Essential Oil Safety - Cats
Essential Oils are becoming increasingly popular and one area of essential oils that I don't believe is discussed enough is Essential Oil Safety. Essential oil safety is extremely important for you and your family and even our fury friends.
Essential Oils can pose a toxic risk to your pets especially cats. You may ask why are some essential oils so dangerous for cats? Essential oils are rapidly absorbed through the skin or orally and are metabolised in the liver. Cats are at great risk of being poisoned by certain essential oils as cats are missing an essential enzyme in their liver that helps to metabolise essential oils therefore they are at risk of poisoning from these particular essential oils. It doesn't matter what brand the essential oil is it is actually the higher the concentration of essential oil i.e. 100% the greater the risk to the cat.
Essential Oils that are toxic to cats include -
Citrus Oil (Including lemon)
Peppermint Oil
Tea Tree Oil
Eucalyptus Oil
Cinnamon Oil
Clove Oil
Ylang Ylang Oil
Sweet Birch Oil
Pennyroyal Oil
Pine Oil
Wintergreen Oil
Always be cautious when diffusing these oils arounds cats using an active diffuser as droplets dispersed by your diffuser can drop onto your cats fur. It is also recommended if you are planning on using these oils that your cat is not in the room at the time of diffusing these oils as the inhalation of these oils can be enough to make you cat ill. Symptoms that can develop depend on the which oil your cat has been exposed to and can include drooling, vomiting, tremors, wobbliness, respiratory distress, low heart rate, low body temperature, and liver failure.
All these oils have great properties so you may wish to still use some of these oils when cleaning your home or for the health of your family. However I do recommend being cautious so that your fury friend can't be exposed to the oil. For example I use lemon essential oil in my load of washing this wouldn't pose a risk for your cat.
