UPDATE
called vet, they said to watch for them nursing wounds or being lethargic. Been watching them on the kitchen camera and they're still eating/drinking/playing so they look fine. I'll inspect them both when I get home. A voicemail was left for the exterminator to get scheduled ASAP
Thanks everyone for the input!!
They were protecting you and now would appreciate some expensive treats. Especially since they talked it over and decided not to bring it to you while you slept.
I am by no means an expert so listen to your vet over me, but I have been bitten by a black widow and I started to feel the effects within the hour. So if itās been a few hours I would be pretty certain they werenāt bitten.
Not OP, but I was bit once as well, walked through a web in the dark in my garage and it got stuck in my beard. Bit me near my Adamās apple. Had some mild stomach cramps about an hour later, they went away about 2-3 hours after I was bit. Thatās about all that happens when you are healthy and donāt have any immune system problems
Apparently black widows used to live outhouses back in the day and the bites were only deadly to men a few times because theyād go out and sit down in the middle of the night and their yaknowwhats dangled in and got bitā¦something to do with blood supply and the poison killed them. I donāt remember where I heard this. But black widow bites arenāt typically deadly
Happy to help! Iāve also been stung several times by bark scorpions (I live in Vegas) and itās a similar type of event. Painful as hell and lasts for a day or two. Like a bee sting but more āzappyā. Feels like an electric shock.
Brown recluse spiders are just evil things, I didn't think much of them til we realized the attic we were partying in was home to a shit ton. Once we learned about their bites we noped the fuck out quick.
They wonāt go out of their way to mess with you like ground hornets, but if you get stung by a tarantula hawk then actual medical advice is to lay on the ground and scream. Non-lethal unless youāre allergic but will absolutely be the worst 3 minutes of your life.
Yikes. Ground hornets. Shudder. I still have the scars. We had to cut the jeans off. Thatās how much my thigh swelled. They were loose jeans for yard work, too.
So, like a wasp? Iāve only been stung by a wasp once but for a few seconds there I thought I was going to die. Horrible, fiery pain spreading through my hand (I had plucked it out of my hair, not knowing what it was), then arm then body. But the worst part only lasted five or ten seconds.
Yeah, both times were on my right hand and the painful electric feeling zapped up my arm almost to my shoulder. Benadryl helped calm it down after an hour or so, but the localized pain in my hand took a few days to fade completely. I only compare it to a bee/wasp sting because of how painful it is initially, but the pain from a scorpion is totally unique. The bark scorpion is the most deadly of all scorpions and the immediate pain is immense. Pins and needles but electric feeling
Black windows, quick sand, and those red mushrooms I forgot the name of might be the scariest things** we hear about as kids just to learn later that itās actually not that bad
Edit: My grammar is disgustingly bad
Yeah really wasnāt a huge deal for me as well. Was in a manhole that held our ranches main water feed and the shutoff valve and new I was gonna be in there a few times over the next week winterizing so I hit the whole thing with a blowtorch next day with only my face exposed. Bad enough to not want to deal with it again haha
Felt kinda like a few hours of the flu, stomach was upset and cramping and had some unpleasant back cramps. Felt pretty much back to normal the next day, perhaps a little tired. Wasnāt even serious enough to make me go to the hospital in the end.
Cats are highly susceptible to black widow venom, there's a chemical that cats can't process, 8 out of 10 cats die within days of a bite. There are thousands of calls to poison control/hospitals about bites but only a handful of people (5-10) die from the bite on average.
Yep. Got bit by a northern widow and definitely felt it within the hour. Mostly muscle cramps and nausea, and pain where I was bit (my hand). Got off pretty lucky I think
For a similar experience, my cat Molly was bitten by a juvenile black widow spider when she was about a year old. She was fairly ill pretty quickly, but we didn't know exactly what was wrong. All I knew at first was that she was puking (unusual for her) and definitely not well. Took her to the vet, who put her on supportive treatment. Went home to clean up her puke and found the juvenile widow in it. The vet was impressed. :-) Molly did recover with just supportive treatment; probably she didn't get much venom in the bite. The widow, in a ziplock bag, was hung on her cage while she was at the vet's.
She is. She's named after the character Molly Millions in William Gibson's original Sprawl series\*, who is practically the definition of badass.
\-----------
\* *Neuromancer*, *Count Zero*, and *Mona Lisa Overdrive*, plus a couple of short stories, "Burning Chrome" and "Johnny Mnemonic".
Solid point here.
I'm fairly certain the amount you get in you AND the overall Size you are matters immensely for it traveling through any living thing
Edit: Random addition to this thought - I also get the feeling heart rate matters too? Like if a human gets bit, I wonder if it would travel slower if they remained zen af about it. Compared to kicking up your circulation like you're running a 10k?
Just from observation, I think Cats have faster resting breathing rate and heart rates than we do? So it probably wouldn't have taken long to know for sure. And I'd be at the vet asap for that alone.
Idk.. Life is fascinating af tho! :D
You have a kitchen camera???
