Palmdale Woman and Cat Bitten by Same Rattlesnake on Back-to-Back Days

A Palmdale woman was bitten on her index finger while picking up cat toys in her backyard, and the very next day, the same rattlesnake struck her family cat. Both required emergency antivenom as wrangler Cary Quashen worked to track down and remove the snake from the property.

The woman was bitten on Wednesday, August 19, according to CBS LA. A neighbor rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she received antivenom immediately upon arrival. Her sister, identified only as Souny, told the outlet that the woman had difficulty swallowing and felt her throat starting to close after the bite, and that she could no longer feel her legs and experienced facial numbness.

Those symptoms were reported after the bite; the provided California Herps material discusses Northern Mojave rattlesnakes and general behavior but does not establish a venom-toxicity explanation. The CBS LA report does not identify the rattlesnake species responsible for the Palmdale bites.

A 2014 study indexed by the National Institutes of Health found that 43% of its study population reported persistent symptoms related to rattlesnake bites.

The Cat's Turn Under the Fangs

The following day, Thursday, August 20, the family's cat, Magic, was bitten by what appears to have been the same rattlesnake still lurking on the property. Magic received a dose of antivenom immediately after being rushed to a veterinarian, per the same account from CBS LA. Doctors say time is critical for rattlesnake bites, a point echoed by Dr. Ali Jamehdor, who urged people to get to an emergency department rapidly after being struck.

Domestic pets are bitten by rattlesnakes up to 20 times more frequently than humans in Southern California's foothill and desert interfaces, and the organization emphasizes prompt veterinary care, according to The Snake School. The organization cites a $943 vial as one example. Human hospital care can also be costly.

Wrangler Spends Over an Hour Searching Property

Santa Clarita-based wrangler Cary Quashen, who owns The Snake School and has more than 40 years of venomous snake handling experience, was called to the family's home to handle the situation. He found the rattlesnake about an hour and a half after arriving. Quashen advised people to back away without panicking if they spot a snake, and to monitor pets and children outdoors near brush and shaded areas.

California Poison Control directives prohibit legacy first-aid tactics like cutting the wound, applying ice or a tourniquet, or attempting venom suction, per California Poison Control. The agency's core message is simple: get to a hospital as fast as possible and let medical professionals handle the rest.

A Season of Surging Bites Across Southern California

California Poison Control logged 77 rattlesnake-related exposure calls in the first three months of 2026, according to the agency's own tracking. Warm weather and seasonal activity can keep snakes active near homes built along desert and foothill fringes. According to a 2013 retrospective review indexed by the National Institutes of Health, researchers examined rattlesnake bites in Central California in a study published in Toxicon. According to a retrospective cohort study indexed by the National Institutes of Health, researchers compared antivenom dosing strategies among adults treated for rattlesnake envenomation at a regional toxicology center.

According to a 2010 study indexed by the National Institutes of Health, larger rattlesnakes caused more severe envenomations, while rattlesnake species and patient mass did not affect the study’s severity score.

The California Herps page discusses Mojave rattlesnake distribution generally, while the Palmdale case occurred in the Antelope Valley. Nationally, University of Utah Health discusses pit vipers — rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths — in its overview of venomous snakes.

Los Angeles County planning documents said the majority of new development was expected to occur in the Antelope Valley Planning Area, which would accommodate about 70.6 percent of new development.

The Antelope Valley isn't alone. In the neighboring Santa Clarita Valley, emergency crews responded to a Valencia bite involving a young child in July, when a 3-year-old girl was struck by a rattlesnake hiding under a porch package and required pediatric ICU treatment. Both the woman and her cat, Magic, are now recovering, according to CBS LA's reporting by Lauren Pozen and Dean Fioresi.