Essential oils are volatile organic plant compounds in their purest form. Extracted and used in concentrated measures, essential oils are known to provide numerous benefits to treat health conditions like insomnia, stress, headaches, anxiety, muscle pain, and fatigue. Even for animals like cats and dogs in minuscule proportions, and under the expert guidance of animal aromatherapists, essential oils are thought to be beneficial.
But. unlike dogs, the immune system of cats is slightly more fragile. Their capacity to metabolize certain compounds found in essential oils is not so good. This is because they lack an important chemical responsible for the breakdown of substances that enter the body.
Moreover, if your cat’s liver is already delicate due to some reason, be extremely cautious and do not use essential oils on your pet topically, or even around the house in diffusers or as perfumes.
Cats have thin skins, so rubbing even diluted essential oils onto them could get absorbed into their bloodstream easily. Furthermore, felines are self-groomers. So, when essential oils containing phenols and terpenes are rubbed onto their skin, even in a watered-down strength, they can be ingested into the body when they lick themselves.
Essential oils are incredibly toxic, especially to young cats and kittens less than two weeks old. So if you have a cat, make sure you keep these essential oils far away from them:
- Basil
- Eucalyptus
- Fennel
- Wintergreen
- Peppermint
- Tea Tree
- Clove
- Cinnamon
- Lemon
- Orange
Symptoms of Essential Oil Toxicity in Cats
If you use active or passive diffusers in your home where cats also reside, then when the fragrance is dispersed in the air, it might affect your cats adversely. Respiratory irritation is the first sign that shows your cat is troubled with the essential oil.
Coughing and sneezing are the symptoms exhibited initially. Your cat could start pawing at the mouth or face constantly. Their lungs might become inflamed due to the inhalation of foreign matter from the diffusers of essential oils (especially the active ones) and this can cause labored breathing and increase their heart rate.
With continued inhalation or ingestion of essential oils, cats start to show more serious symptoms like difficulty in swallowing, a burning sensation in the throat, fever, wobbliness, lethargy, discharges from the nasal passages, drooling, and over time, a bluish tinge appears on its skin.
Your cat’s mood might be altered, they could lose their appetite and desire to eat. Even if the cat does eat, it could result in regurgitation or vomiting.
Despite the possibility that your cat does not display any unusually intense negative responses to essential oils, you should never leave Them in a confined space where these oils are diffused. Since cats have more powerful olfactory senses than humans, what we might consider a pleasant fragrance might be too strong or suffocate your cat. Always ensure that your cat has the choice to escape the room, to get away from the diffuser/fragrance if needed.
