Woman Finds Rattler in Her Living Room

It’s a rite of spring in Ventura County: slithery snakes writhing down the mountains into residential areas.

But when a rattler paid a visit to Sally Goldman and her cat, Maestro, in an east Ventura apartment building Tuesday morning, it was an unnerving experience.

As Goldman walked down the stairs of her residence, she noticed Maestro looking intently at an object in the middle of her living room.

As she got closer, Goldman realized it was a baby rattlesnake curled up with its tail shaking as it faced her black Persian cat. Quickly, she scooped the cat up, locked him in an upstairs bedroom and called the apartment manager.

In a matter of minutes, with the help of a gardener and the apartment complex maintenance man, the snake was picked up and killed.

Though the incident left Goldman a little shaken, she said she is grateful no one got hurt. Goldman figures the snake crawled through a hole in her living room screen door.

“I’ve seen snakes on hikes and stuff, but I’ve never had a snake in my house,” said Goldman, 32. “It was really scary.”

Animal control officials say western diamondback and Southern Pacific rattlesnakes often make their way down the mountains following their prey--particularly rodents--as the spring season begins.

They say residents who spot a rattlesnake in their home should call animal control officers, who are equipped with special tongs and escape-proof boxes.