What essential oils are safe for cats

Essential oils have had a place in alternative medicine and therapies for centuries, and many people have chosen to also use them with their pets so that beloved animals can also reap the benefits that they offer. However, while essential oils may be completely naturally-occurring substances, this doesn’t automatically make them completely safe. In fact, many are toxic to animals and humans alike. 

As a caring and conscientious pet owner, it is your responsibility to keep your creature safe from harm. If you are planning on using essential oils in your home, regardless of whether you are going to apply them.  
 

What is an essential oil?


An essential oil is a natural compound that are extracted from a single plant species and have the odor of the plant from which they have been obtained. Not all plants produce essential oils, but in those that do, the oil can be extracted from various sections of the plant including the stem, roots, leaves and flowers or fruits. While the oils that are extracted aren’t particularly strong, they are then distilled to make them more potent. It is for this reason that only a few drops of essential oil are needed at a time. 

While essential oils are extracted for use by humans, they are also used therapeutically by the plants themselves since they help with wound healing, attracting or repelling birds and insects, hormonal effects and even infection control. 
 

Uses of essential oils 


We use essential oils in a wide variety of different ways, from making our homes smell delightful to helping improve our physical and emotional wellbeing. Many owners have also used essential oils with their pets to similar effect. Some of the most common uses of essential oils in animals include helping to manage their moods – such as calming them down or enabling them to manage anxiety, as well as acting as a repellent for certain pests including fleas and ticks. 

While essential oils have been used safely for centuries, it is important for pet owners to realize that there are in fact many different plants and flowers that are toxic to our animals. This toxicity doesn’t diminish because your pet isn’t coming contact with the plant itself – far from it. Instead, the highly concentrated nature of the essential oil can make it even more potent in its poisonous nature. This is particularly true when you consider that cats and dogs have a sense of smell that is much more acute than our own. What might be a pleasant scent to us could be overwhelming and even painful for them to experience. 
 

Essential oils that are harmful to cats


These include, but are not limited to:

  • Cinnamon
  • Citrus
  • Clove
  • Eucalyptus
  • Lavender
  • Oregano
  • Pennyroyal
  • Peppermint
  • Pine
  • Sweet birch
  • Tea Tree
  • Thyme
  • Wintergreen 
  • Ylang Ylang 
 

Essential oils that are harmful to dogs


These include, but are not limited to:

  • Anise
  • Cinnamon
  • Citrus
  • Clove
  • Garlic
  • Juniper
  • Pennyroyal
  • Peppermint 
  • Pine
  • Sweet birch
  • Tea Tree
  • Thyme
  • Yarrow 
  • Ylang Ylang 

How do I know if my pet is experiencing a reaction to essential oils?

The symptoms of a reaction to essential oils are virtually identical to those seen in animals that have suffered poisoning. These include:

  • Breathing problems
  • Difficulty walking
  • Drooling 
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle tremors
  • Pawing at the face/mouth
  • Rash that develops on his skin
  • Redness or burns on their lips, tongue, skin or gums
  • Vomiting 
  • Weakness / collapse

You may also be able to smell the essence of the essential oil on his coat, skin or breath. 
 

You know your pet better than anyone else, and if you suspect that something isn’t right with your pet, it is always worth speaking to your Glendale, AZ veterinarian who will be able to determine if he needs to be seen. 
 

If you are concerned about which essential oils are safe to use around your pet, we strongly recommend that you consult with our veterinarian before using any in your home. For further advice and support, please don’t hesitate to contact our animal medical center.  

Kia Benson, DVM
Associate Veterinarian, Clinical Toxicology

Download our Essential Oils and Cats handout!

What essential oils are safe for cats

Essential oils are volatile, organic constituents of plants that contribute to fragrance and taste. They are extracted from plants via distillation or cold pressing. Essential oils are utilized in a variety of ways: as insecticides, in aromatherapies, personal care products (e.g., antibacterials), flavorings, herbal remedies and liquid potpourri.

