Guest guest Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Here is a safety warning on safety and cats from another aromatherapy website that I agree with: Aromatherapy, Essential Oils, and Cats There is a lot of information online about not using essential oils with cats or even diffusing essential oils as aromatherapy in the home with cats around. For this reason, we offer this link http://www.thelavendercat.com/generic.html?pid=10 to find the details of this information. We have personally used essential oils with our cats and many others for many years without problems, but we have had extensive herbal training. It is very easy to overdo with essential oils and we do not want any harm to come to any animal from informational content on our site. Essential oils are extremely potent substances even when using for humans, so use in a small animal, such as a cat, can be dangerous, not only due to the size and weight, but also considering that cats do not have the same metabolism for the oils as we do. Please be wise and gather more information. ------------------------- -------- There is a safe middle ground in my opinion ;-) You will find the British point of view to be VERY different and MUCH more conservative than the American when it comes to safety issues with HERBS and oils. I am a little reluctant to respond as Persian's post was so adamant (which is FINE- I respect that- I simply disagree with the intensity of the warning) and I don't want to begin a heated debate on the topic at all. I will give my opinion and you can do your own research and develop your own point of view. I do NOT promote use of essential oils on cats and I do not suggest others use them either- without seeking the care of a qualified practitioner- on the skin or internally. I do not promote the use of essential oils directly on cats. Their systems probably can not process them (in quantity) efficiently, and they have extremely sensitive skin. Some oils are MUCH safer than others and dilution is also a factor. It's FINE to warn people to be cautious and to avoid practices that are questionable. I would not hesitate to diffuse essential oils in an environment AROUND a cat who moves freely. Keeping a cat in a small closed room with a diffuser going around the clock with strong oils- would be ill advised. I have a home that is free (as can be) from toxic chemicals. I make all my own cleaning products- all contain appropriate amounts of essential oils. I diffuse essential oils in my home and office where the cat is free to roam. I produce all my products and store and use many pounds of essential oils in my business. I would say this is an exceedingly safe place for my cat! I also have a non vaccinated ORGANIC only 100% since weaning raw meat and bones- with other nutrients, herbs and vegetables cat. Incredibly healthy animal. In Australia I know a wonderful distiller of organic Tea Tree who has used this oil on all his cats for generations- incredibly healthy animals- never an issue with the liver- never. There is no actual evidence that diffusing essential oils where cats live/ roam is dangerous or toxic. And....essential oils have been used safely around cats for a long, long time without incident. I say- use common sense and do your own research...and do what you think is right. Elizabeth On Tuesday, September 16, 2003, at 08:14 AM, laura_e25 wrote: > wow now that this comes up i have heard the dangers of essential oils > for cats...can someone else speak about this...does anyone have cats > that uses e.o. and if so how do you go about this? i keep my cats > out of my bedroom (i have three). is the toxic effect so much so > that i shouldn't even use e.o. in my bedroom...or maybe this would be > the way to get around it. and how careful does one have to be...if > you make candles with e.o. for instance and then burn them would this > be dangerous. i feel like i'm rambling so am just going to ask that > anyone who knows about this chime in!! i was so excited about the > prospect of getting more familiar with e.o.s but don't want to in any > way cause harm to my little ones! > luv laura > > > > herbal remedies , Persian <persian13@i...> > wrote: > > Hi all > > > > On Mon, Sep 15, 2003 at 12:06:22 -0500, Elizabeth@w... wrote: > > > > > > 1. A well made nebulizing diffuser retails generally around $90- > $110 > > > > > > 2. Using essential oils in the over the candle style > differs/warmers > > > may make the air smell good and may have some limited therapeutic > > > effect- but for the most part has little to no therapeutic value. > The > > > oil heater method fractionates, oxidizes and produces residues > that the > > > nebulizer does not. Nebulization ionizes and naturally suspends > very > > > fine oil molecules in the air, making the essential oil more > > > bio-available. Because the oil particles are so fine they do not > > > condense and remain in suspension in the air for a longer period. > This > > > reduces consumption of essential oils. > > > > I just wanted to mention quickly and then get out of here, that you > should never EVER > > do the above or use any essential oils with CATS. Essential oils in > the air and anywhere > > near them is toxic to cats and can be FATAL. So please no kitties > with EO's. > > Thanks > > > > Purrrrrsian > > > > > Federal Law requires that we warn you of the following: > 1. Natural methods can sometimes backfire. > 2. