ESSENTIAL OILS FOR CATS

Let's talk about cats!

With cats... ultimately, you will hear many things from many people about cats and oils. Here's my take: Cats lack an enzyme called glucuronyl transferase. This is important for the Cytochrome p450 liver metabolism pathway. This makes cats very susceptible to ALL kinds of toxicity, including plant, NSAIDS (like aspirin, ibuprofen and Tylenol), chocolate and caffeine (methylxanthines), lead, zinc, and many, many types of pesticides.

So which oils do you stay away from? Most certified pure essential oils are so pure that you can use them topically on cats sporadically in a highly diluted form (as if for infants). It's not a good idea to use them topically or internally on your cat every single day (with the exception of helichrysum, lavender and Frankincense).

The oils to stay away from and use something different if you can are the oils that are high in phenols and eugenols as far as direct application (topical or internal) to your cat (the oils high in phenols are basil, birch, cinnamon, clove, fennel, melaleuca, oregano, peppermint, thyme, and wintergreen.)

As far as diffusion - I diffuse everything! I just make sure not to diffuse anything in my kitty's room (where her food and litterbox are) and make sure she's not "locked" in the room with the diffuser - she will go away if it's one she doesn't like or need.

The main thing is, don't give oils to cats topically or internally every day (with some exceptions), dilute them, only use certified pure essential  oils, and when in doubt, feel free to ask!