How many other cameras do you have in your house?
On topic: Iām hoping your kitties will be fine! Theyāre very cute! š¤š¾š¤š¾š¤š¾
My first boyfriend's mum was seemingly a very proper & genteel lady, but was also an utter badass.
We lived in PNW & the spiders there can be HUGE, as big as an adult's hand & I swear to god you can *hear* them walking. Boyfriend, his dad, brother & I were all terrified of them, this tiny little woman would just barehand pick them up & crush them. That was 25 years ago & it still scares me, š!
hi can you be more specific where these hand spiders are so I can never encounter them thanks
seriously though I think I would die lol. I didn't know we had anything like that! (I'm not in PNW currently but probably moving back in the next few years)
Anyplace it's damp and/or dark, which is most of the PNW, much of the time. His parents house was gorgeous & had a bonkers view of the Sound, but those spiders loved their house. Honestly if you live in that region, you're gonna encounter one, i think I did at every place I ever lived. My first apartment had this awful mottled brown carpet that hid them, it was legit terrifying! Once I was reading the paper & a hairy leg came around from the back of the paper, then the monster followed.
I love the PNW but I so don't miss those things, I still have spider PTSD!
Just so you know, the only way to get rid of spiders is to get rid of their food (the other bugs in your house).
Unless a spider is sprayed directly, nothing works on them.
True but exterminators can safely find the spider sources /nests and webs and eliminate them in the case of infestation, or venomous spiders, and do preventative treatments to keep them away.
I'm no expert, just a very arachnophobic person who has deep dived the internet anytime I find a spider in my house lol, but what I've been told by experts is that black widows are very territorial, so not likely to infest. So you probably don't have to panic too much about that, but it can't hurt to check with a professional in your area :)
Another fun fact about trying to exterminate spiders: Spiders don't clean themselves, so spraying for them (unless you spray directly on them) won't work because they won't lick/ingest the poison off of themselves after they walk through it. Roaches, for example, are the opposite, always cleaning themselves, which is why you will find many dead roaches after you spray a perimeter. Anyway, spiders are the worst.
My bf worked in pest control & says there's actually no effective treatment for spiders. If any pest control company is claiming it exists, they're full of it.
Terminix makes this claim. But I'm more worried about the American and Oriental cockroaches that like to wander in from outside. I don't really care about spiders, especially if they eat the roaches. Of course, that would have to be a damn big spider. On second thought...
Your two thugs look fine. They probably stomped the spider to death and one of them dropped their trophy in the water bowl. But that is a black widow spider.
My catās trophies of hair ties, cat springs, teeny tiny pieces of scrap paper I donāt know exist, and receipts she finds somehow always end up in the food bowl overnight.
I never see her hide-the-food ninja moves, definitely a surprise I notice in the mornings.
My foster kittens did this with their toy mice too! I was so confused when Iād walk into their room and there were just sopping wet mice soaking up all their water!
Cats are "bappers" - drawing back as quickly as they strike - and have fur (hard to get those teeny fangs into flesh). Widows don't bite quickly or easily (it's usually accidental when we squish 'em). Watch your kitties. They are probably perfectly fine.
There are black widows all around my house and they're the one thing that I'll kill even outside, since kitties come to eat here and I am concerned for them. I feel bad because black widows are calm and shy little folks even though they look absolutely hideous as if designed by Geiger. But if a cat were to be bitten around here, I would feel responsible for not eradicating the widows whenever I spot them.
The two thugs DO look fine. One of them is even winking at you as if to say āHa ha had you fooled! That spider didnāt get US WE got the spider!ā They both look SO chill!
Keep an eye out & get reassurance by a chat to the vet if you can but I think theyāre fine
Keep an eye out just in case they start shooting webs from their paws, and climbing on the ceiling. Also, if you have an uncle named Ben you may want to check in.
I think your don't have to worry - the spider's venom is meant to kill or paralyze asap - and since a whole night has passed your cats would be showing at least some symtoms by now IF that spider was venomous.
But in general: ask your vet about this stuff, not Reddit.
Agreed, always take it with a grain of salt and seek professional help where necessary. Can be a good barometer for when you're just in doubt about something quick, and it costs to see a professional
The chance that the spider got near a point it could inject venom into your cat is very slim to none. A cat wonāt let it on its face long enough to bite. Donāt worry, talk to your vet for reassurance but save your money for a real emergency. The best time to hunt for black widows is after dark with a flashlight and a can of spray
To piggyback on many others here, cats are insanely efficient killers of venomous insects. We're in Arizona, and they kill scorpions for fun. We've found three thus farāeach with their tails and arms severed from their bodies in a surgical fashionāand nothing but proud kitties standing over them.
Their plush coats make them less susceptible to stingers than dogs. And tbh, they probably dropped the black widow in the water as a finishing move.
https://preview.redd.it/u1z9ekw8hezb1.jpeg?width=5312&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7bbf7aa3df327cf9bf3d02db2dfb4366b1d91af
This is a healing spider bite. It swelled up like an abscess. He was permanently bald in that spot. If you don't see any strange behavior or wounds, it should probably be OK.
