That's terrible, I am glad your cat is ok! None of my dogs ever see snakes or smell them, they will literally step right on them. And the first thing they always want to do is bend down and sniff them. My vet said usually copperhead and cotton mouth bites they can survive without antivenom depending on where they are bit, but rattlesnakes are usually always lethal without antivenom.

I have a Taurus public defender poly that works great on snakes, always one shot, but I hate carrying it because I usually will only carry that due to the weight. That's why i'd like to find a good lightweight pocket snake defense pistol so I can wear my primary pistol too.

My neighbor had a rattlesnake in his garage last year. That was sketchy! I was thinking 22 mag birdshot or maybe a 38 would dispatch a snake quickly but be able to shoot inside garage or near buildings and such.