What essential oils are bad for cats

With their sensitive skin and noses, it pays to practice caution when using essential oils around cats.

Essential oils are known for their use in aromatherapy and alternative medicine. They’re made from the highly concentrated scents of plants, herbs, and flowers, which are steamed or pressed to extract the "essence" out of the plant. Fans of essential oils say they have health benefits including stress relief, energy and mood boosting abilities, for use as digestive aids, and even as topical agents for pain relief.

But while herbal remedies have been used for centuries, many of the potential benefits touted as natural solutions have yet to be proven in scientific studies, or have not yet been approved by the FDA for therapeutic use. And for cat owners, it’s best to use caution around essential oils, since eating or being exposed to many essential oils can actually be toxic to cats.

Is It Possible to Safely Use Essential Oils Around Cats?

Essential oils might smell great—after all, who doesn’t love a scent-infused bath bomb or an invigorating fragrance diffused into the air? But because many types of essential oils can pose a risk to cats in the home, it’s important to use them safely around your feline friend.

We asked Tina Wismer, a veterinarian and senior director at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, for her expert advice to help pet parents learn how to safely use essential oils around their cat. The number one rule? Be cautious.

"The best way to avoid exposing your pets to dangerous substances is always to err on the side of caution and by 'pet-proofing' your space," Wismer says. 

To help pet parents create a safe space for cats and essential oils to coexist, Wismer and the team at ASPCA Animal Poison Control offer these guidelines for minimizing the risk to cats and other pets:

• Don't apply highly concentrated oils to cats, dogs or other animals. It can be difficult to know for sure how diluted or concentrated an essential oil is, so Wismer doesn't recommend applying it to cats: "Due to the variability in concentration and quality, it's best to completely avoid directly applying them to your pet," she says. 
• Avoid essential oil diffusers if cats or other pets have underlying health problems, especially respiratory issues. Never use diffusers around birds, who are particularly sensitive to breathing problems.
• Keep essential oil containers, diffusers, and warmers out of cats' reach. 
• Give cats and other animals easy ways to leave an area in your home if the smell of a diffuser or warmer is too strong for them. While cats' sense of smell isn't as sensitive as dogs, it's more sensitive than yours.
• Keep diffusers out of rooms where cats or other animals groom themselves. Diffusers and warmers put essential oils into the air, which can then land on a cat's fur.
• Keep essential oils off cats' fur and skin. Use diffusers and warmers in rooms without cats for short periods of time, and you should be OK.

Are There Any Benefits to Using Essential Oils for Your Pets?

Some companies advertise the benefits of using essential oils as natural solutions for cats and dogs. While claims range from repelling fleas and mosquitos from the home with oils like citronella and lavender, to helping to calm animals with essence of chamomile, the jury is still out on the effectiveness of these products—and many show up on the list of essential oils to avoid using around cats.

And while natural solutions like essential oils may help keep the occasional flea away, most vets agree that the best preventative measure to keep your pets safe from parasites like fleas is a monthly medicine that works as a preventative treatment.

Their size, sensitive skin, and fastidious grooming habits mean that essential oils pose a bigger problem for cats than dogs. So just because your vet gave the OK for something to use around your canine companion doesn’t mean the same rule applies for your kitties. As with any new substance, it’s best to ask your veterinarian before using anything on or near your cat.

What Are the Risks of Using Essential Oils Around Cats? 

The main danger posed to cats by essential oils is respiratory irritation, which can cause a burning sensation in the cat’s nose and throat, coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. If your cat is experiencing these signs of respiratory distress, the Pet Poison Helpline advises that you move the cat to fresh air as soon as possible. If their symptoms do not immediately improve, a visit to the vet should be in order.

Essential oils are sold and used in very different concentrations. Some include only 1 to 20 percent of the particular plant essence, and others have as high as 100 percent of a plant's essence. The risk of adverse effects of essential oils increase when concentrations are higher. Be sure to properly dilute concentrated oils before using them. In addition, the sensitive skin of your cat—as well as any other small pets like rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters—may make them more prone to allergic or toxic reactions if essential oils are applied to skin or accidentally spilled there.

If your cat has underlying health conditions, like asthma or allergies, they may also be at higher risk for poisoning, Wismer warns. It’s best to avoid using diffusers or sprays that make the droplets airborne, since these cats may have difficulty breathing well with essential oils in the air. But you may also want to avoid using essential oils as a topical agent on your cat as well, since at-risk pets may struggle to metabolize the oil once it's absorbed on the skin or through broken skin. This is because cats lack important enzymes to break down the phenols in some oils. 

