A family cat has been eaten by a python on Australia’s Sunshine Coast.

In a post online, snake catcher Stuart McKenzie said he was called in to remove a large python found asleep in a local garden.

He said it was clear the snake had “eaten something big.”

“As soon as I arrived I knew the food Item was too big to be a possum and I was 95% sure it was a cat,” he said.

“I took the snake to the local vet and we scanned for a microchip and sure enough it was a family's pet cat.”

He said the owner was “obviously very sad and her kids were devastated” but she had given him permission to share the story to warn others about the dangers of letting pets roam free in the area.

“Not only do cat’s predatory instincts take over and they kill lots of native wildlife but they can also be killed by native wildlife or run over by cars,” he said.

The snake was released back into the wild.