After This Cat Ingested Antifreeze, His Life Was Saved by… Vodka

In an ironic twist, a cat’s life was saved by – what else – vodka.

The cat, who’s been dubbed Tipsy, was found near Brisbane Australia this past weekend. The animal had ingested poisonous antifreeze coolant, bringing it to the brink of death. Tipsy the cat was rushed to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) animal hospital,  just in time according to veterinarian Sarah Kanther.

“Luck was definitely on his side when our inspectors brought him in to us. Just in the nick of time,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Company.

Upon making it to the hospital, Tipsy was in acute renal failure. Kanther and her colleagues struggled with how to save him, until they realized they had exactly what they needed on hand: 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.

The doctors hooked Tipsy the cat up to an intravenous drip containing a solution of diluted vodka, and over the course of a night Tipsy’s condition improved greatly.

The vodka worked because the same enzymes in Tipsy’s body that metabolized the antifreeze, also then had to metabolize the alcohol. Kanther explained the process as, “… 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,” she said.

According to hospital officials, it’s unclear whether Tipsy was intentionally poisoned or ingested the antifreeze accidentally. Either is possible, as the aroma and flavor of antifreeze is appealing to cats and they can easily be baited to ingest it or drink spilled or disposed of chemicals.

A search is underway to determine whether Tipsy had any owners, however because the animal wasn’t microchipped, it’s likely he’ll end up going up for adoption.

Anyone with knowledge of Tipsy’s owners or what happened to him should contact the RSPCA.