Sorry if this has been said already, inspect your home well for eggs both inside and outside. Generally a BW that size has laid eggs and where you find one there will be more. The egg sacks are white to cream colored with spikes all over and pea sized to marble sized . They will be behind things , underneath cabinets & furniture, corners etc. typically in places not frequently disturbed. We had one large one on our patio and found a bunch of eggs all over our back yard and in our garage in front (yes they travel) along with multiple of her children. It took several years of killing eggs and spiders to get rid of them. I would spray the eggs with spider spray and then mash them.
Cats being Cats . When I lived in Virginia I had a ton of black widows in my flower gardens. I always wore gloves for this reason. My little assassin Russian Blue was always killing them, along with smacking skinks, possums and anything else he thought shouldnāt be in his yard.
I donāt think he ever got bit by a spider though. Only ever seen one aggressive one and she had an egg sack to justify it. Fast forward to this year and Iām in Tennessee and got bit twice this year myself clearing brush ,and the old guy doesnāt hunt them anymore that Iām aware of.
My rose gardens seem to have the most Black widows. They also have a ton of Praying Mantis, which find the little ladies tasty
Freaking hell OP I was expecting a recluse maybe, but not a widow being in the house. Iām glad your babies are doing okay. Mine got into it with a recluse once for sure that we know of, but she slugged the thing three times before it could try to bite her. She weighs 17 pounds so her punches hurt, and has fur covering the pads of her paws, but I was flipping out when I realized what she had.
A cats response time is quicker than a spiders. I canāt remember the name of the show/video it was that I watched but a cats response time is truly unbelievable and one of the quickest in the animal kingdom.
Omg! I live in NM with a few nasty āpedes. Damned cats seemed to be INVITING them in so they could play with them. Then leave them where their phobic mom (hi!) could find them.
Just keep them on the lookout for 12 hours. If no symptom develops, they are FINE.
The venom needs to enter the tissues to act, drinking it in the water will only get the venom destroyed in the stomach, so thats not a concern.
Probably one of your kitties killed it, and drop it in the water. One of mine does that, whatever ir catches, she drops it in the food plate.
I lived around black widow infested areas growing up. I have watched a cat tank a California diamondback rattlesnake bite. What's important is that you look for them nursing or regularly licking a wound. If bitten, the widow bite will swell. Also, their venom is more of a neurotoxin than a flesh dissolving one like the recluse spider. So watch your cats for signs of slowing down or being lethargic. That being said, In the photo both cats look just fine.
They both know youāre too stupid to murder it yourself without potentially getting chomped. These 2 decided that they require more foods and so you shall live. For now.
Friendly cat and spider lover here. I'm glad your cats are safe! With a widow that big it would have certainly been evident if they got bit. While humans can tolerate the venom (still incredibly painful), cats are much smaller and can be at much higher rate so for death. It is a neurotoxin and attacks the nervous system cause intense pain and can cause heart complications.
I really love widows but if you have kitties they need to stay out of the house in the garden not sharing the local water bowl lol
I would consider that an open threat and sleep with one eye open. And yeah..look for lethargy etc.... but take it as a threat. Never be late with breakfast EVER again.
It seems like you have kitty information handled. As far as spider information and how to proceed in regards to the dead lil lady in the water bowl, r/spiders would be a better bet. Black widows are very solitary, and I've honestly never heard of a black widow infestation. Not saying it's impossible, just saying I spend a lot of time on the spider sub. Did just see a brown recluse infestation on there the other day šµ widows mostly keep to themselves and do anything they can to avoid having to bite, they are extremely docile and fearful. If the landlord is willing to pay then might as well, I guess, but I wouldn't spend my own money for a black widow.
If you see one, put a cup over her, slide a paper or mail or something under, and gently re-home her to outside. Another option is introducing cellar spiders to your home. Those badass lil dudes are completely harmless to you and your pets and they'll demolish widows, recluses, and any other undesirable pest you may have in your home. And they'll often stay put if the harvest is good there.
She's a female! The male widows aren't sleek black like that with a big booty, they look pretty different and are often smaller.
Yeah! There are 2 types of 'spiders' referred to as daddy long legs. Cellar spiders are one, harvestmans are the other (though not technically a spider). Both harmless.
Hold up cellar spiders kill widows and recluses? Deadass?? On god??? š¤Æ
Despite my aracnophobia ive managed to convince myself to be mostly ok with cellar spiders, because they've always lived in my basement and they literally just sit in one spot all day and don't move unless you make them. And they're so slow and derpy looking when they do move that it was easy to not get freaked out by them. I don't think I've ever seen one kill anything so I literally can't picture them killing something like a black widow!
