Can Cat Pee Get You High? Know About Risks

After seeing shocking TV episodes or internet videos, the idea of getting high from cat pee may seem intriguing. But purposely inhaling cat pee, sometimes called “cheesing,” poses serious health and legal dangers. Understanding why this practice is so hazardous can help dissuade such risky behavior.

can cat pee get you high like South Park’s Kenny by sniffing cat urine? Understanding dangerous health risks to get intoxicated from cat pee.

Can Cat Pee Get You High?

Several factors motivate inhaling cat pee attempts:

Pop culture – South Park’s infamous “Major Boobage” episode introduced the concept of cheesing with vivid hallucination scenes.

• Peer pressure – Primarily teenagers and young adults giving in to encouragement from peers.
• Rebellion – A misguided attempt to rebel against authority via shocking behavior.
• Desperation – Those struggling with addiction looking for any substance to abuse
• Availability – Cat pee is easy to access compared to controlled substances.
• Misconceptions – The mistaken idea that cat pee offers a cheap, legal high.

But despite depictions in TV and movies, cat pee cannot get you safely high, no matter how desperate the circumstances.

What is Cat Urine Made of?

can cat pee get you high? it can be better understood by learning about the contents present in Cat pee that contains:

• Water – 95% of the total volume.
• Urea – Breakdown product of protein digestion and main carrier of ammonia
• .Ammonia – Volatile waste product contributing the characteristic urine odor.
• Minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium.
• Trace amounts of hormones and proteins.

None of these compounds have psychoactive, euphoric or hallucinatory effects on the human brain. While urban legends claim cat pee creates a marijuana-like “high,” this is medically false. This article clearly explains the main theme can cat pee get you high and gives detailed discussion on it.

Why Does Inhaling Cat Pee Not Get You High?

Several factors prevent cat pee intoxication:

• No THC – Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active chemical in marijuana, is absent from cat pee. THC is what causes psychotropic effects.
• No narcotics – Cat pee contains zero narcotic substances found in addictive drugs of abuse.
• Ammonia levels too low – Significant ammonia exposure alters breathing and mental status, but cat pee is too dilute.
• Duration too brief – Any ammonia sniffing needs to be prolonged to affect the brain, beyond a few quick inhales.
• Placebo effect – People expect a “high,” so they imagine effects that aren’t pharmacologically possible from mere urine whiffs. 

While a slight ammonia odor may sting the nostrils, achieving actual central nervous system effects is impossible with casual cat pee inhalation.

What Dangers Exist in Inhaling Cat Urine?

Although getting physiologically “high” is unattainable, health risks of cat urine sniffing include:

• Ammonia toxicity – High concentrations irritate and burn airways and lungs. Longer exposure can cause breathing distress.
• Infection – Cat pee contains microbes that can cause pneumonia when inhaled. Bacteria like E. coli, salmonella and leptospirosis are risks.
• Allergic reaction – Inhaled allergens provoke severe asthma attacks in susceptible individuals. Anaphylaxis is possible.
• Kidney damage – Ammonia levels that enter the bloodstream impact renal function over time.

Deliberately inhaling any toxic substance, whether cat pee, glue, gasoline or paint thinner, leads to organ damage. But compared to industrial chemicals, cat pee risks are lower due to high water dilution.

Are “Cheesing” Cat Urine Highs Real or an Urban Legend?

Media depictions showing characters like South Park’s Kenny getting wildly hallucinogenic effects from cat pee are pure fiction. 

In real life, the small traces of ammonia vapor sniffed from cat pee are nowhere near adequate to induce a physiological “high.” Any perceived effects are imaginary results of:

• Expectation – People anticipate feeling high, so the power of suggestion creates a placebo response.
• Misinterpreted symptoms – Stinging nasal passages from ammonia gets mistaken as euphoria. Peer pressure.
• Peer pressure – Teens fake effects to avoid ridicule from friends.
• Exaggeration – Users embellish the experience when recounting it.
• Pre-existing intoxication – Being high already makes cat pee seem impactful.
• Attempting to get high from cat pee leads to health harm without actual intoxicating payoff. Sticking with this risky misuse means falling for an urban legend.

What are Safer Alternatives to Abusing Cat Pee?

Those tempted to chase a cat pee high need education on healthier options:

• Avoid peer pressure – Say no firmly to dangerous stunts like cheesing that lack real payoff. 

• Address underlying issues – Treat addictions, trauma, depression or recklessness driving poor choices.
• Find positive highs – Turn to exercise, music, art or community service to stimulate feel-good neurochemicals safely.
• Speak with a counselor – Therapists provide guidance on coping with influences promoting substance abuse. 

No legitimate medical or psychological experts advocate inhaling toxic substances for recreational purposes. Supportive counseling and mature decision-making are the safest ways to achieve natural highs through fulfilling activities.

Final Thoughts on Sniffing Cat Urine

While urban myths claim cat pee intoxication is possible, the practice remains extremely hazardous without actual “high” effects. Ammonia toxicity, lung damage and infection risks combined with the lack of psychoactive chemicals make cheesing an illogical thrill-seeking behavior. 

Rather than fall for sensationalized media depictions, educate yourself on cat urine’s true risks. And encourage vulnerable friends and teens to avoid this dangerous misuse at all costs. Your health and safety are too precious to put on the line over mythical cat pee highs.