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before using any natural > remedy. > 3. The Constitution guarantees you the right to be your own physician > and to > prescribe for your own health. > We are not medical doctors although MDs are welcome to post here as > long as > they behave themselves. > Any opinions put forth by the list members are exactly that, and any > person > following the advice of anyone posting here does so at their own risk. > It is up to you to educate yourself. By accepting advice or products > from list members, you are agreeing to > be fully responsible for your own health, and hold the List Owner and > members free of any liability. > > Dr. Ian Shillington > Doctor of Naturopathy > Dr.IanShillington > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 the lavendarcat.com was suggested to as a possible place to find info about toxicity of essential oils and cats. they seem to be fairly non-fear oriented and are mostly practicing aromatherapists...thought it might be of interest if people are wanting to know more. the below info was given about why cats can't really handle essential oils--and when they say handle they mean not only skin contact but inhalation--as that is essentially taking the oil into their system. i guess i just don't know how wary to be...it's all well and good to do research...and i will continue to do so...but i don't have a background in cat health...whatever research i do i'm not going to fully understand the inner workings of a cat's make-up...so it's hard then to make an educated decision...it's like from my uneducated perspective both sides make sense...reading this stuff below makes sense but i have to totally take a leap of faith that this science stuff about cat's physio-make- up is right...b/c i don't know!! i'm not at all trying to be snarky and i appreciate all comments on this...i'm just trying to talk my way through my confusion lol. luv laura My response to why cats may be more sensitive to toxicity/adverse effects from essential oils: Generally essential oils and hydrosols* have terpenes (along with other things) in them(terpenes are hydrocarbons of plant origin). Terpenes are rapidly absorbed orally and dermally and are metabolized in the liver. The metabolites of terpenes are conjugated with glucuronic acid (glucuronidation) and glycine depending on the type of terpene and animal species involved. The conjugated metabolites are usually more water soluble and are easily excreted through the kidney and feces. Why Cats Can't Metabolize Essential Oils: Cats are known to be deficient in their ability to eliminate compounds through hepatic glucuronidation (they lack enzyme glucuronyl tranferases). Glucuronidation is an important detoxification mechanism present in most animals except cats. Lack of this important detoxification mechanism in cats may result in slower elimination and thus build up of the toxic metabolites in the body causing toxicity. herbal remedies , Elizabeth@w... wrote: > Here is a safety warning on safety and cats from another aromatherapy > website that I agree with: > > Aromatherapy, Essential Oils, and Cats > > There is a lot of information online about not using essential oils with > cats or even diffusing essential oils as aromatherapy in the home with > cats around. > > For this reason, we offer this link > http://www.thelavendercat.com/generic.html?pid=10 > to find the details of this information. We have personally used > essential oils with our cats and many others for many years without > problems, but we have had extensive herbal training. It is very easy to > overdo with essential oils and we do not want any harm to come to any > animal from informational content on our site. > > Essential oils are extremely potent substances even when using for > humans, so use in a small animal, such as a cat, can be dangerous, not > only due to the size and weight, but also considering that cats do not > have the same metabolism for the oils as we do. > > Please be wise and gather more information. > ------------------------- > -------- > > > There is a safe middle ground in my opinion ;-) > > You will find the British point of view to be VERY different and MUCH > more