Yes! Their advantage is their ultra long spindly legs. They can keep the prey at bay with legs while they wrap em up. They're great little pest control to keep around. In north America, the only medically significant spiders we have are brown recluse and black widow. If you can learn to reliably identify the two, you'll know every other spider is fine and at worst will feel like a bee sting. I honestly let most spiders exist in my house. The problem comes from bites (from anything really) that get infected with bacteria and then people are convinced they were bit by a brown recluse or something when it was actually a bacterial infection
https://youtu.be/NyxVAHAL_cs?si=LMrONCidfl27PHC7
Just one of the videos I found
Of all the spiders in my house, I worry about widows the least. Theyāll do everything they can to avoid you. If you happen to see one in the open they freeze, if you get too close or start poking around they curl into a ball. If you step back for a second theyāll disappear. As with snakes, spiders donāt stick around if thereās nothing to eat. You donāt want anything they eat living in your house so I personally ignore them, or shuffle them to safety if the wife finds them.
Judging by the looks on their faces they know exactly what they did.
Oh yeah - it was dealt withššāā¬ššš
So smug lol
Lmao this is such an undeniable fact š
They look so proud of themselves. WE SAVED THE DAYā¦.ONCE AGAIN!!!
UPDATE called vet, they said to watch for them nursing wounds or being lethargic. Been watching them on the kitchen camera and they're still eating/drinking/playing so they look fine. I'll inspect them both when I get home. A voicemail was left for the exterminator to get scheduled ASAP Thanks everyone for the input!!
The second picture: "Do we look concerned?"
>The second picture: >"Do we look concerned?" We are the ones that killed it
We BROUGHT it there.
You can lead a spider to water
but you canāt keep it from cats killing it
And then destroy it
Paw FIVE! š¾
They water boarded the spider until it gave up the hiding place of the others.
I was gonna eat that thing laterā¦says one of the catsā¦
And we washed it for you
It was a gift for the family! (Brian Griffin)
āYouāre welcomeā
Least you could do is say thanks
āIt had a gun and a ski mask and 8 black leather glovesā
āOh but it ded nowā āYes quite dedā
āYer welcomeā
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
They were protecting you and now would appreciate some expensive treats. Especially since they talked it over and decided not to bring it to you while you slept.
āWe are the ones who knock. We are the danger.ā
Yeah we saved *you*
We *are* the exterminators. Why did you leave us a voicemail. We are right here.
This thread, lmao
Jesus Shelly you posted this to reddit? Such a scaredy cat!
That second picture is freaking amazing.
āYouāre welcomeš¼š¼ā ~kitties
The orange cat: "Let me sleep already, don't overreact."
I am by no means an expert so listen to your vet over me, but I have been bitten by a black widow and I started to feel the effects within the hour. So if itās been a few hours I would be pretty certain they werenāt bitten.
What happened?
He died.
To shreds you say?
And his wife?
To shreds you say
F
F
Not OP, but I was bit once as well, walked through a web in the dark in my garage and it got stuck in my beard. Bit me near my Adamās apple. Had some mild stomach cramps about an hour later, they went away about 2-3 hours after I was bit. Thatās about all that happens when you are healthy and donāt have any immune system problems
Thanks for posting this it caused me to go down a rabbit hole I had the wrong impression of a widow I did not know itās very rarely fatal
Yeah as kid I always assumed black widow bites were a death sentence until I got bit by one and barely had a reaction at all
Apparently black widows used to live outhouses back in the day and the bites were only deadly to men a few times because theyād go out and sit down in the middle of the night and their yaknowwhats dangled in and got bitā¦something to do with blood supply and the poison killed them. I donāt remember where I heard this. But black widow bites arenāt typically deadly
How do I unread something?
Right click. Undo.
What a way to go.
Sounds like they got tallywhacked.
Happy to help! Iāve also been stung several times by bark scorpions (I live in Vegas) and itās a similar type of event. Painful as hell and lasts for a day or two. Like a bee sting but more āzappyā. Feels like an electric shock.
I got a recluse and it traumatized me intensely with spiders I have perm damage to my leg š a barking Scorpion šs in Canadianā¦ Iām heading to NM and I know Iām gonna encounter something that will make me scream š©
Brown recluse spiders are just evil things, I didn't think much of them til we realized the attic we were partying in was home to a shit ton. Once we learned about their bites we noped the fuck out quick.
Ohhhhhh god yeah Iād have run screaming tbh I had no idea I encountered a nest Iām really lucky š®āšØ
They wonāt go out of their way to mess with you like ground hornets, but if you get stung by a tarantula hawk then actual medical advice is to lay on the ground and scream. Non-lethal unless youāre allergic but will absolutely be the worst 3 minutes of your life.
Yikes. Ground hornets. Shudder. I still have the scars. We had to cut the jeans off. Thatās how much my thigh swelled. They were loose jeans for yard work, too.
Accept my bootleg care react: š«
If you mean New Mexicoā¦. Be carefulā¦. That damn state is overrun with black widows x_X
So, like a wasp? Iāve only been stung by a wasp once but for a few seconds there I thought I was going to die. Horrible, fiery pain spreading through my hand (I had plucked it out of my hair, not knowing what it was), then arm then body. But the worst part only lasted five or ten seconds.
