# HA! I DE-staticed the kitty!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 5, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640 "2006-01-05T21:26:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/1 "2006-01-05T21:26:43Z")
Yeah, so pet’n my cat durring the winter months is tourcher to my cat; because all the sudden she turns into a walking electric plant. You try to pet her and all you get in return is like a thousand jolts of (static) electricity. SO, I had somewhat of a brainstorm (which I’m sure a million others have thought of before me) and took a dryer sheet and rubbed her down with it. Now when I pet her it’s no problem at all!! I’m SO writting to Helouise about this. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/2 "2006-01-05T21:34:49Z")
Any possibility those dryer sheets aren’t safe for kitty to ingest? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/3 "2006-01-05T21:58:17Z")
I’m guessing SHAKES didn’t wipe down the INSIDE of the kitty. just the outside. And I also think Heloise is 30 years ahead of him on that one… ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/4 "2006-01-05T22:07:42Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I’m guessing SHAKES didn’t wipe down the INSIDE of the kitty. just the outside. Yeah, but won’t Kitty lick her fur and ingest whatever chemical is coating her? ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/5 "2006-01-05T22:12:14Z")
Well, kitties lick their outsides, so that’s not much better. It’s only really bad a few days a year with out cat… I end up having to ground myself on her paw or ear so I can pet her without electrocuting us both. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/6 "2006-01-05T22:21:33Z")
You could get one of those anti-static wrist straps that computer techs use, and put it on the kitty’s leg. Have the wire go to a little copper strip she could drag around and continually ground herself, preventing the buildup of electric potential. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/7 "2006-01-05T22:39:47Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Have the wire go to a little copper strip she could drag around and continually ground herself, preventing the buildup of electric potential. Maybe put a bell on the end of it? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/8 "2006-01-05T22:40:02Z")
Our cats get static buildup, but it doesn’t seem to bother either them or me as long as I touch their fur–there are small charges, but nothing that they (or me) seem to mind. What does bother them is touching their noses or foot pads when a charge has been built up. They will jump if that happens. I’m another who would be a little worried about the chemical in the dryer sheet. Maybe you could ask your vet? But staticky cats can be fun. One of our black cats who loves getting full-body massages woke me up to demand such a massage late one night. I didn’t bother putting on the light, and started in on him. What a show; there were sparks everywhere in the dark room as I rubbed his fur! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/9 "2006-01-05T23:13:08Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > What does bother them is touching their noses or foot pads when a charge has been built up. Ears too. > [@](#): > > _What a show; there were sparks everywhere in the dark room as I rubbed his fur!_ I have to try that. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/10 "2006-01-06T02:53:34Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > …I’m SO writting to Helouise about this. 😃 Don’t let **Coldfire** know, he might get jealous… ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/11 "2006-01-06T03:33:15Z")
If it’s on the cat, it’s in the cat. Very bad idea ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/12 "2006-01-06T03:37:41Z")
Damn, I didn’t even think the chemical thing would be an issue. Guess I’ll stop untill next time I take her to the vet. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/13 "2006-01-06T03:50:54Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > Damn, I didn’t even think the chemical thing would be an issue. Guess I’ll stop untill next time I take her to the vet. I wouldn’t worry too much. I don’t know which brand of dryer sheet you used, but the [MSDS](http://www.pgbrands.com/pages/cleaners/msds/Bounce.pdf) for Bounce™ brand dryer sheets only warns about the potential effects of toxicity if the sheet itself is consumed. The rat oral LD50 for the coating material is give as 10 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a 15-pound (6.8 kg) cat, that would be 68 grams. The ED50 (effective dose–the minimum required for toxic effects to be observed) is given as \>1.5 g/kg, or at least 10.2 g for our 15-lb feline friend. I can’t imagine you’re applying more than a few milligrams, at most, when you simply wipe the animal with it–more likely on the order of micrograms. I’m not going to say it’s perfectly safe, but it’s probably much less risky than many other things cats are exposed to on a day-to-day basis, particularly if the animal spends any significant amount of time outdoors. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/14 "2006-01-06T04:20:56Z")
This might be a good place for me to admit doing something really stupid. I Febreze’d the dog, after he rolled in a dead bird. **Then** I checked the label warnings. :smack: Luckily, all he suffered were some temporary bald spots. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/15 "2006-01-06T15:00:00Z")
My cat doesn’t seem to mind the shocks. Just as long as there is the petting. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/16 "2006-01-06T19:09:52Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > Damn, I didn’t even think the chemical thing would be an issue. Guess I’ll stop untill next time I take her to the vet. I know there are some health concerns relating to cancer risks in humans from dryer sheets. I couldn’t say for sure whether that’s silly hysteria or not, but it would strike me as prudent to err on the side of caution when using cleaning products on pets. ( **AuntiePam** : You Febrezed your _dog_? :eek:) I bet a tiny bit of vegetable oil would have the same effect, though. You’d have to use just a smidgen, and probably apply it by rubbing a thin coat all over your hands and then petting them (might help with winter dry skin, as well.) Seems to me like that wouldn’t be toxic. One of my more vivid childhood memories is the time the cat was sleeping on me, and I picked him up to shift him to the other side of the bed during the night. Bright blue sparks between his fur and the bedspread - lit up the whole room. ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-i-de-staticed-the-kitty/338640/17 "2006-01-06T20:46:29Z")
Or y’all could humidify for the sake of the poor kitties! Maybe this is the secret to why cats like sinks and bathtubs…they get a little wet and the static goes away and people don’t rub them down with dryer sheets. Plus, the contact with the drainpipe would ground them and discharge any static charge. I use the touch the paw pad trick when static is bad.