Are you a fan of aromatherapy? Do you have an essential oil diffuser near your cat’s kitty litter. Have you even applied essential oils to your cat’s body in order to try and ,relax it, or cure an ailment. If so then you are putting your cat’s life in danger.
Unfortunately there are some new age types out there that have misled some cat owners to believe that using essential oils on a cat is a good idea because it is an ,organic, or ,all natural treatment., The bottom is that just because something is natural, does not mean it cannot be toxic. This has led people to actually kill their cats by trying to calm it with oil of lavender, titillate it with oil of valerian or cure a respiratory disease with oil of eucalyptus. This works with people but not with cats.
Cats just don’t have the ability to metabolize essential oils. Application to the skin can lead to toxicity and even death. Even inhalation of the fumes can cause a cat great distress. This is true of all essential oils and cats , no exceptions.
The main reason that cats can’t tolerate essential oils because they cannot metabolize them the same way that humans or even dogs can. Once they absorb the oil through their skin or nostrils they have not way of eliminating it. The result is that toxins from the oil build up to toxic levels and to kidney failure.
Yet another reason that cats are unable to tolerate essential oils is that they literally have very thin skins. This means that the essential oil molecules are absorbed more rapidly into their bloodstream, which of course can lead to sensory overload.
Usually cats don’t tend to get into essential oils as they dislike strong scents. Still you should always keep essential oil bottles and dropper caps tightly closed and hidden in a place where cats can’t play with the bottle or accidentally have oil spilled on them. The same goes for any cold air diffusers that you have around. While operating a cold air diffuser (that sprays pure essential oils into the air) keep it on a very high shelf and point it away from the area any cats might be hanging out in. Symptoms that your cat has gotten into an essential oil are dizziness, clumsiness, vomiting, lack of appetite and coma.
Symptoms of toxicity include vomiting, dizziness, clumsiness, lack of appetite and lack of energy. The next one is that cats have very thin, delicate skin. This means that essential oils can be absorbed more rapidly into their skin and enter the bloodstream. Cats also dislike strong odors and generally keep away from strong scents- even highly diluted essential oils
Yet another thing you should do is to try and stay away from flea collars or deodorizing cat collars that are laced with ,all natural, essential oils. Not only will your cat dislike the smell, these oils are not that effective against fleas.