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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsKitten reacts to taste of beer. (I've seen toddlers do this when an adult lets them taste.)
Link to tweet
hlthe2b
(102,509 posts)But, no I didn't "encourage" it.
OnDoutside
(19,986 posts)cleaned out ashtray for his labrador...hollow legs that dog....
csziggy
(34,139 posts)I used to have one that would pick up the bottle by the neck and drain it. She tried a cola once and didn't like that at all. Beer was her thing.
nykym
(3,063 posts)that loved beer, If he was outside and put is beer down the dog would knock it over and lap it up.
50 Shades Of Blue
(10,096 posts)localroger
(3,634 posts)There is no special toxicity to alcohol like there is for dogs and chocolate, it's just that they are typically much smaller than we are so the amound needed to get them roaring drunk is proportionately smaller than what it takes for us. Had the kitten found the beer good and started lapping it, each lap would probably have been comparable to a whole can of beer for a human.
50 Shades Of Blue
(10,096 posts)Cats can not only get drunk, but it can also easily cause severe liver and brain damage.
As little as a tablespoon of any form of alcohol can put an adult cat in a coma; more than that can kill them.
https://www.petmd.com/cat/emergency/poisoning-toxicity/e_ct_human_food_poisoning
This video is disgusting, not funny!
localroger
(3,634 posts)It's possible for a human to drink himself to death. It's just easier if you are a kitten who only weighs a few pounds. But a small taste will not kill, just as downing a six-pack will not kill a healthy human. But the amount you might drink before realizing its neurological effects if you are a kitten is much greater than what a human, particularly one with experience with alcohol, will drink. But even with us sometimes naive humans will drink much more than is wise before they realize how it is affecting them, and sometimes we die of it. And we're humans who can understand the warnings in the ads, the kitten can't. So there's that. But a few licks are not going to kill even a small animal if you realize what is happening and take the drink from them before they've had too much, pretty much as with humans who are inclined to go overboard.
"As little as a tablespoon of any form of alcohol" is nonsensical. The dangerousness of the dose depends on the amount of actual ethyl alcohol it contains. Liqueurs are particularly dangerous because they tend to be in the 40 proof range and very sweet, so a naive user might drink a lot quickly. Beer isn't nearly as dangerous both because it's less alcoholic and it's an acquired taste that drives most novice users away both animal and human. Mixed drinks can be dangerous for the same reason liqueurs are, but straight distilled liquors are rejected by most humans and animals that aren't hoping for the psychoactive effects.
TL;DR alcohol is not safe for your cat, your dog, your bird, or you. But I am sitting here with a glass of wine by my side as I type this.
50 Shades Of Blue
(10,096 posts)tasting alcohol at all. Period. I just saw another video (sent to me by two different people) of a supposedly drunk cat, staggering around after it was shown repeatedly dipping its paw in a goblet of what looked like wine and then licking that paw. That was supposed to be funny, too! IMO videos like this one can also do so much damage because they go viral and there are so many idiots in the world who may be tempted to try it and even go it one better so they can go viral too.
Videos like this show animal abuse no matter how you slice it. Animals don't know the dangers to them of alcohol and a responsible, caring pet owner makes sure to keep it out of their way, just as it would be kept out of a child's way. The only reason someone would put a video this out there is for their own ego gratification.
localroger
(3,634 posts)And pretty similarly dangerous, for the same reasons.
wnylib
(21,765 posts)and can kill a kitten. When my cat was just 3 months old, I found her taking a couple licks of some luke warm hot chocolate after I turned my head away for a minute. I took it away immediately. She spent the rest of the evening vomiting. I was relieved that that's all that happened and was much more careful after that about anticipating what she might get into. Cats are quick. It only takes a second. And it does not take much of a toxic substance to damage a kitten.
localroger
(3,634 posts)...as he rode around on my wife's shoulder. Whenever it was alcohol he would always shake it off instead of swallowing -- until it turned out to be Bailey's, and he swallowed it. The bird weighed less than a pound (they are small parrots which don't talk) and he was instantly drunk. He quickly realized the hazard of FWI (flying while intoxicated) and we put him back in his cage to sleep it off.
Hotler
(11,475 posts)I may want to try it.