Can I dye my cat with food coloring? Are there any dangers?" priceless question asked on mahalo?

You can dye a dog's hair with food coloring, so I'm only guessing that you could do the same to a cat. I'm not sure how much food coloring could make a cat sick if ingested. Cats seem to lick themselves clean more than dogs, which makes me wonder if they would take in more food coloring than dogs.

Please ask your veterinarian first! Please do NOT use human hair dye, it is NOT safe for pets. Good luck!

The articles from which I found the information are as follows: associatedcontent.com/article/2069303/ho... Tips for Tinting Animal Fur I can remember a time when a dog's fur was the color that it was; there was nothing you could do about that. Everything's different now. It's not unusual to see pink poodles, tiger-striped terriers or purple Pekingese while walking down the street.

Ever unsatisfied as we humans are, we've now envisioned alternative looks for our pets, and we spare no cost to achieve those visions. Clothing, hats, diamond-studded collars - they're all part of the craze to create new looks for our pets. Another option for changing the looks of our pets is to give them a dye job.

Brown, black and white are common colors for pets when they're born; green pink and purple are not. However, they can be when you discover how to dye or tint your dog. It's much less expensive than purchasing new outfits but it takes a little know-how to do it yourself.

Salons charge big bucks to tint your pet but your dog can look just as nice - and as colorful - for a couple of bucks. Before dying the dog it's important that he or she is clean and free of gels, sprays and other beauty regimens. It's not a good idea, however, to tint the dog immediately after a bath.

Bathe the dog at least several hours - if not a day - before giving it a dye job. This will ensure the dog's fur is completely dry. When the fur is still damp in places the dye can create a much darker look for those areas.

Brush the dog well before starting the tinting process, particularly if your dog has long or thick fur, to make sure the dye will reach all areas. There are a couple of different ways to dye your dog's fur but never use dyes meant for people. These are extremely toxic to dogs.

Use food coloring as one of the cheapest ways to get the job done. It's fabulous because it's non-toxic and won't harm the dog when he licks his fur (like all dogs do). Food coloring is found in grocery aisles where spices and baking goods are sold.

The inexpensive dye comes in small containers: 1 blue, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 red. These four colors will allow you to make nearly any other color you wish. Use the colors as-is or combine them to make purple, orange or other shades.

The best way to apply the tint is to use a spray bottle. Mix the dyes with water and spray it all over the dog. Don't assume that the color in the bottle is the color you will end up with on your dog.

For instance, a white poodle will be much easier to dye than a black terrier. The color in the bottle will likely be accurate for the light-colored dog but will need to be much darker when you're tinting a dark-haired animal. Wear gloves to apply the dye.

Squirt the liquid directly onto the animal then work it in by petting the dog in the opposite direction of the dog. That is, instead of petting from head to tail, pet from tail to head. This causes the fur to rise up and allows the dye to get all the way down to the skin.

The squirting method doesn't work so well when it comes to tinting the face. You don't want to get the dye in the animal's eyes so use a washcloth or sponge to apply tint to the face. Another method of dying an animal's fur is to use sugar-free drink mix.

The powdered mix is available in an array of colors and is as easy to apply as the food coloring. Simply mix it with water until you have the color you desire. Spray and rub the dog until he or she is completely tinted.

Make sure the drink mix you buy has no sugar; sugar will cause the dog's fur to be sticky when dry, and sugar can be harmful to an animal when they lick. To dry the dog stand it on a towel or large rag. The towel will become tinted, too, so don't choose your best towels for the task.

You can rub the dog lightly with a towel or use a blow dryer to dry. Use extreme caution with the blow dryer. Keep it on a low setting; don't turn it on high to get finished faster.It's difficult to judge how warm the air is on the dog so always use a low setting.

In addition, keep the dryer several inches away from the dog at all times, never point the dryer at his or her face, and often, place your hand in front of the dryer for a couple seconds to test the heat. When the dog is dry brush or comb the fur. Food coloring and drink mix work great for dying dogs' fur but you can also purchase tints made especially for dogs.

These, of course, are much more expensive than the aforementioned applications. When using purchased fur dye follow the instructions carefully for best results. Dying dog fur is a fun and inexpensive way to create a new look - even for a short while - for your pet.

Now your pet can be green for St. Patrick's Day, red and white for Christmas, red for Valentine's Day... http://www.doggienews.com/2005/10/color-your-dogs-fur.htm Color Your Dog's Fur Color ghlights is a new product from Pet Society, allowing you to add color highlights to your dog's fur, much like the highlights women add to their hair. It allows pet owners to give their dogs a special and unique touch by coloring its coat according to the creativity and imagination of the owner.It's effect is temporary, lasting only 1 to 3 days and can be easily removed with a rinse. Available in 5 colors: Blue, Pink, Orange, Gold and Copper.

Cat's are much more vulnerable to seemingly harmeless toxins. It would be better to simply not do it, than take the chance.

Food coloring and drink mix work great for dying dogs' fur but you can also purchase tints made especially for dogs. These, of course, are much more expensive than the aforementioned applications. When using purchased fur dye follow the instructions carefully for best results.

Dying dog fur is a fun and inexpensive way to create a new look - even for a short while - for your pet. Now your pet can be green for St. Patrick's Day, red and white for Christmas, red for Valentine's Day... http://www.doggienews.com/2005/10/color-your-dogs-fur.htm Color Your Dog's Fur Color Highlights is a new product from Pet Society, allowing you to add color highlights to your dog's fur, much like the highlights women add to their hair. It allows pet owners to give their dogs a special and unique touch by coloring its coat according to the creativity and imagination of the owner.

