A friendly warning to stay safe.
With the recent flooding in East Texas over the past week or so I want to remind everyone to keep on alert for water moccasins and copperheads. I went out to grab some junk food and lottery ticket tonight and when I came back I stopped at the mailbox downstairs. When I looked down the sidewalk I noticed that one of the cats was jumping up and down playing with something. It was a copperhead that was about 1.5 feet long and it was so dark that it blended into the dirt at the base of the stairs. I mentioned the snake to my brother when I walked inside the apartment and he shot it. It could have easily turned into a bad situation since the kids in this apartment complex play in that area.
If possible try to use sidewalks rather than walking through the grass or on dirt. Keep the kids in safe areas as the sun goes down. Don't end up in ER (which is particularly true in my location since I doubt that the hospital has the resources to keep snake anti-venom on hand). Stay safe.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I have a cousin who lives in Longview.
He is currently resting in the bedroom with my brother's bedroom. He showed up on the doorstep about three months ago during a cold front, but he apparently had some experience living indoors prior to arriving here. He is litter box trained and likes to crawl into my brother's bed. He likes being pet under the chin more than any other spot.
His bad faults are that he does get possessive about his food with the Siamese cat here and he does occasionally throw up which is why we are calling him "Ralphie". 
