they answer to no master, and they only hunt when it suits them or when they are hungry. One cat will never catch enough snakes to keep an infestation at bay, even if that cat particularly enjoys snake meat. More often than not, cats will toy with snakes and lose interest, especially if a snake starts to retaliate. Cats have a high sense of self-preservation, and the last thing they want is to sustain a bite. You will rarely see a cat come home with numerous battle wounds from a hunt. Dogs come home all the time with a face full of porcupine quills because they don’t know when to quit. That all being said, cats may not be your answer to snake problems, but neither are dogs. Sure, the right dog might really take snake hunting seriously, but unless that dog is specifically trained to that task, like cats, there is no promise they will keep up the hunt day in and day out. The best bet for snake control is property modification. If you are seeing snakes in your yard, there is a reason they are there. More likely than not, you have an abundance of the little creatures snakes like to eat, and that can often be a result of property management. Have you let your grass grow a little too long? Long grass and thick vegetation encourages moisture to stay in your yard, and a moist yard encourages bugs and invertebrates which draw in amphibians and birds and rodents. These little creatures are dinner items for snakes, so the more creatures in your yard, the more snakes you will see. Believe it or not, seeing snakes is a blessing. It means they are there in an attempt to keep the rodent populations down. Without snakes, you would see an influx of rodents by your home, and the last thing you want is a rodent infestation. Snake control can also be accomplished with the use of glue traps. Glue traps use scent lures to draw in snakes which are then held in place by the adhesive on the bottom of the tray. Because you don’t want to let snakes die horrible deaths, it is very important to check these traps regularly and to release any snakes you find. Most can be freed with the use of water and dish soap. Go back to the home page: Snakes of Springfield