# Cats and rubbing alcohol
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 22, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973 "2005-05-22T18:46:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/1 "2005-05-22T18:46:58Z")
My rather aged cat (about 15, she’s a shelter cat, so I don’t know) has some sort of sore/cyst thing on her, which, like humans, she couldn’t resist picking at (or in her case licking) and it opened up and started to bleed a little.
Being a good owner, I decided to put some rubbing alcohol on it to clean it up. I know that rubbing alcohol has a stinging effect when humans use it for the same purposes. But when I put the rubbing alcohol, she just sat around stoically. And this is the same cat that has tried to take my eyes out when I’ve tried to trim her claws.
So do cats have a different type of reaction to rubbing alcohol than humans.
I’ve switched to hydrogen peroxide which doesn’t bother her either.
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### Author:  [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/2 "2005-05-22T20:29:45Z")
Some cats seem to be very nonchalant about things that look very painful to us. One of my kitties sat patiently while a veterinarian pierced his jugular vein to get a blood sample. He didn’t look very happy about it, but he didn’t try to run away, and he didn’t attack anybody.
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### Author:  [@monkeyfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkeyfist)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/3 "2005-05-22T21:10:51Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#):
>
> Some cats seem to be very nonchalant about things that look very painful to us.
Rubbing alcohol on an open wound doesn’t look painful, it is painful.
**BobT** , I am completely surprised by your cat’s lackadaisical attitude to alcohol. I have had cats my whole life, and have done plenty emergency procedures on the poor creatures. I have always used hydrogen peroxide though. I too would expect a rather intense reaction to the alcohol. I don’t think you are alone to find this weird.
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/4 "2005-05-22T21:40:42Z")
Try Hydrogen Peroxide.
Not painful, & works really well.
Cheap, too.
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### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/5 "2005-05-22T22:58:30Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#):
>
> Some cats seem to be very nonchalant about things that look very painful to us. One of my kitties sat patiently while a veterinarian pierced his jugular vein to get a blood sample. He didn’t look very happy about it, but he didn’t try to run away, and he didn’t attack anybody.
Yeah, my cats have always been quite good about vaccinations and suchlike. My WAG is that they are considerably more stoic in regard to pain than we are - the whining when you trim their claws is not because they are in pain but because they are scared of having their claws messed with.
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### Author:  [@monkeyfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkeyfist)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/6 "2005-05-22T23:27:34Z")
> [@Excalibre](#):
>
> Yeah, my cats have always been quite good about vaccinations and suchlike. My WAG is that they are considerably more stoic in regard to pain than we are - the whining when you trim their claws is not because they are in pain but because they are scared of having their claws messed with.
Step on a cat’s tail by mistake and see how stoic in regards to pian they are. 🙂
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### Author:  [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/7 "2005-05-22T23:49:14Z")
Oh, goodness. This story makes me sound like a horrible villian but it really was an accident.
My old roommates cat came around once when I was about to put some antibacterial alcohol based hand sanitizer on. He hopped up on the table and sniffed at the bottle so I gave the bottle a little squeeze to puff some air at him. You guessed it, a little blob shot out and hit his nose. He completely freaked out and raced around the house for a few minutes, sneezing and sniffing and making never-before-heard cat noises. He was drooling all over the place, too. I don’t know that it hurt him but he stayed under the couch for the rest of the day and far away from me for a week. Sorry, George.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/8 "2005-05-23T00:09:40Z")
By the way, if the sore doesn’t heal, I hope you’ll take her to the vet. To a 15-year-old cat, anything untreated can become a major problem.
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/9 "2005-05-23T00:27:22Z")
> [@BobT](#):
>
> My rather aged cat (about 15, she’s a shelter cat, so I don’t know) has some sort of sore/cyst thing on her, which, like humans, she couldn’t resist picking at (or in her case licking) and it opened up and started to bleed a little.
One of our cats got a wound somehow between her shoulder blades. After the vet visit where they fitted her with an Elizabethan collar which freaked her out and resulted in a broken lamp, we took a pair of women’s tights and cut them at the knee and the panty. Two holes near the knee end, hold down the cat, pull on the tube, pull feet through holes, and she was in a little kitty leotard that prevented her from worrying at the wound while it healed.
And seconding the suggestion for peroxide over alcohol, though you might not want to use either. Her saliva has some antiseptic properties.
Please see a vet if it doesn’t heal!
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/10 "2005-05-23T04:49:56Z")
I think I will take her to the vet this week as this sore doesn’t look like it’s healing. It’s not getting worse, but not getting better either.
