Essential oils and cats?

karenjanicki
karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭
edited October 2020 in Dogs & Cats

I love the idea of using essential oils. They are natural, and smell wonderful. I want to use them to make my own cleaning and body care products as well as to freshen the air. My big problem is we have 3 cats. And 3 rabbits. I have heard that essential oils can be dangerous to cats and so I'm too afraid to start using them. I've done some research but not come away with much. Can someone give me some ideas of what oils are safe around animals. I'd like to continue transitioning into a more natural and healthier lifestyle without harming our pets. Thank you!

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Comments

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    I have heard that essential oils & dogs/cats do not mix. Using them in a diffuser is even discouraged.

    I would go to Doc Jones' forum on homegrownherbalist.net and ask this same question on there.

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    @karenjanicki there's been lots of conversation about EO's and pets. Cats in particular seem to be sensitive but in my practical experience, this was not the case. Our beloved moggy was having trouble breathing, after taking her to the vet and many $$$ later, still no clear diagnosis. We started using a respiratory blend of EO in the diffuser and I would rub 1 drop into the skin inside her ear and she did improve with no side effects. Further investigation also revealed her diet, so we went grain free and organic and these days she is one happy cat!

    Have a look around Doc Jones's website homegrownherbalist.net also @torey is an absolute wealth of information on this forum.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Thanks @jodienancarrow but I would like to defer to @seeker.nancy - Central Texas. She has much more experience with EOs than I do. I think we should refer all EO questions to her.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I believe that citrus oils are toxic to cats. I use a room spray that contains frankincense and myrrh with no problems.

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My Young Living contact has been my main source of info on essential oils. She has told us that the additives that are in most essential oils are what is harmful to pets. We use many of them around dogs and cats with no problems as long as we get oils that are truly 100% pure. However, I know of several essential oils that the smell makes rabbits uncomfortable. I hope that helps. I definitely support you in doing your research and keeping your pets safe. Good luck!

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2020

    I am super cautious using oils in a diffuser with my cat in the room. And I don't apply any, even diluted to my dog or my cat. I think using an oil "sniffer", that tube that you stick in your nostril and inhale is safe, and I do apply properly diluted oils to my skin, but don't let the animals lick them off. The companies mentioned in the article I've shared below below are multilevel marketing companies, so I like to use Plant Therapy oils, which I fine to be of high quality, and at a better price.

    Here's an article that does offer a few that are probably safe, as well as the ones not at all safe.


  • stephanie447
    stephanie447 Posts: 404 ✭✭✭

    Sorry, but this idea that the problems with essential oils are due to impurities is a lie...basically a lot of MLM marketing BS. Source: David Crow (highly respected herbalist and essential oil expert). Young Living doesn't necessarily make purer oils than other companies and even pure oils can be caustic. The problem is Young Living and DoTerra (which do make nice smelling oils) do a terrible job at training their salespeople. They teach them BS like this which gives people a false sense of safety. For this reason, there are a TON of essential oil "accidents" every year - go look up the essential oil injury database. No, essential oils are not "safe" just because they are "pure."

  • stephanie447
    stephanie447 Posts: 404 ✭✭✭

    Answers to the main question are as follows:

    1) NEVER apply essential oils directly to pets!! They can be toxic and can kill the pets. They HAVE killed pets (look up essential oil injury database). It may also be a matter of degree or build-up. So the pet may have been OK with a few small applications previously and then suddenly get sick. DO NOT USE ESSENTIAL OILS ON PETS, PERIOD! DON'T RISK IT!

    2) Diffusers can be used in moderation but the recommendation is to only do this in an open room and never used a diffuser in a closed space with pets. In other words, give the pets a place to escape to if it's too much for them.

    3) Essential oils can be used in cleaning products around pets as long as they aren't applied directly to pets or the residue would be in direct contact with pets - the same way you would use "regular" cleaning products around pets.

    4) NO, oils are not "safe" for being "pure." That's not true whatsoever.

