If you are a lover of essential oils and you also have cats, you should know which ones can harm your pet. That’s why we decided to make a compendium of the bad essential oils for cats that exist in the market.

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.

5 Harmful Essential oils for Cats

The use of essential oils in pets is a very controversial issue. However, this time we will talk about the bad essential oils for cats. In that sense, if you have this type of animal at home, know which products you should stop using with them nearby or on them.

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, 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.

  1. Peppermint essential oil

    The use of essential oil in cats can be dangerous because of its powerful aroma and ingredient, menthol. This one, if it falls near your eyes, nose, skin without fur or some wound could cause a bad time. Although as aromatherapy is very good, in cats the effect is harmful. Avoid at all costs to use it nearby or on them.

  2. Lavender essential oil

    Lavender essential oil is one of the most penetrating and healing aromas in human beings. However, in cats it can cause a harmful effect on their health. Since dizziness, leave them stunned or simply affect their airways.

    Even when it comes to washing the floors or walls of the house with this essence, it is better to do it without the cat present. There’s no way in the world you’re letting your domestic feline come into contact with this essential oil, because it could be very hard.

  3. Lemon essential oil

    Lemon, as 100% natural and pure essential oil is lethal in cats. Being a citrus, it can be harmful to the integrity of felines.

    The cat by nature is sensitive to strong odors, and the lemon has a very potent characteristic aroma that can negatively affect it. When they detect this smell they usually have strange movements and out of place behavior.

  4. Chamomile essential oil

    Chamomile essential oil in humans is very relaxing. Either as tea, infusion or topical. For cats, it can be a moment of irritation, discomfort and burning. Its use in domestic felines is not recommended, less direct on the skin.

    When you have wounds, itching, or some kind of skin damage, and this essential oil is applied, it can cause extra mistreatment in the area. Don’t rub it on open wounds or on areas without fur.

  5. Tangerine essential oil

    Tangerine has one of the most relaxing aromas and flavors on the market. However, for cats it is completely opposite. Being a citrus fruit causes harmful, irritating and very desperate effects on them. Even as aromatherapy makes them have. Wrong behavior, out of the ordinary, that will leave you very surprised.

Frequently asked questions

  • Are essential oils a risk for pets?

Like everything in life there are good things and bad things. In cats, there are essential oils that cause damage to them. However, there are products of this style that help you to relieve tension, pain, relax, etc.

  • Are all essential oils the same?

If one essential oil does harm, why not the others? The Animal Poisoning Center, located in the United States, discussed the toxicity of these products to cats and the factors that vary. This makes the range of options very wide.

I mean, some aren’t dangerous, but some are. Some are even harmful applied as aromatherapy and others are healthy if given to ingest or apply on the skin. It all depends on the sensitivity of the cat, the concentrate of the product and whether it is original or not.

  • How to know if my cat is intoxicated by an essential oil?

In case your cat has swallowed, inhaled or used some bad essential oil for cats, it is essential to know these symptoms. The first thing is to check directly on the cat and see if it smells or has oil on the body.

It can also be noticed if you have difficulty breathing, if you are tired, weak, walking with difficulty, or stumble a lot. This is compounded by the presence of muscle tremors, strange attitude, vomiting, lips, tongue, skin or burnt gums. In the face of these symptoms, it is best to take it to a veterinarian as quickly as possible to provide a remedial treatment.

Uses and benefits of the essential oil

Essential oils have a wide range of uses. If you have chosen to shift toward natural, using essential oils is your best option. You can use them for aromatic purposes, you can use them for your skin or internally.

It’s noteworthy that, depending on the use you choose for the essential oils, you can get different benefits. If you choose to use the essential oil topically, it will benefit your body and your mind, so it can relief aches and will make you have a refreshing sleep during nights. These are just a few uses and benefits of essential oils.

Become a Young Living distributor

If you have already tried the essential oils and you wish to become a young living distributor, here we will tell you how to do it.

The first thing you have to do in order to become a young provider is to join the web page and go to members sign in. Once you are there, fill all the data and choose a kit in order to enjoy the benefits of becoming a young provider.

On top of the uses and benefits from the essential oil, the young living distributor gains access to great wholesales discounts and can be part of a healthy and winner community.

For new members we recommended to start with the Young Living premium starter kit. With this starter kit, you can start to enjoy the best seller products and the best mixes, on top of a Young Living essential oil diffuser.

The starter premium kit Young Living is the best choice you can make when becoming a young provider and highlight the uses and benefits of the essential oil.