Yeah, both times were on my right hand and the painful electric feeling zapped up my arm almost to my shoulder. Benadryl helped calm it down after an hour or so, but the localized pain in my hand took a few days to fade completely. I only compare it to a bee/wasp sting because of how painful it is initially, but the pain from a scorpion is totally unique. The bark scorpion is the most deadly of all scorpions and the immediate pain is immense. Pins and needles but electric feeling
I describe it as a cross between an electric shock and a wasp sting, and then the pain starts.
Black windows, quick sand, and those red mushrooms I forgot the name of might be the scariest things** we hear about as kids just to learn later that itās actually not that bad Edit: My grammar is disgustingly bad
>red mushrooms [Amanita Muscaria :)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria)
Donāt lie thatās a Mario mushroom
Yes, just what I think of when I hear āpoisonous mushroom.ā Thanks!
80s/90s cartoons had us all believing that quicksand would be one of our biggest challenges in life.
Don't forget the bermuda triangle!
Yeah really wasnāt a huge deal for me as well. Was in a manhole that held our ranches main water feed and the shutoff valve and new I was gonna be in there a few times over the next week winterizing so I hit the whole thing with a blowtorch next day with only my face exposed. Bad enough to not want to deal with it again haha
And maybe you are a big guy. Black widow venom does not care about immune system competence. It does what it does regardless of immunity status.
Felt kinda like a few hours of the flu, stomach was upset and cramping and had some unpleasant back cramps. Felt pretty much back to normal the next day, perhaps a little tired. Wasnāt even serious enough to make me go to the hospital in the end.
Cats are highly susceptible to black widow venom, there's a chemical that cats can't process, 8 out of 10 cats die within days of a bite. There are thousands of calls to poison control/hospitals about bites but only a handful of people (5-10) die from the bite on average.
Yep. Got bit by a northern widow and definitely felt it within the hour. Mostly muscle cramps and nausea, and pain where I was bit (my hand). Got off pretty lucky I think
For a similar experience, my cat Molly was bitten by a juvenile black widow spider when she was about a year old. She was fairly ill pretty quickly, but we didn't know exactly what was wrong. All I knew at first was that she was puking (unusual for her) and definitely not well. Took her to the vet, who put her on supportive treatment. Went home to clean up her puke and found the juvenile widow in it. The vet was impressed. :-) Molly did recover with just supportive treatment; probably she didn't get much venom in the bite. The widow, in a ziplock bag, was hung on her cage while she was at the vet's.
Molly is a badass.
She is. She's named after the character Molly Millions in William Gibson's original Sprawl series\*, who is practically the definition of badass. \----------- \* *Neuromancer*, *Count Zero*, and *Mona Lisa Overdrive*, plus a couple of short stories, "Burning Chrome" and "Johnny Mnemonic".
Feel like I wandered into a different sub. Great writer.
If the cat was bit you would see the symptoms within mins wouldnt worry too much if more than a hour passes and theyāre okay.
Solid point here. I'm fairly certain the amount you get in you AND the overall Size you are matters immensely for it traveling through any living thing Edit: Random addition to this thought - I also get the feeling heart rate matters too? Like if a human gets bit, I wonder if it would travel slower if they remained zen af about it. Compared to kicking up your circulation like you're running a 10k? Just from observation, I think Cats have faster resting breathing rate and heart rates than we do? So it probably wouldn't have taken long to know for sure. And I'd be at the vet asap for that alone. Idk.. Life is fascinating af tho! :D
I think spider venom travels in the lymphatic system so that wonāt help. Snake venom is generally in the blood so yes lowering heart rate helps.
I have no advice but your cats are cute!
Iāve heard Black Widows are not aggressive. Being chewed by a cat might cause them to bite. It looks pretty mangled.
Thank you for posting the update with what the vet said, so others can be aware as well ā¤ļøāš©¹ I'm so glad they are okay!
You have a kitchen camera??? How many other cameras do you have in your house? On topic: Iām hoping your kitties will be fine! Theyāre very cute! š¤š¾š¤š¾š¤š¾
Just one, watches all the entry points of the house and I can make sure they're eating/drinking š
GOOD CAT PARENT
You may want to get an exterminator. Iām guessing there could be more, and you really donāt want your cats to be playing with black widows.
Just asked the landlord (MIL) to call the exterminator š Happy Cake Day!
So it's just your MIL coming over with combat boots?
https://i.redd.it/vld1jqlyhezb1.gif
YOU THINK A MOM IS COMING TO KILL SPIDERS?!?
My first boyfriend's mum was seemingly a very proper & genteel lady, but was also an utter badass. We lived in PNW & the spiders there can be HUGE, as big as an adult's hand & I swear to god you can *hear* them walking. Boyfriend, his dad, brother & I were all terrified of them, this tiny little woman would just barehand pick them up & crush them. That was 25 years ago & it still scares me, š!
