Vet Saves Cat By Getting Him Drunk

Veterinarians would never normally suggest giving an animal an alcoholic drink, but one Australian vet just used it to save one stray cat’s life after it ingested another even more dangerous liquid.

The black stray cat was close to death when rescuers found him and rushed him to a local RSPCA animal hospital near Brisbane, Australia. “He couldn’t stand, he couldn’t lift his head, he was hypothermic, he was having convulsions, and really having trouble breathing,” veterinarian Sarah Kanther said about the cat, who rescuers named Tipsy.

The team suspected Tipsy ingested antifreeze after a blood test showed he had acute renal failure, so Kanther immediately placed him on a drip of diluted vodka. “It just so happened that one of our nurses had a bottle of vodka laying around, so we were able to administer it just in time to save his life,” Dr. Kanther said.

“Basically once you put the alcohol into his blood it metabolizes that instead, and gives the antifreeze time to pass in a less toxic form,” Dr. Kanther said. “Luck was definitely on his side when our inspectors brought him in to us. Just in the nick of time.”

“Because it’s such a fast-acting toxin, they’re normally dead by the time we get to treat them,” Dr Kanther said. Luckily, Tipsy has had plenty of time to rest and is expected to make a full recovery.