Question Regarding Essential Oils

[MischiefManaged]

Hey!
So, I've heard certain scents were bad for cats and could be very toxic. Is there someone knowledgeable about this? My friend who sells oils has three cats and she's not nervous for them at all. What should I do? I know my hubby and I like to use oils and to diffuse them.
thanks.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
The ASPCA has information;
Trending Now: Are Essential Oils Dangerous to Pets?

 

[Beyond Confused]

I had a lovely bath this evening with about 10 drops of a lemongrass essential oil, and it got me wondering if this is OK for cats. I don't use a diffuser or burn it in my house in any way, but I never considered drops of it in my bath potentially being an issue.

I looked up the link above, but it didn't really answer my question. I've also tried googling, and I'm having no luck. Does anyone know?

The brand I used was from Fresh Thyme - Aura Cacia (Lemongrass).

I'm also wondering about burning wax cubes. I found a wonderful brand in Gatlinburg this past summer, and I recently ordered more (Spiced Orange & Cinnamon and Lavender & Lemongrass.) The link to what I buy is below.

Would someone knowledgeable please take a look at these and tell me if they're a problem to drop in my bath water or melt in a warmer? Thank you!

Drizzle and Herbal Melts

 

[Kieka]

Good question! The problem is cats are super sensitive and there just isn't enough research for a definite answer. There are a few things that doknow for sure about cats and essential oils:

1. Some oils are deadly, or will cause serious lasting harm, in any situation (I'm looking at you tea tree oil).
2. Cats might be able to handle the essential part but the oil could be bad. Cats livers don't contain an enzyme that humans livers do. They have difficulty processing out specific toxins including some binder oils used in essential oils. These can build up in their liver to a deadly point. It is unknown if the plant particals will as well because we just don't have the research to know beyond we know they cant process items that need the missing enzyme to process.
3. Cats are more sensitive to pheonls and pheonical compounds meaning that they will have a stronger reaction to essential oils then humans. So trying to find a 100% pure or more concentrated oil toreduce the risk of a binder oil just making it worse.
4. Newer style diffusers are releasing microparticals in the air instead of just the scent of them. A cat laying near one might be at more risk because particals can collect on their fur and be injested. This is different from having essential oils on some rocks or burner or a melt. From what I understand, burning incense and candles scented with oils burns the oil and releases the scent so it isn't as bad.

Cats in general are more sensitive to everything then humans. While essential oils might smell good or help some humans, we just don't know what impact they have on our furry friends. We know some can kill cats, we know too much of the wrong oil can build up to toxic levels in their livers, we know their systems aren't designed to process plant materials, we know other things like garlic and onions will kill cats but cause no problems for people... When you take this all together the conclusion I come to is that I probably already expose my cats to enough that adding essential oils into the mix is not the best idea.

I'd rather not question in 10 years if my cats liver failure was caused by a gradual build up of toxic oil in their liver. I'd rather not question if those kidney problems were because I decided that smelling good was more important then my cats kidneys. I'd rather take the path we know is safe, avoiding essential oils around my cats, then risk their health in the long run.

I do use essential oils in my bath sometimes or some tea tree oil on myself for skin issues. However, I apply tea tree oil on myself away from the home when I won't see the fluffs for several hours. If I take a bath, I turn on the fan and rinse well after. I also spray down the wipe down the tub after (which also helps keep a sparkly tubs so win-win). I am not saying to exclude oils from your life but to be mindful and not use them frivolously.

Do keep in mind, I am allergic to artifical scents myself so I don't use products to smell good. I just shower and wear clean clothes. I personally don't understand peoples obsession with not smelling like themselves so it is easier for me to decide not to use oils.

 

[Beyond Confused]

You're definitely in right in that I'd rather not take the chance by putting this stuff in the air and questioning it later. I would enjoy a clean smelling home, though, especially since I live in the north, and we have to keep our windows closed for months at a time.

I looked into ozone machines. Are those safe for pets? If not, what's a good alternative? There's got to be something, right?

 

[daftcat75]

I have an oil diffuser, a Dyson air purifier that reports air quality in the app, and a cat with a drop-off appointment on Monday. With the cat out of the apartment, I can run the diffuser and watch the app to see what the VOC (volatile organic compounds) readings say over time. Monday morning science experiment!

Please note that I am waiting until Krista is out of the home before I try this. This reflects my own hesitation to use oils and fragrances around her.

 

[Beyond Confused]

I have an oil diffuser, a Dyson air purifier that reports air quality in the app, and a cat with a drop-off appointment on Monday. With the cat out of the apartment, I can run the diffuser and watch the app to see what the VOC (volatile organic compounds) readings say over time. Monday morning science experiment!

Please note that I am waiting until Krista is out of the home before I try this. This reflects my own hesitation to use oils and fragrances around her.

