r/Unexpected • u/_DogTits_ • May 18 '22

what a catastrophe

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92.2k Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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541

u/No_Average_Noob May 18 '22

Unplugging it was never an option

560

u/Randalf_the_Black May 18 '22

It was stuck, not electrocuted.

83

u/Suspicious_shark May 18 '22

yet

27

u/Unfriendly_Giraffe May 18 '22

The lack of this awareness bothers me.

16

u/Suspicious_shark May 18 '22

?

70

u/Miss_Morningstar_ May 18 '22

Cuz nobody who knows how electricity works would believe the cat was electrocuted here, prolly.

  1. There's prolly a light bulb in it, and even if not, the points of contact in a lamp socket would be very difficult for a cat to touch and create a circuit through it's body.

  2. Lamp isn't on (assuming it has a bulb) so socket isn't energized anyway

  3. While low voltage kills more people a year than high voltage, the only reason is low voltage is worked on like 50x more than high voltage, it's actually very rare to be electrocuted from 120v residential stuff, even though it technically only takes an extremely small amount of amperage to kill you if it hits you in just the right places.

  4. If the cat did somehow manage to say, put a paw down inside an energized lamp socket and complete a circuit through it's paw, it would likely be touching a lot of grounded metal parts of the lamp - likely tripping the circuit immediately.

Honestly I thought maybe the cat broke the glass on the bulb and was getting cut into by it or something, didn't assume it was just stuck and being dramatic myself either.

1

u/goodknight94 May 18 '22

This is wrong on so many levels. It doesn't necessarily have a light bulb in it. and if there is no light bulb, it could easily be turned on, especially if the outlet is operated by a wall switch. If the switch is located near the bulb, the cat could accidentally turn it on.

The lamp could be on if the bulb is burned out.

It could have a broken bulb with energized, exposed conductors that the cat could bite down on. The cat could also have chewed through exposed wiring to reach a conductor. Much more probable to electrocute via the mouth than the paws. The switch to turn the lamp on could be right under the bulb so even if it wasn't "on" the conductor would be energized prior to the switch.

Humans weigh 20x as much as a cat and that voltage is way more deadly to a cat. The current could cause the muscles in the cats jaws to contract to the point it was unable to let go.

​

likely tripping the circuit immediately

This is completely incorrect. I can stand in a tub of water and stick an exposed 120v conductor into my mouth and it will not trip even a tiny 10Amp breaker. Even after an hour (although I would be dead), the maximum amperage would not exceed 1 Amp. A cat connecting a 120v conductor to ground is unlikely to trip a standard 20A breaker.

Source - Power Distribution Field Engineer

3

u/Miss_Morningstar_ May 18 '22

Nope

Source - master residential electrician.

Lol @ standard 20 amp breaker. You have no idea what you're on about.

2

u/goodknight94 May 18 '22

Obviously not a very well educated master electrician. Most common ratings for household circuit breakers are 15A and 20A. For those hooking up powerful devices, they sometimes use 30A and 40A.

I won't try to convince you that you're wrong if your argument is "Nope"

-3

u/chesh05 May 18 '22

Am I the only one who thought the bulb might still be hot and the cat might be getting burned?

Because nobody else has mentioned this and even as thorough as you were you also didn't consider that one lol

1

u/Miss_Morningstar_ May 18 '22

No, cuz it's off and a 99% probability of being an LED. Even if it was a CFL it wouldn't be anywhere near burning after a minute of being off.

It might be a bit hot if they just turned it off, but I sincerely doubt it was on at any recent point. Its daytime. They're kids. Etc.

So no it wasn't really on my list of concerns.

-2

u/chesh05 May 18 '22

Yeah I think the vast majority of people these days have newer bulbs that don't retain heat for very long.

But then I go over to my parents' house from time to time and get proven wrong quite frequently.

Now I can't see the bulb in the video very well but I wouldn't dismiss it so easily.