It's effect is temporary, lasting only 1 to 3 days and can be easily removed with a rinse. Available in 5 colors: Blue, Pink, Orange, Gold and Copper. You can dye a dog's hair with food coloring, so I'm only guessing that you could do the same to a cat.

I'm not sure how much food coloring could make a cat sick if ingested. Cats seem to lick themselves clean more than dogs, which makes me wonder if they would take in more food coloring than dogs. Please ask your veterinarian first!

Please do NOT use human hair dye, it is NOT safe for pets. I can remember a time when a dog's fur was the color that it was; there was nothing you could do about that. Everything's different now.

Yes, you can dye any animal with food coloring. Their skin is the same as ours, for the most part. It doesn't harm us, nor will it harm URL1 may take longer than you want for it to fade out, unless you bath them everyday.

Since basically it is dye, just like we dye our hair. There is no dangers in dying an animal with food coloring either because food coloring has no harsh chemicals in it. Seriously, we eat it all the time in our food, so how can it really be harmful.

However, if you wish to do this, it has to be done the right way.

When I was a kid, my sister and I used to dress up a couple of our cats in doll dresses when we were playing "house". Then we'd cradle them like babies and they'd fall asleep purring in our arms. It' hard to say who enjoyed this play more: us or the cats.

Realizing that not all cats would enjoy this treatment, keep in mind that at least they were dry and swaddled. So I went straight to the source and consulted my cat, Madonna, on this subject. In her feline opinion, no, the food dye will probably not harm her.

But more to the point, NO, she does NOT want to be dyed! She doesn't care if she's color blind or has no self awareness. She says she would much rather wear a stupid costume for a short time than get all wet and icky.

When I was a kid, my sister and I used to dress up a couple of our cats in doll dresses when we were playing "house". Then we'd cradle them like babies and they'd fall asleep purring in our arms. It' hard to say who enjoyed this play more: us or the cats.

Realizing that not all cats would enjoy this treatment, keep in mind that at least they were dry and swaddled. So I went straight to the source and consulted my cat, Madonna, on this subject. In her feline opinion, no, the food dye will probably not harm her.

But more to the point, NO, she does NOT want to be dyed! She doesn't care if she's color blind or has no self awareness. She says she would much rather wear a stupid costume for a short time than get all wet and icky.

You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question. Consider the following concerns: 1) Both you and the cat could be injured in the dyeing process.

Most cats don't like becoming wet and will scratch or bite to avoid being forced into a body of water. Restraining your cat could also cause injury to your animal. 2) While there may be no physical harm to your pet, there may be a break of trust between you and your cat which could result in the animal "acting out" in unanticipated ways.

Urinating or defecating in inconvenient places might be one example. You mess with kitty's fur, kitty messes with your bed pillows, for example. Another unanticipated consequence could be that your cat will over-groom - trying to clean it's fur to the point of removing largish patches and/or having continuous hair-ball problems.

2) If you are really set on this course of action, be sure to "test" a small patch of fur with the dye *at least* 24 hours in advance of a larger dyeing process. You want to watch for rashes and also watch for how your cat acts in regard to this change. Even though we are talking about food coloring, there could be an allergic reaction.

3) Just because it is food coloring does *not* mean that it will easily wash out or dissipate. You may have a "designer" cat for a lot longer than you might think especially since kitty will probably be very wary of letting you close enough to grab and douse again. Personally, I think this is a *really* bad idea and I see some strong potential negatives.

If you and the cat have a good relationship now, this may significantly alter that and require a long time to rebuild a sense of trust. If you and the cat do NOT have a good relationship now, this will definitely worsen it and probably destroy any possibility of forming a trust-based relationship. In my opinion, this seems to be a selfish plan for a short-term goal (Halloween?).

1) Both you and the cat could be injured in the dyeing process. Most cats don't like becoming wet and will scratch or bite to avoid being forced into a body of water. Restraining your cat could also cause injury to your animal.

2) While there may be no physical harm to your pet, there may be a break of trust between you and your cat which could result in the animal "acting out" in unanticipated ways. Urinating or defecating in inconvenient places might be one example. You mess with kitty's fur, kitty messes with your bed pillows, for example.

Another unanticipated consequence could be that your cat will over-groom - trying to clean it's fur to the point of removing largish patches and/or having continuous hair-ball problems. 2) If you are really set on this course of action, be sure to "test" a small patch of fur with the dye *at least* 24 hours in advance of a larger dyeing process. You want to watch for rashes and also watch for how your cat acts in regard to this change.

Even though we are talking about food coloring, there could be an allergic reaction. 3) Just because it is food coloring does *not* mean that it will easily wash out or dissipate. You may have a "designer" cat for a lot longer than you might think especially since kitty will probably be very wary of letting you close enough to grab and douse again.

Personally, I think this is a *really* bad idea and I see some strong potential negatives. If you and the cat have a good relationship now, this may significantly alter that and require a long time to rebuild a sense of trust. If you and the cat do NOT have a good relationship now, this will definitely worsen it and probably destroy any possibility of forming a trust-based relationship.

In my opinion, this seems to be a selfish plan for a short-term goal (Halloween?). You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.

Yes you can. There are a number of ways to "paint" cats, and dogs for that matter. You have to use something nontoxic, and food coloring is non-toxic.

But, it is not designed to wash off easily. Cats (and dogs) do not mind being colored. There are several reasons.

They are not visually self aware, they fail the "mirror test" and cannot realize that they are looking at themselves. Their color vision is very limited, somewhat like a color-blind human. And of course, they don't have any particular reason to mind since it does not hurt or disadvantage them.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.

Related Questions