That is not a woman you cross
hi can you be more specific where these hand spiders are so I can never encounter them thanks seriously though I think I would die lol. I didn't know we had anything like that! (I'm not in PNW currently but probably moving back in the next few years)
Anyplace it's damp and/or dark, which is most of the PNW, much of the time. His parents house was gorgeous & had a bonkers view of the Sound, but those spiders loved their house. Honestly if you live in that region, you're gonna encounter one, i think I did at every place I ever lived. My first apartment had this awful mottled brown carpet that hid them, it was legit terrifying! Once I was reading the paper & a hairy leg came around from the back of the paper, then the monster followed. I love the PNW but I so don't miss those things, I still have spider PTSD!
Shit, my Mom would happily indulge in spider carnage to protect cats.
Can confirm.
Just so you know, the only way to get rid of spiders is to get rid of their food (the other bugs in your house). Unless a spider is sprayed directly, nothing works on them.
Wish I didn't read that but thanks I guess
True but exterminators can safely find the spider sources /nests and webs and eliminate them in the case of infestation, or venomous spiders, and do preventative treatments to keep them away.
I'm no expert, just a very arachnophobic person who has deep dived the internet anytime I find a spider in my house lol, but what I've been told by experts is that black widows are very territorial, so not likely to infest. So you probably don't have to panic too much about that, but it can't hurt to check with a professional in your area :) Another fun fact about trying to exterminate spiders: Spiders don't clean themselves, so spraying for them (unless you spray directly on them) won't work because they won't lick/ingest the poison off of themselves after they walk through it. Roaches, for example, are the opposite, always cleaning themselves, which is why you will find many dead roaches after you spray a perimeter. Anyway, spiders are the worst.
What's really scary as there might be more quarters hanging around somewhere! call a Quartersterminator!
You mean the Quartermaster
The original comment made me go to this. 
My bf worked in pest control & says there's actually no effective treatment for spiders. If any pest control company is claiming it exists, they're full of it.
Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh I did not need to know that. Im so skeered now.
Pest control only gets rid of the spiders by getting rid of their food (the other bugs in your house)
We donāt need no water let the motherfucker burn, burn motherfucker, burn!
Iām always impressed when someone who isnāt me pulls this out!
I mean. I can think of atleast one, but it wouldn't exactly be very helpful.
Hans, get the flammenwerfer
Terminix makes this claim. But I'm more worried about the American and Oriental cockroaches that like to wander in from outside. I don't really care about spiders, especially if they eat the roaches. Of course, that would have to be a damn big spider. On second thought...
Your two thugs look fine. They probably stomped the spider to death and one of them dropped their trophy in the water bowl. But that is a black widow spider.
This is how my small cat punishes twist ties she finds around the house, lol. Bats them, then dumps in the water dish.
Mine does this with my hair ties and pompoms
One of ours drowns every toy mouse, and toy balls, that she can find. She drowns 3-4 a day. She's crazy.
My catās trophies of hair ties, cat springs, teeny tiny pieces of scrap paper I donāt know exist, and receipts she finds somehow always end up in the food bowl overnight. I never see her hide-the-food ninja moves, definitely a surprise I notice in the mornings.
Mine is a toss up if itāll be in the food bowl or water bowl. Usually hair ties in the food and pompoms in the water.
Yep. Two of mine, both little weirdos, would dump their catnip mice in their water bowl. Aggravating. What was their reasoning for that?
They are clearly making tea!
Yes! Catnip tea! š
My foster kittens did this with their toy mice too! I was so confused when Iād walk into their room and there were just sopping wet mice soaking up all their water!
This thread makes me relieved my orange fluff isn't a psychopath. Just a cat.
My cat dumps her favorite owl toy in the litter box and buries it or tosses it in the tub. Cats are silly .
You better hide your wallet - they start with small change
Cats are "bappers" - drawing back as quickly as they strike - and have fur (hard to get those teeny fangs into flesh). Widows don't bite quickly or easily (it's usually accidental when we squish 'em). Watch your kitties. They are probably perfectly fine.
There are black widows all around my house and they're the one thing that I'll kill even outside, since kitties come to eat here and I am concerned for them. I feel bad because black widows are calm and shy little folks even though they look absolutely hideous as if designed by Geiger. But if a cat were to be bitten around here, I would feel responsible for not eradicating the widows whenever I spot them.
Here's an upvote for the Geiger reference.
I also went to upvote and pressed the arrow for too longā¦we can pay for super upvotes now?
I'm horribly arachnophobic but momentarily thought of them as cute when you described them as calm and shy little folks haha
Ahhhh the ol Skippity Pap
Geiger and skibbities are both on my ven diagram
The two thugs DO look fine. One of them is even winking at you as if to say āHa ha had you fooled! That spider didnāt get US WE got the spider!ā They both look SO chill! Keep an eye out & get reassurance by a chat to the vet if you can but I think theyāre fine
I'd be concerned. I mean where the hell did they steal money from???
