I used to use grapefruit essential oil before I got kitties... are they still being exposed to this

[fufpaw]

Hi, I used to use grapefruit and orange essential oil around the house... adding it to mop water, burning it, diffusing it in one of those diffusers that mists it out in water, and spraying it with a spray bottle into the air, on blankets, furniture, on tables to wipe them down with... anything. I had never had cats and didn't know citrus is toxic to them. 

Now I have cats and I am staying up all night wondering if the oil I used in the past will kill them. I didn't know this when I got the cats...

I have probably used like 2 ounces of citrus oils in the past... Most of the use was probably more than 6 months before I got the kitties.

Does anyone know if the toxin degrades with time?

Is there an enzyme I can feed them to get it out of their system? (I read on a website that it will harm cats if given without an enzyme... so u can give them an enzyme??)

What should I do?

 

[moorspede]

I honestly doubt that they would be building up in your cats bodies overtime and I'm sure you've mopped the floor, cleaned the furniture etc with something else since you got them. It comes from the orange peel and I'd assume that it's easily washed away. 

The symptoms of toxicity are a strong citrus smell to the skin, drooling, depression, weakness, hypothermia, trembling, ataxia, falling, low blood pressure, and dermatitis especially severe in the scrotal and perineal areas. 

Your cats have enzymes in their bodies (made by the pancreas if I remember my biology correctly), I wouldn't recommend adding any unless proscribed by a vet. 

 

[fufpaw]

Not really... I have mopped one floor and wipe the table with just water but idk how I would remove the oils from the carpet. I am thinking about how many rugs I would have to buy to cover up all the carpet in the house.... a lot of rugs.....

Cats do not have the right enzyme to break down chemicals in citrus, that's why it is toxic to them. Deaths from this are thought to be underreported as the toxin builds up in the liver and then the cat dies from unexplained liver failure. And essential oils can be thousands of times more concentrated than the plant.

 

[foxxycat]

you can use carpet soap-but make sure they don't walk on it when it's wet. soap dissolves oils. I always recommend not to use oils/fragrances around little noses. What about that foam carpet cleaner? Like we use for cleaning muddy spots on rugs?

 That should work.

 

[fufpaw]

As I said, I had no cats or pets back then when I used essential oils. So instead of scrubbing every inch of my home with carpet cleaner I think one of those rug doctor things would be ok right?