What a snap! Florida family captures moment their brave cat stared down an alligator that climbed up and banged on their front door

Floridians are no stranger to the occasional alligator encounter, but one family received the fright of a lifetime when they went to investigate a banging at their front door and found one of the reptiles pressed up against the glass.

While the family, from Sarasota, reeled in shock, their courageous house cat appeared completely unbothered by the commotion.

The brave feline sat resolutely staring back at the intrusive gator as it attempted to scale its way up the door.

The family snapped a photo of the unlikely stand-off and sent it to their friends. 

Floridians are no strangers to the occasional alligator encounter, but one family received the fright of a lifetime when they went to investigate a banging at their front door and arrived to see one of the reptiles pressed up against the glass

One of the recipients was Ed Werdell, of Libertyville, Illinois, who shared the incredible image to Facebook.

‘We have friends in Sarasota FL that heard noise at their front door,’ Werdell wrote. ‘Take a look at what they found!!! Wow!’

The post has since gone viral, having been shared more than 90,000 times and more than 6,000 reactions.

A number of comments voiced adoration for the courageousness of the family’s cat.

‘Don’t worry! The cat got this,’ Donald Tyler wrote in response. 

‘The cat is standing guard,’ added another. 

The majority of commenters, however, were more concerned about the presence of the gator itself and celebrated the fact that such encounters are uncommon in their own respective states.

‘Reason 2,346 I will never move to Florida,’ said Facebook user Pebbles Vashon Frison.

‘I sure won’t want to see a crocodile at my front door!’ Toni Long added. ‘I see their cat was trying to scare away! I’m glad they had a secure sturdy front door!’ 

The family snapped a photo of their cat staring the scaled creature down and sent it to their friends. One of the recipients was Ed Werdell, of Libertyville, Illinois, who shared the incredible image to Facebook

Others saw an opportunity to turn the image into a meme, with some suggesting the gator may be working on behalf of the census or hoping to 'have a moment' of the cat's time to 'talk about Jesus Christ'

Others saw an opportunity to turn the frightening encounter into an amusing meme,  with one joking that the gator was hoping to 'have a moment' of the cat's time to 'talk about Jesus Christ'. 

There are 1.3 million alligators in all 67 counties of Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, making run-ins with the creatures fairly common in the state.  

The FWC says alligators can grow from six to twelve feet long and live for nearly 50 years. They live in ponds, swamps, rivers, freshwater, marshes, and occasionally saltwater.

Florida state laws also prohibit people from feeding, killing, harassing, or possessing alligators.

Anyone who needs to report an alligator nuisance is asked to call the FWC at 1-866-392-4286.