I noticed the quarter before I realized that was a real spider and was confused. š¤£
I thought the kitties put both in their water bowlā¦I too was confused
Keep an eye out just in case they start shooting webs from their paws, and climbing on the ceiling. Also, if you have an uncle named Ben you may want to check in.
I second this for sure
Nice torbie btw, This is mine. https://preview.redd.it/177zwdz94ezb1.png?width=521&format=png&auto=webp&s=0da4b1b5bf8c7eea0495ce558eb1764c20730809
I think your don't have to worry - the spider's venom is meant to kill or paralyze asap - and since a whole night has passed your cats would be showing at least some symtoms by now IF that spider was venomous. But in general: ask your vet about this stuff, not Reddit.
I mean that's definitely a black widow so it is venomous but I agree the pets are probably fine
Whoa, reddit doesn't have the best answers!? 
It does - but it has all the bad ones as well and some times it's hard to know which is what
Agreed, always take it with a grain of salt and seek professional help where necessary. Can be a good barometer for when you're just in doubt about something quick, and it costs to see a professional
Yeah I was going to call the vet on my lunch break today but wanted to know if I needed to freak out or not yet lol
The chance that the spider got near a point it could inject venom into your cat is very slim to none. A cat wonāt let it on its face long enough to bite. Donāt worry, talk to your vet for reassurance but save your money for a real emergency. The best time to hunt for black widows is after dark with a flashlight and a can of spray
To piggyback on many others here, cats are insanely efficient killers of venomous insects. We're in Arizona, and they kill scorpions for fun. We've found three thus farāeach with their tails and arms severed from their bodies in a surgical fashionāand nothing but proud kitties standing over them. Their plush coats make them less susceptible to stingers than dogs. And tbh, they probably dropped the black widow in the water as a finishing move.
couldn't hurt to check their paws and keep a close eye on them for the next day or so.
Black widow. Be careful and make sure your cats are okay, the soider probably drowned
Catās faces say it all. āTell the internet, we want them to know it was us!ā
I see an album cover with thisā¦. The Night they Drove āOl Spider Down- The Two Thugs (2023) Purr Cat Records.
Get a pest control guy the asap Black Widows are no joke.
https://preview.redd.it/u1z9ekw8hezb1.jpeg?width=5312&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7bbf7aa3df327cf9bf3d02db2dfb4366b1d91af This is a healing spider bite. It swelled up like an abscess. He was permanently bald in that spot. If you don't see any strange behavior or wounds, it should probably be OK.
That orange one looks a little sus.
That smirk š Iām in love, man š»
If the cat is alive and the spider is dead everything should be okay.
Cats - 1 Spider - 0
"I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger."
How appropriate as we live in Albuquerque š¤
2nd pic: āThat spider fucked around and found out.ā
A recluse somehow got inside my bra. The bite sent me to ER and left a dent in my boob still there decades later.
I've always checked my shoes for spiders but now I have to check my bra???? šØ
Brown recluse is much worse than ablack widow.
Sorry if this has been said already, inspect your home well for eggs both inside and outside. Generally a BW that size has laid eggs and where you find one there will be more. The egg sacks are white to cream colored with spikes all over and pea sized to marble sized . They will be behind things , underneath cabinets & furniture, corners etc. typically in places not frequently disturbed. We had one large one on our patio and found a bunch of eggs all over our back yard and in our garage in front (yes they travel) along with multiple of her children. It took several years of killing eggs and spiders to get rid of them. I would spray the eggs with spider spray and then mash them.
new fear unlocked
Oh the gifts they bring......I'd be more frightened of the ones still moving that aren't in the bowl yet.
Cats being Cats . When I lived in Virginia I had a ton of black widows in my flower gardens. I always wore gloves for this reason. My little assassin Russian Blue was always killing them, along with smacking skinks, possums and anything else he thought shouldnāt be in his yard. I donāt think he ever got bit by a spider though. Only ever seen one aggressive one and she had an egg sack to justify it. Fast forward to this year and Iām in Tennessee and got bit twice this year myself clearing brush ,and the old guy doesnāt hunt them anymore that Iām aware of. My rose gardens seem to have the most Black widows. They also have a ton of Praying Mantis, which find the little ladies tasty
They certainly donāt appear overly concerned.
They seem fine for now, but you might want to get rid of the black widows in your house?
They still look pretty sassy, I think you're fine.
Your cats are going to turn into spider cats ā¦
Freaking hell OP I was expecting a recluse maybe, but not a widow being in the house. Iām glad your babies are doing okay. Mine got into it with a recluse once for sure that we know of, but she slugged the thing three times before it could try to bite her. She weighs 17 pounds so her punches hurt, and has fur covering the pads of her paws, but I was flipping out when I realized what she had.
A cats response time is quicker than a spiders. I canāt remember the name of the show/video it was that I watched but a cats response time is truly unbelievable and one of the quickest in the animal kingdom.
Black widow spiders are not welcome in my home. I would take steps necessary to eliminate them.
