(Photo: Denise Thynne)
Man's best friend may be a dog, but this woman loves her cat especially well right now.
Denise Thynne, 66, of Mirani, Queensland, Australia went out into her yard to water her roses. When she reached down to pick up her hose, a snake lunged out of the bushes and bit her.
It was a red-bellied black snake. It might have tried for a second bite, but it didn't get the chance. Thynne's cat, Skitzo, leaped into action. ABC News reports:
"She came out stalking and it looked like she was mesmerising it and then she just went in for the kill," Ms Thynne said.
"I turned the snake over and saw the red belly and thought 'oh that's not a very friendly one'."
Recall that this incident took place in Australia, the country where nature is most determined to kill you. Thynne is highly experienced at getting bitten by snakes:
Ms Thynne said she was well versed in what to do, as it was the fourth time she had been bitten by a snake.
She is not keen on a fifth experience.
"I'm a bit of a pro at this snake business," she said.
"My mum always said it'll be a snake that kills me, so yeah, I'm not really planning on one [a fifth experience], but who knows.