Advice on buying essential oils for cats It can be helpful if your vet knows which essential oil your cat might have been exposed to and what concentration it is. Sage This doesnât mean that the cat should ingest it or be meddle with it, which could pose a threat to its health. Reasons to use essential oils on cats Celery seed As a result of her initial trials, Dr. Shelton began to conduct tests over the years to further her understanding of the healing benefits of essential oils. Lavender essential oil - Whether it will be safe or not for your cat, depends on the level of its sensitivity. At their most extreme, the tremors mentioned earlier in this article should set off alarm bells. All rights reserved. The essential oils not safe for dogs are garlic, clover, oregano, rosemary, thyme, tea tree, and wintergreen oil. Instead, rub the area with veggie or a carrier oil. My three cuties like chamomile and sweet basil essential oils, too. Today’s vet medicine industry goes to great lengths to help you do just that, but there’s a therapeutic area that falls outside the medicinal arena: essential oils. Check out this list of safe essential oils for cats, along with their best uses for your pet. As for cats, the essential oils that arenât safe to use are eucalyptus, clove, lavender, spruce, cassia, lemon, birch, and more. Often made without phenol, cedarwood is a safe essential oil for catsâthough you should always check the label for contents before use. Ultimately, she used them to modify the behaviors of cats who were sick. Other safe plants include myrrh, spikenard, sandalwood, cardamom, and helichrysum. 1. The common safe oils to diffuse are chamomile, clary sage, cedarwood, marjoram, and myrrh oil. Further, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has blacklisted some essential oils because they have found exposure to undiluted oils to be one of the leading reasons cats develop tremors. Essential oils safe to use topically on cats ⦠Diffusion is preferred for cats. Rub a little diluted oil on your hands and rub just one area of the cat’s body (flanks are a good place to start because it’s away from her face). Wintergreen. Orange Then, dilute a tub of water with the brew. One of the most often-discussed reasons to consider using a form of essential oil therapy on a cat has to do with a feline’s propensity to become anxious or traumatized by triggers that run the gamut from moving to a new home to an owner’s death. Neroli Odor-controlled & health monitoring cat litter delivered straight to your door. Itâs better to be safe than sorry. And cats are quite susceptible to toxicity from nutmeg oil and tea tree oil. To help you avoid oils that can cause your cat’s skin the most potential irritation and damage, we’ve composed a list of the most dangerous oils and alphabetized them. If you notice any of these symptoms of essential oil poisoning in cats, contact a vet or the Pet Poison Helpline (800-213-6680) immediately. While this method of essential oil use poses little to no risk to humans for the most part, we do need to make special considerations for the pets in our lives. But Dr. Shelton cautions that because cat physiology is different from other animals, improper essential oil use could have devastating health effects. If used topically dilute 1 drop of essential oil per 100-200 drops of carrier oil. Make sure you have the essential oil bottle itself in hand if you have to make this call, so you give whomever counsels you all the information they need to make an educated assessment of your cat’s situation. This compound, also known as carbolic acid, is also featured in many essential oils, making them unsafe for use around pets. Dilution for Cats The recommended dose is to use 1 Tablespoon of a carrier oil (like fractionated coconut oil or jojoba oil) to one drop of essential oil. Any essential oil can pose a health risk to cats, especially when used in error or excess. Essential Oils Safe for Cats. 9) Give your cat an essential oil break on occasion. Cats don’t produce the liver enzymes required to properly break down certain chemicals, so when a topical like essential oil is used on a feline, rather than efficiently making use of it, kitty’s body will store it, and that can leave a cat in a state of toxicity. Angelica If your pet cat has a serious medical problem and you deem essential oils to be useful, it is nec⦠Advocates of this method advise putting a separate litter box beside the one with the oil just in case Romeo turns up his nose at doctored litter. Their systems are that sensitive, which is why it’s always wise to test oil mixtures on a small section of your cat that’s not near her face to see how she tolerates it. No need to apply extra oil to your palm to compensate for thick fur. These essential oils are the cat’s meow It should not, however, be ingested by cats or directly applied to their skin. These uncertainties can make cats feel threatened to the core, thus essential oil treatments are regularly recommended to soothe and comfort. If your kitty seems weak, disoriented or is drooling excessively, call your vet immediately and explain your situation. It should not ⦠The other six are peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, cinnamon, clove leaf and rosemary. Essential oils can pose a toxic risk to household pets, especially to cats. There are many case studies of humans applying citrus-based oils to their skin and then exposing that skin to the sun, producing a state of phototoxicity that can produce rashes, burns and skin discoloration. Because many of the oils commonly purchased in stores can be toxic to cats, if a cat breathes in a harmful oil, it may cause respiratory irritation. Bergamot 2. Instead, find a pre-mixed formulation, like fractionated coconut oil with catnip oil that’s pre-diluted with a carrier oil to keep kitty from becoming a flea motel. Says veterinarian Dr. Jeannie Thomason, who has built a distinguished career as an animal-focused naturopath, essential oils, when properly mixed and applied, can impact a cat’s well-being within 21 minutes of application. Health Watch List is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Essential Oils That are Not Safe for Cats If you are serious about pet care, you need to know the most toxic oils and keep them away from your cat, at all costs. They’ve become as popular for pets as they are for humans. Thanks for ⦠Allow your cat to sit in the mixture for 2-5 minutes. Since essential oils have been used for pest control in humans, many cat owners have begun to use these oils in an attempt to prevent fleas in cats. Nutmeg For medium sized dogs dilute 4:1 carrier oil to essential oil. They do; but they’re assessed as cosmetics, not herbs and medications. https://www.snopes.com/are-essential-oils-poisonous-to-cats/ Hand-application isn’t the end of the essential oils use and treatment menu. Tea tree Read on for 6 essential oil safety tips to keep your cat safe (without throwing away all your essential oils). Always err on the side of caution When to seek help Whether there’s a fluffy Maine Coon leaving hair just about everywhere around your home–or you admit to conversing regularly with your sleek Siamese–if you’re like most cat parents, you want your furry kid(s) to stay healthy and stick around forever. Enjoy hassle-free cat litter & sign up for our monthly cat litter subscription! Assuming you started out very slowly and applied a highly-diluted essential oil to a small area on your cat’s body–and assuming you then allow the treatment to settle in to see how your kitty deals with it–you could be a parent to a highly-sensitive cat whose system simply can’t tolerate any essential oil. Which ones (besides tea tree and eucalyptus) should I absolutely avoid? Geranium 2) All it takes is 6/100th of a drop of lavender oil to calm pets down. Once properly mixed, you can place a drop of this mixture into your hands and begin to pet your cat. All trademarks are either property of Breederâs Choice Pet Foods, LLC, or the property of their respective owners. Oregano 5) Always observe your feline after a hand-applied application of essential oil to check his initial reaction. Carrot Seed (Daucus carota)âShould avoid with pregnant dogs. ⦠Once you declare mission accomplished on her flanks, move slowly and methodically up your cat’s body, gently rubbing the oil on your palms into her fur. http://www.thewholedog.org/EOCats.html © 2021 Health Watch List. Your animalâs size affects the amount of oil you should use and how much you should dilute for topical application. Also make sure that you store essential oils properly and unreachable by your cat. You can highly dilute your oils using pure vegetable oil, make sure this is high grade, as recommended by Dr. Mary Hess, DVM. She adds, “and in some cases, within seconds.” Dr. Thomason believes that these oils promote emotional, spiritual and even physical wellness in animals, just as they do in humans. At AvoDerm, we care about helping you keep your pet healthy from the inside out.