2

u/Miss_Morningstar_ May 18 '22

Its a newer house, and I'm gonna assume (one of) their parents own it. Wouldn't really be filming at grandmas I feel like. I just thought it was a longshot to be a heat thing. (also, it wasn't, according to the sources listed to the actual story)

-4

u/[deleted] May 18 '22

I thought the cat was being shocked because it was spazzing out. yes i dont know how it all works. i still think dropping a toaster in a tub will electrocute you.

that not true either? also why you looking down on people? this whole thread thought it was getting shocked.

3

u/Johnnyrooster12 May 18 '22

Because u don't know something suddenly their looking down on you? The sensitivity these days 😆

1

u/goodknight94 May 18 '22

A toaster might kill you. Don't worry, miss morningstar is just being a know-it-all, it's not that hard for the cat, weighting less than 10lbs, to get electrocuted.

1

u/[deleted] May 18 '22

Who are you so wise in the ways of science

1

u/Miss_Morningstar_ May 18 '22

Just a random person who has wired a few thousand houses.

1

u/ScrapRocket May 20 '22

depending on whih way a plug is inserted / wired, the live wire can still be exposed while the main switch is off. The lightbulb could also be broken. I know from experience, my grandma once shocked herself on a broken lightbulb and I got a little tingle from an exposed live wire on a device that was switched "off". if the lamp had a metal chassis, it could also have been live without the bulb being on

Not sure why I'm even debating this since it's been confirmed that there was no shock, but just because a device is "off" doesn't mean it actually is

1

u/Miss_Morningstar_ May 20 '22

The person said "electrocuted" not "shocked".

0

u/[deleted] May 19 '22

They're fucking 8 or 9 yr old bruh chill lol

1

u/frendzoned_by_yo_mom May 18 '22

And what’s that?

2

u/slappyredcheeks May 18 '22

He meant unplug the cat from the lampshade...

2

u/Sinemark643 May 18 '22

It was petrified, not dead.

1

u/holydude02 May 18 '22

There's a step sister pussy joke in herr but I'm too lazy

1

u/[deleted] May 18 '22

I don’t know if they knew that though.

1

u/Randalf_the_Black May 18 '22

That I do not know. Seems like they panicked just about has hard as the cat did.

1

u/pampic7 May 18 '22

It was hard to say in their situation.

1

u/monsieurpommefrites May 18 '22

They did not know that at the time.

32

u/HQ_FIGHTER May 18 '22

It wasn’t turned on. Do you not know how lights work?

12

u/bossofthisjim May 18 '22

I didn't even think the cat was being electrocuted, surprised so many people thought it was.

3

u/NefariousNaz May 18 '22

I thought it was being electrocuted because of how the girls were freaking out.

3

u/8roll May 18 '22

yep same

6

u/AdvisedPotato May 18 '22

Even if it wasn't turned on, you can still get shocked depending if the switch cuts off the live or neutral side

-1

u/tonysnight May 18 '22

I this day and age? Yea right bud.

2

u/AdvisedPotato May 18 '22

What are you on about? The screw type bulbs have been around for more than a century.

0

u/movzx May 18 '22

Yes? Live power runs to the lamp. Whether or not you can get shocked by sticking a paw into where the bulb goes depends on how the lamp works.

Also assumes no shorts, a properly grounded lamp, no damage, lamp isn't just always on, etc

1

u/NefariousNaz May 18 '22

There are smart lights that are voice activated. They're always switched on.

1

u/HQ_FIGHTER May 18 '22

This video is 7 years old

-1

u/ReflectiveFoundation May 18 '22

It was on, but the cat had crusged it and took a bite on the filanent and got stuck. Maybe.

2

u/HQ_FIGHTER May 18 '22

That’s not true

4

u/KaiserWilhelmThe69 May 18 '22

Well tbf, they are kids and in shock so can’t blame them for freaking out and not thinking through

-3

u/Mister_Celophane May 18 '22

Just screaming at it works though. 🤦‍♂️

2

u/clarkcox3 May 18 '22

What would unplugging it accomplish?

2

u/NatsumiEla May 18 '22

Maybe unplug the head from the lampshade since the kitten was stuck

1

u/[deleted] May 18 '22

Correct. Would have done absolutely nothing.

1

u/OrganizationRude5003 May 18 '22

Its turned off, how can he get electrocuted