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I am somewhat interested in obtaining 2 kittens.

My 1 bedroom apartment already isn't the cleanest. I spray 409 and Windex on all my surfaces before I brew or bottle and call it clean. I'm not going to spend any time picking up cat hair.

If I greatly prefer homebrewing to animals, should I abandon all hope for a pair of cats? What methods exist to minimize the damage from animals to homebrewing in a one bedroom apartment?

I extract brew now but intend on moving to full-grain in the next 3-6 months.

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    I have 3 cats - they don't interfere with brewing.
    – mdma
    Mar 16, 2014 at 15:34
  • Just keep them from jumping in the kettle and you should be fine. I have 2 cats and they don't really care when I'm brewing
    – CDspace
    Mar 17, 2014 at 0:13
  • You should make it more clear that you are not spraying your brewing gear with 409/Windex.
    – brewchez
    Mar 17, 2014 at 13:19

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I've had 5-6 cats and 2 dogs for the entire 16 years I've been homebrewing. They are no bigger threat to your beer than you yourself are. Use StarSan in a spray bottle to clean things, not toxic cleaners like 409 and Windex.

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  • I only use 409/Windex for surfaces, not for equipment.
    – Matthew Moisen
    Mar 21, 2014 at 19:28
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I'd be wary of using 409 or Windex for brewing purposes; find some proper homebrew-friendly cleaners and sanitizers (oxiclean free and star-san are awesome).

There's no inherent incompatibility between homebrewing and pets. You might have to keep curious cats away from some brewing processes/steps, but if you're keeping proper sanitation and your head about you, everything will be fine. What are you concerned about, in particular?

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  • Oh I use Star-san my sanitizing my brewing equipment; I just use 409/Windex to spray down the counters and floor. I am concerned about the cat's infecting the beer somehow (maybe I should dunk them in star san? :) ) and concerned about cat hair drifting into the brew.
    – Matthew Moisen
    Mar 15, 2014 at 21:00
  • Your worries are baseless. Enjoy your cats and your homebrew.
    – Denny Conn
    Mar 16, 2014 at 16:11
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Note: Not directly related but worth noting
DOGS are generally allergic to hops, gives them sore skin. I don't know if the same is for cats.

Correction:
hyperthermia (overheating can result in death)

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    Dogs suffer malignant hyperthermia from hops. I've never heard anything about skin problems.
    – Denny Conn
    Mar 16, 2014 at 16:09
  • I'll accept that over my response. My reference could be localised to specific dog and a skin allergy.
    – Another Compiler Error
    Mar 17, 2014 at 17:17
  • Dogs suffer hyperthermia from spent hops.
    – jalynn2
    Mar 20, 2014 at 13:16
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Your cats shouldnt be a problem. Just maintain a clean brew-space. My cat was hanging out with me last time I was bottling. She was very curious, but I kept her away from my bucket & bottles.

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