# Can dogs/cats sense intoxication? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827 "2005-05-14T15:23:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/1 "2005-05-14T15:23:46Z")
Or is it just a matter of perception? ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/2 "2005-05-14T15:45:37Z")
Their own, or ours? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/3 "2005-05-14T16:04:16Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > Their own, or ours? How often are your cats and dogs intoxicated? ---
**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/4 "2005-05-14T16:14:14Z")
> [@ninetypercent](#): > > Or is it just a matter of perception? Like dogs or cats are having a mental dialog about how messed up you are and the reasons why? “Look at the big guy. Wow he must have really been hitting the sauce tonight.” Dogs and cats communicate through body language and they are masters at reading it. I don’t think you need to go much deeper into animal psychology or anthropomorphism to explain their reactions to your different states. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/5 "2005-05-14T16:18:40Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > How often are your cats and dogs intoxicated? I thought it was a legitimate question. You’ve never heard of people intoxicating their pets? Not that I condone it, but it goes on more then you think. In which the OP made me wonder, do they sense their own intoxication, and can they interpret it? ---
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/6 "2005-05-14T16:22:29Z")
> [@daffyduck](#): > > Like dogs or cats are having a mental dialog about how messed up you are and the reasons why? “Look at the big guy. Wow he must have really been hitting the sauce tonight.” > > Dogs and cats communicate through body language and they are masters at reading it. I don’t think you need to go much deeper into animal psychology or anthropomorphism to explain their reactions to your different states. It’s not possible for a dog to detect intoxication by sense of smell? What about a cat? I am convinced there is more to it. ---
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/7 "2005-05-14T16:36:09Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > I thought it was a legitimate question. You’ve never heard of people intoxicating their pets? Not that I condone it, but it goes on more then you think. In which the OP made me wonder, do they sense their own intoxication, and can they interpret it? hah… The ambiguity of the question did not occur to me until after I had hid the submit button. What I meant was, do animals react differently to humans who are chemically altered? Your question is actually more interesting than mine. I doubt there is a concrete answer to it, though. ---
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/8 "2005-05-14T16:38:01Z")
> [@ninetypercent](#): > > hah… > > The ambiguity of the question did not occur to me until after I had hid the submit button. What I meant was, do animals react differently to humans who are chemically altered? than they normally would, that is. more whiskey should help my clarity problems… ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/9 "2005-05-14T16:38:24Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > I thought it was a legitimate question. You’ve never heard of people intoxicating their pets? Not that I condone it, but it goes on more then you think. In which the OP made me wonder, do they sense their own intoxication, and can they interpret it? One of my cats used to like to sip a little beer out of the bottle cap. I don’t know if the 1/10 oz of beer was enough to have any effect on a 8 lb cat - I never thought she was drunk, but she sure liked the taste. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/10 "2005-05-14T16:44:27Z")
> [@ninetypercent](#): > > The ambiguity of the question did not occur to me until after I had hid the submit button. What I meant was, do animals react differently to humans who are chemically altered? All is well, sorry for the hijack. Personally, I’ve never noticed a different reaction from my pets when I was intoxicated. They still tilt their head after I ramble on about something in a “WTF did he say?” kind of way. ---
**Author:** ![bigdfrombigd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bigdfrombigd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigdfrombigd)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/11 "2005-05-14T19:03:04Z")
Well, I definitely think my dog knows when my husband has had a few brewskies. He usually goes out with the boys on a Wednesday night and my dog curls up and sleeps with me while he’s out. She is the most pleasant, docile little thing, really sweet and wouldn’t hurt a fly, but when he comes home and tries to pet and kiss her she growls and pulls away from him. I don’t think she likes the smell for one thing. She sure knows there is something different about her “Papa” on Wednesday nights! ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/12 "2005-05-14T21:30:23Z")
I’m sure dogs can smell alcohol coming out of your pores and could be trained to respond to that. I imagine if you’re a grouchy drunk they will probably soon associate “smells funny=stay away.” But whether they react to your mental state alone, I have no clue. As for intoxicated dogs, my younger dog once drank a glass of beer that I had stupidly set down on the step. I don’t know if he was intoxicated. He didn’t act like he was addled or anything, but he did have to pee a lot and boy did he sleep soundly! ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-cats-sense-intoxication/303827/13 "2005-05-14T21:54:06Z")
A friend of mine had an irish setter who would lap up beer if you gave it to him. My first cat decided that he liked wine, and would steal it from an unguarded glass. He’d usually fall over shortly thereafter, and lie there, purring. Wino cat. I’d think animals can sense when their person is in an altered state. Person comes in with stumbling gait, drops keys in the sink, belches loudly, and falls into bed without undressing. Dog and cat exchange knowing looks: “Yep. He’s plowed.” 😃