Essential Oils: Must-read for cat owners
May 24, 2023
Essential oils are volatile organic compounds found in plants that contribute to their fragrance and taste. They are extracted through distillation or cold pressing. Essential oils are used in various ways, such as insecticides, aromatherapy, personal care products (e.g. antibacterials), flavorings, herbs, and liquid potpourri.
Essential oils can pose a toxic risk to household pets, especially cats. They are quickly absorbed through ingestion and skin contact, then metabolized in the liver. Cats lack essential enzymes in their liver, making it difficult to metabolize and eliminate certain toxins such as essential oils. Cats are also very sensitive to phenolic and phenolic-containing compounds, which can be found in some essential oils. The higher the concentration of essential oil (i.e. 100%), the greater the risk to cats.
We known essential oils that can be toxic to cats include wintergreen oil, sweet birch oil, citrus oil (d-limonene), pine oil, ylang ylang oil, peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, pennyroyal oil, clove oil, eucalyptus oil, and tea tree oil. Symptoms may vary depending on the type of oil involved in the exposure and can include drooling, vomiting, tremors, ataxia (shaking), respiratory distress, bradycardia, hypothermia, and liver failure.
Diffuser Types and Health Hazards
Until recently, essential oils were used for aromatherapy in limited ways such as candles, liquid potpourri products, indoor sprays, passive diffusers, or applied topically to the skin like perfumes.
Passive diffusers work by evaporating the oil, producing a pleasant aroma. These include:
1. reed diffusers, where reeds absorb the oil and disperse its fragrance into the air;
2. heat diffusers such as plug-in electric oil diffusers, candle burners, or tabletop heaters that utilize heat to evaporate the oil;
3. non-motorized personal evaporative diffusers (necklaces, bracelets, etc.) that use indoor airflow to diffuse scent;
4. electric diffusers that use a fan to blow air through a filter or pad that has been permeated with essential oils.
Unless the oil in passive diffusers comes into contact with a cat's skin or is ingested in some way (e.g. diffuser spills on or near the cat, or the cat ingests a personal diffuser), the main hazard to cats from essential oils dispersed by passive diffusers is respiratory irritation.
Inhaling strong smells or fragrances can cause some cats to have watery eyes or noses, nasal/throat burning sensations, nausea leading to drooling and/or vomiting, and difficulty breathing. Respiratory distress in cats manifests as labored breathing, rapid breathing, wheezing, coughing, or gasping. None of these signs are normal in cats. A cat's coughing episode may be mistaken by the owner to be the cat trying to pass a hairball. However, in this case the cat is crouched down and there is little abdominal movement, which is more typical of vomiting. No hairball is produced.
Cats showing such symptoms should be immediately moved to fresh air, and if their symptoms do not resolve rapidly upon exposure to fresh air, immediate veterinary treatment is necessary. Cats with pre-existing respiratory issues such as asthma, airborne allergies, or those exposed to secondhand smoke from human companions are at greater risk for severe respiratory irritation.
Recently, active essential oil diffusers have entered the market. Active diffusers differ from passive diffusers in that, in addition to the pleasant scent of the oil, actual micro-droplets or oil particles are emitted into the air. Nebulizing diffusers (high-pressure air flow and misting nozzles) and ultrasonic diffusers (currents causing the instrument to vibrate) fall under this category.
These new diffusers' dispersed droplets may be small, but they still pose a risk to cats. Depending on the distance of the cat from the diffuser, micro-droplets of essential oils may cluster onto the cat's fur if in the same room. This oil can be absorbed directly through the skin or ingested when a cat grooms itself.
Symptoms such as drooling, vomiting, tremors, ataxia (shaking), respiratory distress, bradycardia, hypothermia, and liver failure may develop, depending on the type of essential oil used and the dosage to which the cat was exposed.
Just like oil and water, essential oils and cats really don't mix. Owners should use caution when using essential oils and diffusers in their homes to protect their cats from toxic risks. Most importantly, concentrated essential oils should never be applied directly to a cat's body.