Essential oils can pose a toxic risk to household pets, especially to cats. They are rapidly absorbed both orally and across the skin, and are then metabolized in the liver. Cats lack an essential enzyme in their liver and as such have difficulty metabolizing and eliminating certain toxins like essential oils. Cats are also very sensitive to phenols and phenolic compounds, which can be found in some essential oils. The higher the concentration of the essential oil (i.e. 100%), the greater the risk to the cat.

Essential oils that are known to cause poisoning in cats include oil of wintergreen, oil of sweet birch, citrus oil (d-limonene), pine oils, Ylang Ylang oil, peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, pennyroyal oil, clove oil, eucalyptus oil, and tea tree oil. Symptoms that develop depend on the type of oil involved in the exposure and can include drooling, vomiting, tremors, ataxia (wobbliness), respiratory distress, low heart rate, low body temperature, and liver failure.

Diffuser Types and Health Hazards

What essential oils are safe for cats

Until recently, the use of essential oils for aromatherapy was restricted to such devices as candles, liquid potpourri products, room sprays, passive diffusers, or applying it to skin like perfume.

Passive diffusers work by evaporating the oil, producing a pleasant smell. Types include: 1) reed diffusers, where the reeds soak up the oil and disperse its fragrance into the air; 2) heat diffusers like plug-in/electric oil diffusers, candle burners, or table top warmers that use heat to evaporate the oil, 3) non-motorized, personal evaporative diffusers (necklace pendants, bracelets, etc.) that use room air currents to diffuse the aroma, and 4) motorized diffusers that use a fan to blow air through a filter or pad that has been permeated with an essential oil.

Unless the oil in a passive diffuser gets onto a cat’s skin or is ingested in some way (e.g. the diffuser tips over onto or near the cat, or the cat ingests a personal diffuser), the main hazard to cats from essential oils dispersed through passive diffusers is respiratory irritation.

Inhalation of strong odors or fragrances can cause some cats to develop a watery nose or eyes, a burning sensation in the nose/throat, nausea leading to drooling and/or vomiting, and difficulty breathing. Difficulty breathing in a cat is evidenced by labored breathing, fast breathing, panting, coughing, or wheezing. NONE of these signs are normal in cats. A coughing episode in a cat can be mistaken by owners for the cat trying to vomit up a hairball. However, in this case the cat crouches low to the ground, with little to no abdominal movement that is more typical of vomiting. No hairball is produced.

Cats suffering such symptoms need to be moved immediately into fresh air, and require emergency veterinary treatment should their symptoms not quickly resolve once they are in fresh air. Cats with pre-existing respiratory issues such as asthma, airborne allergies, or cats exposed to second hand smoke from their human companions, are at greater risk for developing severe respiratory irritation than cats without such conditions.

Recently, active essential oil diffusers have hit the market. The active diffusers differ from passive ones in that actual microdroplets or particles of oil are emitted into the air in addition to the pleasant aroma of the oil. Nebulizing diffusers (pressurized high-speed air stream and an atomizing nozzle) and ultrasonic diffusers (electric current causes an instrument to emit a vibration) fall into this category.

The droplets dispersed by these new diffusers may be small, but they still pose a risk to cats. Depending on how close the cat is to the dispenser, the essential oil microdroplets may collect on the cat’s fur if it is the same room as the active diffuser. The oil can be either absorbed directly through the skin, or ingested when the cat grooms itself.

Drooling, vomiting, tremors, ataxia (wobbliness), respiratory distress, low heart rate, low body temperature, and liver failure can potentially develop depending on the type of essential oil that was used and the dose that the cat was exposed to.

Like oil and water, essential oils and cats really do not mix. Owners should be cautious using essential oils and diffusers in their homes in order to protect their cat(s) from a toxic risk. Most importantly, concentrated essential oils should never be directly applied to cats.