I have switched to hydrogen peroxide, which she doesn’t mind either.
I have an E-collar from a problem she had a few years back with another part of her. So if she has to wear it again, I’ll be ready.
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### Author:  [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/11 "2005-05-23T12:42:04Z")
Regarding the use of Hydrogen Peroxide on your pet. Has anyone elses veterinarian suggested diluting it with water 1:1?
Since Peroxide is so caustic (which is why you should NEVER use it in a wet bandage) it can irritate the skin in cats and dogs.
You may want to ask your vet before using it.
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### Author:  [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/12 "2005-05-23T14:14:07Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#):
>
> One of our cats got a wound somehow between her shoulder blades. After the vet visit where they fitted her with an Elizabethan collar which freaked her out and resulted in a broken lamp, we took a pair of women’s tights and cut them at the knee and the panty. Two holes near the knee end, hold down the cat, pull on the tube, pull feet through holes, and she was in a little kitty leotard that prevented her from worrying at the wound while it healed.
>
> And seconding the suggestion for peroxide over alcohol, though you might not want to use either. Her saliva has some antiseptic properties.
>
> Please see a vet if it doesn’t heal!
**jsgoddess** - do you mind if I borrow that idea and tell my vet? I’ve always hated to see a kitty in an E-collar - they are not just uncomfortable, they are embarassed!
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/13 "2005-05-23T15:28:50Z")
> [@Snakescatlady](#):
>
> **jsgoddess** - do you mind if I borrow that idea and tell my vet? I’ve always hated to see a kitty in an E-collar - they are not just uncomfortable, they are embarassed!
Yes, those collars are so lowering for a self-respecting feline. The sleek leotard look is a good one.
We got the idea when our cat Tuffy got a feeding tube through his side. They made him a little shirt out of surgical stockings that the tube kinda tucked up into. The surgical stockings get baggy and stretched out really quickly, so we decided to make our own little Tuffy shirts using tights. It takes a little experimentation to find exactly the right size. The best one ended up being the panty from a pair of support hose. Cut off the legs leaving a couple of inches, which became the “sleeves” and cut out the crotch panel, which became the neck hole. The fabric was stretchy but not tight, and you can find stylish colors, though we generally go with a sleek and slimming black. 😃
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### Author:  [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/14 "2005-05-23T15:45:31Z")
> [@BobT](#):
>
> sore/cyst thing on her
I would advise you have it checked. Cutaneous neoplasia in cats is very often malignant, although prompt surgical attention can be curative.
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### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/15 "2005-05-23T17:52:56Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#):
>
> Regarding the use of Hydrogen Peroxide on your pet. Has anyone elses veterinarian suggested diluting it with water 1:1?
Is it still effective as an antiseptic at that concentration? It would surprise me if 3% hydrogen peroxide was significantly more dangerous for cats than people.
> [@vetbridge](#):
>
> I would advise you have it checked. Cutaneous neoplasia in cats is very often malignant, although prompt surgical attention can be curative.
Our elderly old man died of that last year. Though at 17, it’s a good long life, especially since he’d been in treatment for a heart condition for about seven of those years. Wouldn’t have expected him to make it so long, and pretty healthy right up until the end.
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/16 "2005-05-23T18:56:39Z")
Taking her to the vet Friday.
I just assumed that at worst it was a sebaceous cyst of some kind. But I assume the vet will do a better job of cleaning it up than me.
I hope she doesn’t need surgery, but this thing isn’t going away because of positive thoughts.
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### Author:  [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/17 "2005-05-23T19:04:11Z")
Sending positive thoughts to you and purrs to her - please let us know how things turn out. And if she has to wear a leotard, please take a picture.
…and you could probably blackmail her with it later…
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/18 "2005-05-27T20:09:48Z")
Since some asked for an update, I took my cat to the vet today. The sore turned out to be an ulcerated skin tumor. And she has another marble-sized tumor in one of her “armpits” (not sure what you call it on a cat)
They both have been biopsied and the vet and I will discuss what is next. Her initial chest X-ray didn’t show any lung or breast cancer, but I don’t think I’m overly optimistic.
But she seems happy and I’m not putting the E-collar on her. No sense in making her look stupid and feel uncomfortable in times like this.
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### Author:  [@BookReader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BookReader)
#### Post date: [May 29, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-rubbing-alcohol/304973/19 "2005-05-29T21:30:04Z")
> [@BobT](#):
>
> the vet and I will discuss what is next.
Please keep us informed!