In cases handled by ASPCA Animal Poison Control, cats who have a reaction to skin exposure to essential oils showed signs of unsteady walking, muscle weakness, depression, changes in behavior, and even hypothermia or collapse. Cats who drank essential oils experienced vomiting, diarrhea, and decreased breathing and heart rate. Pneumonia is also a possibility for cats who breathe in the essential oils that are diffused in the air.

Which Essential Oils Are Dangerous to Cats?

Certain essential oils are more dangerous to cats than others. Pennyroyal and melaleuca (tea tree) oils have been implicated in some severe cases of seizures and liver damage. Some oils, like tea tree oil, are more toxic than others in smaller amounts.

Other essential oils that are considered particularly dangerous to cats when either ingested or exposed on the skin include cinnamon, citrus, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, wintergreen, and ylang ylang.

If you suspect your cat has ingested these or any other essential oils, or has gotten essential oils on her skin, call your veterinarian and bring any packaging from the product with you to the veterinary hospital. And like any new ingredient you introduce to your cat’s environment, it’s better to be safe than sorry: give your vet a call if you have questions about what kinds of essential oils are safe to use around your cat.

Essential oils, aromatherapy, and potpourri in your home may be pleasant for you, but natural compounds in these fragrances can be dangerous for your cat. Take precautions when using these products so your cat does not have a toxic reaction. If your cat has any liver impairment, it may be best to eliminate these products from your cat's environment.

Certain essential oils were once considered to be safe for cats.

However, compelling evidence has now demonstrated that essential oils can be toxic to cats, whether taken internally, applied to the skin, or simply inhaled. Exposure can lead to serious liver damage, liver failure, seizures, or even death for cats.

Cats lack certain enzymes that provide the ability to properly metabolize the various compounds in essential oils, phenols in particular. These phenolic compounds occur naturally in some plants and are highly concentrated in essential oils. The liver is most often the organ which is affected by essential oils.

These oils are known to contain phenols and be toxic to cats:

• Wintergreen oil
• Peppermint oil
• Citrus oil (including lemon oil)
• Tea tree oil (melaleuca oil)
• Pine oil
• Eucalyptus oil
• Cinnamon oil
• Pennyroyal oil
• Sweet birch oil
• Clove oil
• Ylang ylang oil

The higher the concentration of essential oil, the greater the risk to your cat. If your cat ingests any oils accidentally, go to the veterinarian immediately.

The Spruce Pets/Catherine Song

Cats absorb oils that are directly in contact with their skin. Oils diffused in the air are inhaled which can cause respiratory issues. They can also collect on the fur, which results in your cat ingesting them during licking and cleaning. Toxicity can occur very quickly or over a longer period of exposure.

• Drooling
• Vomiting
• Tremors
• Difficulty walking, wobbliness (ataxia)
• Respiratory distress (wheezing, fast breathing, panting, coughing)

If you notice any of these signs, move your cat immediately to fresh air, and contact your local veterinary emergency center right away. The veterinary center may have you call a poison hotline for additional guidance on treatment. The veterinarian may note a low heart rate, low blood pressure, and signs of liver failure.

Your cat may be exposed to essential oils you use for your own purposes. Keep any essential oils in a cat-proof cabinet so your curious pet doesn't have access to them. Passive reed diffusers or potpourri pots can be knocked over, exposing your cat to the oil-containing liquid which can be ingested or absorbed on it's skin or fur with contact. Don't allow your pet to lick your skin if you have applied any products that contain essential oils.

Essential oil and aromatherapy diffusers, candles, liquid potpourri products, and room sprays are sources of airborne essential oils that cats can inhale which leads to respiratory irritation. If you can smell the fragrance of the oil, there is oil in the air and it can affect your cat.

Kittens, elderly cats, or cats who have liver or respiratory problems should be kept out of any room where essential oil diffusers are used. Don't wear aromatherapy jewelry when you are around your cat.

Hydrosols are often touted as a more natural, safer alternative to essential oils. Hydrosols are also known as "flower waters" as they consist of the water that remains after steam-distilling flowers or herbs in water, and are less saturated than essential oils.

While hydrosols are safer for use on human skin since they do not have to be diluted, they still are dangerous for cats and other pets. The water can hold on to residual matter from the plants that can be toxic if ingested or even inhaled.

Some pets can tolerate hydrosols, but others are more sensitive. Limit your pet's access to them and their scents to minimize the risk of any health issues.

If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.