Fugitive snake found in neighbor's john

PAISLEY, Scotland, March 18 (UPI) -- A Scottish retiree frightened by a snake in his bathroom learned soon afterward that the reptile was his upstairs neighbor's much-loved missing pet.

Dennis Mulholland, 67, of Paisley told the Daily Record of Glasgow he thought the snake was a rubber toy until he poked it with the remote control to his TV and it moved.

"I was off like a shot," he said. "I just slammed the door and ran out."

Two police officers who responded to his emergency call were also too frightened to handle the snake, he said.

While he was waiting for the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to send an agent, Mulholland went upstairs to ask Darren Hendry if he could use his toilet.

Hendry said his California king snake, Mad Max, disappeared more than a month ago.

The snake had lost weight during its weeks on the loose but was otherwise in good condition. It is now back in its tank, getting its regular meal of one dead rat a week.