Tarantula grips onto back of cat in bizarre attack

Storm, a black tomcat, shot into the garden of his home in Northwich in a really distressed state.

“My cat rushed into the house going absolutely crazy,” said John Healey, from Castle, who has had three-year-old Storm since he was a kitten.

“He was jumping around trying to get something off its back.”

Storm jumped around the house trying to get the tarantula off his back

John eventually managed to corner the terrified cat and pick him up.

The incident happened on the evening of Tuesday, August 23.

“I had to really grip the back of the cat to get the spider off him. I just grabbed it and pulled it off.

The dead tarantula after being prised off the cat

“He’s only a short haired cat and the spider had gripped onto his fur.

“It was only the following day when I took a closer look that I realised it was a tarantula.”

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Storm was scared and upset

John immediately rang a vet for advice.

“The vet said the tarantula could have poisoned the cat,” he said. “A bite could have killed him.

“He advised me to keep an eye on him and make sure his back hadn’t swollen up or gone red.

“He was upset and scared at the time but I’m lucky, he’s alright now.”

John, who has another cat called Tabitha and a border collie called Cassie, has been left bewildered.

“I can’t say how it could have happened,” said John, who cleans medical equipment.

“Storm is a very pleasant cat and sleeps on my bed. I don’t let him out at night.

“The tarantula must hav been alive when it got the cat.

“It is really strange.”