DOCTORS SAVE CAT'S LIFE WITH VODKA

Babi the cat was close to losing one of his nine lives when quick-thinking vets saved him with a shot of vodka. Okay, maybe that's a shot in the dark, but the alcohol was definitely present.

The ginger cat from Fouriesburg in the Free State got antifreeze into his system. The highly toxic liquid has a sweet taste that attracts cats, and the animals will lick it if it's leaking from machinery. This appears to have been what happened to Babi, reports You.

Babi's owners saw that he was acting lethargic and vomiting, so they rushed him to the nearest vet. Once there, the two vets on duty quickly realised that Babi's bodily fluids contained antifreeze when they held it under a UV light and it lit up.

The two doctors knew that Babi needed something unconventional to save his life. That's because the treatment for antifreeze poisoning is intravenous ethanol. Thanks to quick thinking, the two made a plan.

"We remembered that we could use 7% vodka diluted as an alternative for ethanol. Vodka contains the same agents as ethanol and works as a substitute."

Babi was hooked up to a drip so that the vodka, diluted with sterile water, could be administered. This had to be done intravenously for six hours a day over a few days.

While the medication worked, the doctors admitted that it made Babi a little tipsy. The doctors warned that this shouldn't be tried at home.

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