I can actually speak on this topic from experience.

Not long after getting my Nile (Jan. 05 I think) I got a small kitten. She was a former stray, and had quite a wild streak- shed gotten into all kinds of crazy trouble; including killing a crow at least twice her size and a bad habit of running out my door and immediately into any other open apartment door in range (my neighbors HATED this cat, as you can imagine).

As things went, I was stupid enough to think 2 large books would be enough to keep my cat out of the monitor cage (a 40 gal. breeder at the time)... I was WRONG.

I come home after being out for about 3-4 hours, open the front door and I hear 2 sets of claws clicking on linoleum. A split second later, my 20" Nile scurries out of the kitchen under a table- my kitten about a half step behind.

Obviously, at its small size, I was worried more about the monitor than the cat; so I grabbed the kitten by the tail and stopped her just short of 4-legged drop-scratching my Nile (which wedges itself behind the 300 lb. bookcase at this point)... not my finest animal loving moment; but it was a dire situation.

Its at this point that I realize the condition of this poor cat- shes MESSED UP! Bites and scratches on the nose, face, both front paws and all over her neck and chest- she was like a newspaper (black and white and red all over... yeah, crappy joke, i know).

So I take the poor cat into the bedroom and lay her down on a blanket while I go to check on the monitor.

Luckily a friend stopped by just then, and offered to watch the monitor while I took the cat to the vet. Hour or 2 later, im back home- time to get ol' Wander (thats the lizard).

A few grunts later and the bookcase is moved. I grabbed up the lil critter (extremely surprised it didnt bite me) expecting to find a bloody mess..... not. a. scratch.

I kid you not- that cat didnt TOUCH that monitor; and it got an arse-whomping for its effort.

Can a monitor kill a cat? In the right conditions, Id say yes. 90% of the time; prolly not- they will just run away, as theres no sense in risking a confrontation with some crazy, over curious killing machine in a monitors eyes.

Still, a cornered and angry monitor (of ANY size) is a force to be reckoned with if you dont have opposeable thumbs.

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