  • IrisB
    IrisB Posts: 142 ✭✭✭

    How about leaving it up to the pets: Open the doors widely, use a diffuser with very little, pretty watery oil and they are smart enough to figure out where to go and what to do.

    I know my cats would walk outside and not return for a good few hours.

  • IrisB
    IrisB Posts: 142 ✭✭✭

    I have used a drop of essential oil with mint once or twice in really difficult summers to help the cat against fleas. I think the cat was more annoyed than the fleas, but the fleas certainly disappeared.

  • MaryRowe
    MaryRowe Posts: 736 ✭✭✭✭

    @stephanie447 Thank you for laying these steps out so clearly. I had not read anything about this danger to pets before, but fortunately have been following these practices with my cats because it seemed like good sense to do so. Now after reading here about this problem, checking the links here and other sites, I am relieved to have an experienced practitioner confirm that these are sensible practices.

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for sharing that with me. I have a few of those containers meant for smelling essential oils. I like them and I feel safer knowing they shouldn't affect the animals being enclosed the way they are. I have an essential oils bug spray that I sometimes use while camping but I make my husband and I stick our clothes in the wash and then shower as soon as we get home to avoid being in contact with the animals while it's still on. Two of our pet rabbits are very affectionate and love to lick so I have to be very careful about what's on my skin.

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for letting me know. That's a tad frightening. I have never heard of the database before. Do you have a link I could visit? Thanks!

  • Karin
    Karin Posts: 272 ✭✭✭

    I always used essential oils in a diffuser when my kids were younger and I wanted to clear the air, or discourage cold and flu bugs, we had cats and the oils never seemed to have any effect on them. This included citrus oils. I think it's important to make sure they are well-diluted, too.

    I agree with what @stephanie447 says above - to not use essential oils on pets, even diluted. And that goes for humans too - no essential oil should be put directly on the skin, without being diluted in a carrier oil, with the exception of lavender oil and maybe tea tree oil.

    Essential oils are so effective at many things, I would love to be able to use them on my cats but don't. Cats are very sensitive to many chemicals as they lack some of the liver enzymes needed to detox them.

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭

    Wow the injuries for 2018 look like they were mostly caused by applying oils neat to the skin or ingesting them, neither or which you are supposed to do correct? The only oils I have heard should ever be applied neat are lavender, tea tree and eucalyptus. The only oil I have heard that is supposed to be ok for ingestion is peppermint. Am I correct in assuming it wasn't so much the oils that injured them but misuse?

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    Sorry I'm so late to this discussion. It is not recommended to use essential oils on cats or birds and there have been cases recently of dogs being harmed by diffused essential oils. What people fail to consider most of the time is that essential oils are VERY concentrated. People by nature think that if a little is good, more is better. It's not. They should always be diluted prior to use except for rare occasions and then only by someone very knowledgeable about them. Recommend dilution for most things is about 1% to 2% (whip out that calculator lol).

    Do not take them internally. There are many things to know about essential oils and you cannot really trust one of the MLM sales persons to be very knowledgeable. They are taught to sell, not to inform. Look to see what others that are NOT selling essential oils have to say.

    If an essential oil is marked as "pure" or "100%" whatever oil then it should be. Know and research your brands, just like you would (or should) on your nutritional supplements. If you want to know if something has been "cut" with another type of oil (not another essential oil) you can put a drop on a piece of paper and let it dry. Depending on the one used it may leave a stain but it should not leave a grease mark like cooking oils. There are disreputable companies that deal with essential oils just like in any industry, so we are back to researching the companies. Also look at the price. If the oil you want is priced on the high end, look at several different companies to check pricing. If one has it for way cheaper, don't bother.

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    @karenjanicki Hope that helps 😀

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭

    I try to learn about something before using it myself. I like to be cautious. I have been studying herbalism for a few years but haven't focused much at all on essential oils. With the animals I don't want to take any risks of injuring them so it looks like I'll be sticking to herbs. Which is fine by me :)

  • stephanie447
    stephanie447 Posts: 404 ✭✭✭

    Peppermint essential oil can actually cause a negative reaction so no, don't take that internally either. Instead, have peppermint tea - use the whole herb. It's safer and has many additional benefits. There is no reason to take an essential oil internally - the herbs (assuming it is an herb that can be consumed) are safer and offer additional phytochemicals and other nutrients that will not be in an essential oil.

