A cat’s life was saved by vodka after she became seriously ill. Missey the cat was doused with antifreeze by cruel strangers outside of her home in Yorkshire, England. At first her humans, Paul Stephenson and his daughter Sara thought she had been doused with water, but when she became seriously ill they rushed her to the vet the next day.
The veterinarian diagnosed anti-freeze poisoning and immediately put Missey on a vodka drip to counteract the deadly poison.
Anti-freeze shuts down an animal’s kidneys but the ethanol contained in vodka neutralizes the toxic substance. The cat was administered the alcohol over two days and received half a litre (around 4 cups). Sara said the vodka had the obvious side effect.
“Missey was totally blind drunk. She was treated over the course of two days and got through half a litre bottle of 37.9 percent vodka,” she said, according to the Mirror UK. “She was trying to get up, but toppled over. Her eyes were out of focus and when we took her home in a carry basket, her mouth has pressed up against the wire so it looked as though she had her teeth bared.”
“At one point she was lying down trying to swipe at a pen and she just kept missing it, she was that out of it. It was totally mad,” she described.
Vodka therapy is unusual, but can work in extreme emergency cases, such as Missey’s. Vodka saved the life of a puppy poisoned when he licked anti-freeze. As for Missey, the treatment was successful and she is now resting at home.
Note: Veterinarians warn pet parents to never give alcohol to their pets. If you suspect your pet has been poisoned by anti-freeze, take him or her to a veterinarian immediately.
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