I'm curious to know your results. Please let us know!

 

[daftcat75]

I'm curious to know your results. Please let us know!

Absolutely! What good are all those fancy sensors in this Dyson if I’m not going to use them?

I can tell you that vaping, even from another room, can easily and quickly spike the PM 2.5 readings. These are particles small enough to cross from the lungs into the bloodstream. This is what people vape for but it was surprising and alarming to see how much of a secondhand effect it can have on my Dyson and presumably the cat as well.

So my own guess is that it won’t take very long for VOCs to spike even diffusing from another room (which I plan to do.). If the Dyson can detect it, the cat probably will too.

 

[Jem]

I looked into ozone machines. Are those safe for pets? If not, what's a good alternative? There's got to be something, right?

Activated Charcoal is a great way to keep smells away. It acts sort of the same way as baking soda in the fridge, by absorbing bad odors out of the air. You can make little sachets or put the chunks lose in a bowl (if the cats will leave them alone, lol.) and place them in your home where odors are more significant (hanging in the trash can, near the litter box...)

 

[Beyond Confused]

I can tell you that vaping, even from another room, can easily and quickly spike the PM 2.5 readings. These are particles small enough to cross from the lungs into the bloodstream. This is what people vape for but it was surprising and alarming to see how much of a secondhand effect it can have on my Dyson and presumably the cat as well.

Before my brother quit cold turkey, he had turned to vaping. Everyone swears it's so safe. He would do it with us (and his kid) in the car. Ugh.
I have a co-worker who also does it and swears it's so "safe."

Activated Charcoal is a great way to keep smells away. It acts sort of the same way as baking soda in the fridge, by absorbing bad odors out of the air. You can make little sachets or put the chunks lose in a bowl (if the cats will leave them alone, lol.) and place them in your home where odors are more significant (hanging in the trash can, near the litter box...)

I spent last night looking up HEPA machines. I found a couple, both use activated charcoal, which incidentally is what is in my cat litter. I swear that's the absolute best litter I've ever used with cats, and I've used it 10 years now.

Anyway, the machines - while I'm sure sachets, as you suggested, would work, I'm considering the machines because it looks like they are excellent at taking all the crap out of the air as well - pet fur, dander, dust, etc. I have allergies, so this would probably be well worth the money for me.

Here's the one (or 2) I'm checking out. They're by the same company.

Winix WAC9500 Ultimate Pet True HEPA Air Cleaner with PlasmaWave Technology

Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier with True HEPA, PlasmaWave and Odor Reducing Washable AOC Carbon Filter


I just hate that they take up space on the floor, but if it works, then that's a sacrifice I need to make.

 

[daftcat75]

Before my brother quit cold turkey, he had turned to vaping. Everyone swears it's so safe. He would do it with us (and his kid) in the car. Ugh.
I have a co-worker who also does it and swears it's so "safe."

Safe? I don't know. Safer? You bet it is! A short vape session will spike the air quality monitor, the PM 2.5 (these are the particles that can reach the bloodstream and possibly the brain) from Good to Fair. A short combustion session will send it into Very Poor (Good>Fair>Poor>Very Poor.)

Until addictive stuff stops being addictive, I consider vaping a lesser harm than smoking. Obviously quitting is best but nicotine is powerfully addictive. Before I finally quit, I was chewing nicotine gum for ten years--longer than I ever smoked. If vaping results in fewer smokers, I call that a devil's bargain.

I have a cat who won't eat without bribes right now. I'm very familiar with the devil's bargain.

Besides my Dysons (I have two), I use passive air cleaners like open boxes of baking soda and odor sponges (don't know what they are actually called.) They look like urinal cakes in a small container with a screen over them. I leave one in the cat box area and sometimes another in the kitchen and they are pretty good at trapping odor molecules in the air. And I stay on top of the cat box duties. With scheduled feedings comes scheduled eliminations. So as part of the feeding shift, I just know there is likely a bathroom task for the both of us too.

 

[daftcat75]

I started out with a protocol but quickly got distracted with the new cat fountain that arrived. I'm sure she won't drink out of this one either but at least this one will tell me when the water is low or the filter needs changing.

I ran an Ellia Diffuser from one room and measured its effect on air quality in the other room with a Dyson Pure Cool Link in front of Krista's favorite cat tree. Krista is at the vet today so I can run this test without irritating her. The Dyson will clean up the air before she returns.

As for the results...

It did not have an effect on volatile organic compounds. Even though these are clearly volatile (airborne) and organic (carbon-based in this definition), they do not belong to the class of dangerous chemicals that this particular sensor measures. Alarmingly though, nearly 12 hours after application, the Pet Stain Plus Oxy formula for the handheld Bissel Pet Stain Eraser is tipping VOCs from Good to Fair. I will not be using that formula anymore.

