Just got home and no sign of dcat, unusual as he usually appears when he hears my car. Went outside to find him gleefully playing with a snake 
As soon as I approached him he picked it up and ran off with it so there was a bit of a scuffle ie me chasing him round shouting at him. He dropped it a few times then it latched on to his cheek and he went into panic mode, spinning round trying to shake it off. I somehow managed to get it off him, grabbed him and shoved him in the house. Snake has vanished (wasn't sure if it was sick or injured as it seemed to be frozen in fear) and dcat appears to be none the worse so it mustn't have got its fangs into him. No idea if it was venomous or not (I'm not in the UK), it was a skinny little thing about 18 inches long.
Jeez what a bloody fright I got, just managed to calm down now with the help of a stiff drink Dcat now back outside like this 
looking for snakey.