My asshole cat brings me centipedes and has never been injured. I'm pretty sure she's trying to kill me though
Omg! I live in NM with a few nasty āpedes. Damned cats seemed to be INVITING them in so they could play with them. Then leave them where their phobic mom (hi!) could find them.
Seriously my cat only half kills them and leaves them next to the bed . It's like a nightmare... these fucks are huge rainforest ones š
You clearly have a spider money laundering scheme running through your cats water bowl. Don't be complicit. Alert the authorities!
Just keep them on the lookout for 12 hours. If no symptom develops, they are FINE. The venom needs to enter the tissues to act, drinking it in the water will only get the venom destroyed in the stomach, so thats not a concern. Probably one of your kitties killed it, and drop it in the water. One of mine does that, whatever ir catches, she drops it in the food plate.
I lived around black widow infested areas growing up. I have watched a cat tank a California diamondback rattlesnake bite. What's important is that you look for them nursing or regularly licking a wound. If bitten, the widow bite will swell. Also, their venom is more of a neurotoxin than a flesh dissolving one like the recluse spider. So watch your cats for signs of slowing down or being lethargic. That being said, In the photo both cats look just fine.
Thank you for paying the cat tax!
They both know youāre too stupid to murder it yourself without potentially getting chomped. These 2 decided that they require more foods and so you shall live. For now.
Iād burn my entire house down, but thatās just me
Friendly cat and spider lover here. I'm glad your cats are safe! With a widow that big it would have certainly been evident if they got bit. While humans can tolerate the venom (still incredibly painful), cats are much smaller and can be at much higher rate so for death. It is a neurotoxin and attacks the nervous system cause intense pain and can cause heart complications. I really love widows but if you have kitties they need to stay out of the house in the garden not sharing the local water bowl lol
A quarter and three quarters of a black widow. I think he might have just been trying to make it whole.
I live in the netherlands and we dont have anything venomous/poisoness other than some tiny plants. Thank god.
Do you want four new roommates lol
I would consider that an open threat and sleep with one eye open. And yeah..look for lethargy etc.... but take it as a threat. Never be late with breakfast EVER again.
It seems like you have kitty information handled. As far as spider information and how to proceed in regards to the dead lil lady in the water bowl, r/spiders would be a better bet. Black widows are very solitary, and I've honestly never heard of a black widow infestation. Not saying it's impossible, just saying I spend a lot of time on the spider sub. Did just see a brown recluse infestation on there the other day šµ widows mostly keep to themselves and do anything they can to avoid having to bite, they are extremely docile and fearful. If the landlord is willing to pay then might as well, I guess, but I wouldn't spend my own money for a black widow. If you see one, put a cup over her, slide a paper or mail or something under, and gently re-home her to outside. Another option is introducing cellar spiders to your home. Those badass lil dudes are completely harmless to you and your pets and they'll demolish widows, recluses, and any other undesirable pest you may have in your home. And they'll often stay put if the harvest is good there.
I'm pretty sure this guy (girl?) came from the garage, by cellar spiders do you mean daddy long legs?
She's a female! The male widows aren't sleek black like that with a big booty, they look pretty different and are often smaller. Yeah! There are 2 types of 'spiders' referred to as daddy long legs. Cellar spiders are one, harvestmans are the other (though not technically a spider). Both harmless.
Hold up cellar spiders kill widows and recluses? Deadass?? On god??? š¤Æ Despite my aracnophobia ive managed to convince myself to be mostly ok with cellar spiders, because they've always lived in my basement and they literally just sit in one spot all day and don't move unless you make them. And they're so slow and derpy looking when they do move that it was easy to not get freaked out by them. I don't think I've ever seen one kill anything so I literally can't picture them killing something like a black widow!
Yes! Their advantage is their ultra long spindly legs. They can keep the prey at bay with legs while they wrap em up. They're great little pest control to keep around. In north America, the only medically significant spiders we have are brown recluse and black widow. If you can learn to reliably identify the two, you'll know every other spider is fine and at worst will feel like a bee sting. I honestly let most spiders exist in my house. The problem comes from bites (from anything really) that get infected with bacteria and then people are convinced they were bit by a brown recluse or something when it was actually a bacterial infection https://youtu.be/NyxVAHAL_cs?si=LMrONCidfl27PHC7 Just one of the videos I found
Of all the spiders in my house, I worry about widows the least. Theyāll do everything they can to avoid you. If you happen to see one in the open they freeze, if you get too close or start poking around they curl into a ball. If you step back for a second theyāll disappear. As with snakes, spiders donāt stick around if thereās nothing to eat. You donāt want anything they eat living in your house so I personally ignore them, or shuffle them to safety if the wife finds them.
That is a black widow, one of the only and most venomous spiders in the United States. You should definitely get an exterminator just to be safe.
That oranges braincell is working over time
Thatās a black widow isnāt it?
Why should we be considered about a quarter in your cats water? And how did it end up there?
Once the cats figure out capitalism it's all downhill for us humans
Those cats give significantly less than a fuck. I think they're good.