A shot of vodka, paired with some quick thinking and good luck has saved a cat’s life.

It all happened when a curious cat, now aptly named ‘Tipsy’ was found near-death outside of a store in Lowood, Queensland, Australia. Once taken swiftly to the local RSPCA branch, staff soon discovered that the critter had ingested antifreeze, leading to acute renal failure – surely a death sentence, even for someone with nine lives.
Once the veterinarian had discovered the cause of the cat’s ailments, she knew that vodka would be the only way to restore the animal’s vitality and as luck would have it, a nurse working at the practice had been gifted a bottle of Absolut Vodka for Christmas – truly a Christmas miracle.

Quick thinking staff then administered 20ml of diluted vodka via a drip into Tipsy’s body with the hope that they might be able to counteract the effects of the antifreeze coursing through the cat’s body.

“It sounds a bit radical but the enzymes that metabolise the antifreeze, making it more toxic to the kidneys, also metabolises the ethanol in vodka. Once we administered that, he metabolised the vodka instead of the antifreeze.”” Dr Kanther told The Courier Mail.

Dr Kanther then went on to state that they believed the cat had less than hour until complete rectal failure assured death.
12 hours later, Tipsy was well and truly drunk and seemingly having a great time – his apparent hangover was then met with a large breakfast and lots of attention. It’s unknown weather he was purposefully poisoned and as he isn’t microchipped, he’ll be set for adoption into a loving household once he makes a full recovery.

So there we have it, vodka changes lives and saves lives of our furry friends. A heart-warming story with a happy ending, all thanks to the swift thinking of the vet staff and a lucky Christmas gift.

Header image credit: Photo: AAP/Tim Marsden. Source:AAP