  • stephanie447
    stephanie447 Posts: 404 ✭✭✭

    I'd like to add that some of this idea that an essential oil is "better" than a whole herb is a Western idea. It's taking an extract and using a singular ingredient/essence instead of the whole plant (or at least part of the plant). The main benefit of essential herbs is that they can smell really nice. Use them for that. They are great in diffusers, can be used fairly safely in homemade cleaning products, and can be added to a spray bottle with other ingredients like flower essences, water, witch hazel, etc to make a nice-smelling air freshener/mister. Mild essential oils (HIGHLY DILUTED) can be mixed with massage oil for a massage.

    But otherwise, you do NOT need to take essential oils internally, ever, and they should not be used on pets or children.

  • Cornelius
    Cornelius Posts: 872 ✭✭✭✭

    I would like to preference this that I am not an EO expert. I saw in a health summit (I think it was the lyme disease 5 (I do not have lyme's to my knowledge)) that essential oils are toxic to cats as they are unable to break them down. The dose makes the poison and if you cannot break the poison into its basic elements and remove them then it can build up and kill your body. Good on you for doing your research first. Good luck!

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭

    There seems to be so much controversy when it comes to essential oil. I love peppermint. I often drink it as a tea. I'm in school studying herbalism so herbs are pretty much my go to these days. I was just hoping to expand a bit with essential oils but they seem to have a lot more potential for injury or accidents than herbs do. I took a class once on essential oils and he recommended the internal use of peppermint oil for IBS. I suffered with that for most of my life but I wasn't brave enough to try it. It sounded like it would burn. I use a gut healing tea recommended by some herbalist teachers and that has been a major blessing. But the more research I do on essential oils the less I am inclined to use them. It's amazing to think that the oils taken from even gentle herbs can be so powerful. It's a little intimidating haha.

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    @karenjanicki it can be intimidating, especially with all the conflicting "experts" chiming into the discussion (not here lol). I have studied aromatherapy quite a bit but with new scientific information coming out it is still an evolving field. There are many ways to treat or help a given condition. Aromatherapy will seldom be the main or only treatment in my opinion. I think of it as an assistive type of therapy. It also can simply smell good which can be relaxing and calming.

    In the same way that a whole food diet is healthier, the "whole" plant is usually the best option. By whole plant I mean that the part of the plant normally used has not been chemically reduced to only a few of the plant's constituents. It is seen a lot even in health food stores both large and small. I believe that when we reduce a plant in that way we increase the likelihood of side effects in a similar way that pharmaceuticals do. There are naturally occurring components within the whole plant to balance this out.

    I am not trying to scare people away from essential oils, I love them! It is recommended to research both the oil and the company selling it, I.e., buyer beware. Then enjoy the many ways to blend them and use them 🌹

  • Desiree
    Desiree Posts: 255 ✭✭✭

    I was using a diffuser for a while a few years ago until I found out the danger to cats. I have since stopped and only use a pot of simmering water with herbs and spices for room scents. I prefer this as I can use whatever I want (or have) and get a nice herb steam diffused. If I am using fresh plants high in EO I am careful to use the minimal amount necessary to get the scent I desire.

    I have had the essential oils "home sellers" try to give me their version of expertise but I just don't buy it. If my vet or any vet like Doc Jones says it is harmful, I am going with that.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Aromahead has a class on Essential Oils for animals and they recommend only using them as aromatherapy. They recommend letting the animals smell one at at time from a distance (about 6 feet) and let the animal let you know which they like or not by watching their reactions.

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭

    I would agree that for me the whole herb (at least it's useable parts) are personally my choice. I do love the smells of many EOs like lavender. I have little aroma inhalers that I use from time to time to keep them safely enclosed. I do wish I could use them more but I won't risk it. However I have simmered herbs on the stove and that smells wonderful! I should do that more often. Thanks for reminding me :).