Running the diffuser did have an effect on the PM's (particulate matter.) PM 10 is a measure of particulates smaller than 10 microns but larger than 2.5 microns. These are small enough to be inhaled but large enough to stopped by the cillia sweepers in the lungs that keep large particles from traveling too deep. These particles will make you cough. Then there is the more hazardous PM 2.5 which is small enough to travel all the way into the bloodstream and cross the blood brain barrier. These are the particles that will give you a headache and make you feel like your oxygen supply is reduced. These require carbon filters. They will pass right through HEPA filters. Incidentally, the PM 10 and 2.5's increased in lock step meaning there's approximately equal concentration of both kinds of particles in the essential oil diffusion. Because PM 2.5's are much more dangerous, that's the one I will focus on.

After 30 minutes of diffusion in intermittent mode, the PM 2.5 rose from a baseline of 0 (it is an air purifier, right?) to 10 micrograms/cubic meter ("ug/m3" from now on.) According to Dyson, this is still in the Good range. It's about here where I got impatient and decided to run it another 30 minutes in constant diffusion mode. At the end of this period, it was hovering right at the threshold between Good and Fair at 34 ug/m3. At the conclusion of this interval, I added 5 more drops of oil (I started with 5 drops in 1 cup of water), and turned it back on in continuous. It very quickly overwhelmed me and I called it enough. This is why the cat had to be gone. The PM 2.5's spiked over 40 into the Fair territory.

Discussion

Most people run their essential oil diffusions longer than 30 minutes. It could be of value to repeat the experiment for a longer interval to see if the PM's level out at a certain concentration.

For noise considerations and reversed airflow which points towards the cat, the fan is capped at 4 out of 10 speeds. The PM's would probably not accumulate quite as high with a higher fan speed.

These Good and Fair numbers are based on human exposure levels. I don't know what the thresholds are for cats but presumably a lot lower.

My nerdy soapbox moment:

Smell is a chemical sense that requires physical contact of aerosolized aromatic particles to scent receptors in your nose. Think about that the next time you clean the litter box. Smell is kind of like a camera pointed at an open door rather than a bouncer. If you can smell it, you are also inhaling it. If it's small enough, it's geting into your blood and possibly going to your brain. If you smelled it, your cat smelled it and inhaled it before you. By the time you are smelling your essential oil diffusion, those smaller particles have already traveled to your cat's brain. For that reason alone, I would avoid oil diffusion or use the smallest amount of an oil not on the hazardous list run for the shortest period you can to minimize your cat's exposure.

 

[Beyond Confused]

I didn't even think about the carpet cleaning solution I use. Luckily, I only use it twice a year, until someone vomits. Even then, it's not much.

I don't have a diffuser that I use, but I DO have wax melt plug-ins around the house. The wax is soy wax and I believe the website said that there's triple scent added. I'm guessing that would be essential oils, but it didn't specifically say that. I'd be curious to know if those cause a spike.

 

[daftcat75]

I didn't even think about the carpet cleaning solution I use. Luckily, I only use it twice a year, until someone vomits. Even then, it's not much.

I don't have a diffuser that I use, but I DO have wax melt plug-ins around the house. The wax is soy wax and I believe the website said that there's triple scent added. I'm guessing that would be essential oils, but it didn't specifically say that. I'd be curious to know if those cause a spike.

If you can smell it, you are also inhaling it. If you are smelling it and inhaling it, so is your cat. That's all the data I need. Something triple-scented sounds triple-bad.

 

[daftcat75]

I think those would reach a certain temperature. At that point, the diffusion rate would be constant. Without an air filter, it would probably recirculate in the air until it re-condenses somewhere. Hopefully not in your cat's lungs but that is a possibility. I think those plug-in diffusers would be worse because you never turn them off.

 

[Beyond Confused]

I think those would reach a certain temperature. At that point, the diffusion rate would be constant. Without an air filter, it would probably recirculate in the air until it re-condenses somewhere. Hopefully not in your cat's lungs but that is a possibility. I think those plug-in diffusers would be worse because you never turn them off.

True. Well, I've had them turned off the last 2 or 3 days. My plan is to get a HEPA filter within the next couple paychecks. I'd do it now, but I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't spend money on "unnecessary" items this month.

 

[daftcat75]

True. Well, I've had them turned off the last 2 or 3 days. My plan is to get a HEPA filter within the next couple paychecks. I'd do it now, but I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't spend money on "unnecessary" items this month.

HEPA filter won't filter out the PM 2.5's that can reach the brain. Whatever filter you buy, make sure it also has a carbon filter for those nasty 2.5's.

 

[Beyond Confused]

HEPA filter won't filter out the PM 2.5's that can reach the brain. Whatever filter you buy, make sure it also has a carbon filter for those nasty 2.5's.

The ones I have my eye on have activated charcoal filters.