Cat knocked off air lock on secondary

When I got home from work yesterday I noticed the airlock on my secondary for a SNPA clone was tipping to the side. On closer inspection, the bung had raised enough out of the carboy to allow air to seep in, and the airlock wasn't connected to the bung. The only explanation is the cat accidentally knocked it off when jumping off a shelf.

A small layer of bubbles formed around the rim of the beer, and after re-connecting the bung and airlock it started bubbling off and on (removed from yeast cake upon racking to secondary so no fermentation should be taking place). Also, I dry hopped about 5 days ago with 2oz of cascade pellets (just chucked 'em in there) and they've been dropping and rising at a much faster rate than prior to the cat vs airlock episode.

Is all of this new activity caused by oxygen entering into the carboy and beer? Anything I need to worry about? Almost all of my batches have had their episodes, but this one was going perfectly until now

But then again, all of my beer has turned out alright, but I'm always left with the thought "I wonder if it would have tasted even better if xyz didn't happen...?"

There's plenty of CO2 pushing out to keep the oxygen from getting in. Don't sweat it. Also... "all this new activity" regarding the hops and airlock will be different with every beer you brew, so there really isn't anything to judge by that. Your beer will turn out great... stay excited!

on top of that, you have a nice layer of "antibiotic" hops on top of your beer. don't worry about it.

however, this is just one more reason why cats should not be pets and instead be kicked.

Perhaps a little cat contact was just what this beer needed to be that much better :cross:

I have a tuxedo and a tabby, literally have to keep them locked out of the brew room. They ALWAYS want to mess with my brews, freaking smart cats know where the good stuff is at

You should be just fine "RDWHAHB". The Co2 blanket should have guarded your beer from any potential oxidation issues. IMHO, transfer to your secondary and dry hopping would have a greater chance of potentially causing oxidation. I'm not stating you should be concerned about either of those operations just the chance for introducing O2 to the party is greater in my mind.

Awesome, thanks guys! I feel much better now :rockin:

As far as the cat comments above...I used to be a dog only type of guy. Anti-cat. Then my fiance moved in with her two cats...and let's just say I have a soft heart

just another reason why people shouldn't have fiancès

RDWGTCAHB
Relax. Don't Worry. Get that Cat a Homebrew.