conservative than the American when it comes to safety issues with > HERBS and oils. > > I am a little reluctant to respond as Persian's post was so adamant > (which is FINE- I respect that- I simply disagree with the intensity of > the warning) and I don't want to begin a heated debate on the topic at > all. I will give my opinion and you can do your own research and develop > your own point of view. > > I do NOT promote use of essential oils on cats and I do not suggest > others use them either- without seeking the care of a qualified > practitioner- on the skin or internally. > I do not promote the use of essential oils directly on cats. Their > systems probably can not process them (in quantity) efficiently, and > they have extremely sensitive skin. Some oils are MUCH safer than others > and dilution is also a factor. It's FINE to warn people to be cautious > and to avoid practices that are questionable. > > I would not hesitate to diffuse essential oils in an environment AROUND > a cat who moves freely. Keeping a cat in a small closed room with a > diffuser going around the clock with strong oils- would be ill advised. > > I have a home that is free (as can be) from toxic chemicals. I make all > my own cleaning products- all contain appropriate amounts of essential > oils. I diffuse essential oils in my home and office where the cat is > free to roam. I produce all my products and store and use many pounds of > essential oils in my business. I would say this is an exceedingly safe > place for my cat! > > I also have a non vaccinated ORGANIC only 100% since weaning raw meat > and bones- with other nutrients, herbs and vegetables cat. Incredibly > healthy animal. > In Australia I know a wonderful distiller of organic Tea Tree who has > used this oil on all his cats for generations- incredibly healthy > animals- never an issue with the liver- never. > > There is no actual evidence that diffusing essential oils where cats > live/ roam is dangerous or toxic. And....essential oils have been used > safely around cats for a long, long time without incident. I say- use > common sense and do your own research...and do what you think is right. > > > Elizabeth > > > On Tuesday, September 16, 2003, at 08:14 AM, laura_e25 wrote: > > > wow now that this comes up i have heard the dangers of essential oils > > for cats...can someone else speak about this...does anyone have cats > > that uses e.o. and if so how do you go about this? i keep my cats > > out of my bedroom (i have three). is the toxic effect so much so > > that i shouldn't even use e.o. in my bedroom...or maybe this would be > > the way to get around it. and how careful does one have to be...if > > you make candles with e.o. for instance and then burn them would this > > be dangerous. i feel like i'm rambling so am just going to ask that > > anyone who knows about this chime in!! i was so excited about the > > prospect of getting more familiar with e.o.s but don't want to in any > > way cause harm to my little ones! > > luv laura > > > > > > > > herbal remedies , Persian <persian13@i...> > > wrote: > > > Hi all > > > > > > On Mon, Sep 15, 2003 at 12:06:22 -0500, Elizabeth@w... wrote: > > > > > > > > 1. A well made nebulizing diffuser retails generally around $90- > > $110 > > > > > > > > 2. Using essential oils in the over the candle style > > differs/warmers > > > > may make the air smell good and may have some limited therapeutic > > > > effect- but for the most part has little to no therapeutic value. > > The > > > > oil heater method fractionates, oxidizes and produces residues > > that the > > > > nebulizer does not. Nebulization ionizes and naturally suspends > > very > > > > fine oil molecules in the air, making the essential oil more > > > > bio-available. Because the oil particles are so fine they do not > > > > condense and remain in suspension in the air for a longer period. > > This > > > > reduces consumption of essential oils. > > > > > > I just wanted to mention quickly and then get out of here, that you > > should never EVER > > > do the above or use any essential oils with CATS. Essential oils in > > the air and anywhere > > > near them is toxic to cats and can be FATAL. So please no kitties > > with EO's. > > > Thanks > > > > > > Purrrrrsian > > > > > > > > > > > Federal Law requires that we warn you of the following: > > 1. Natural methods can sometimes backfire. > > 2. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before using any natural > > remedy. > > 3. The Constitution guarantees you the right to be your own physician > > and to > > prescribe for your own health. > > We are not medical doctors although MDs are welcome to post here as > > long as > > they behave themselves. > > Any opinions put forth by the list members are exactly that, and any > > person > > following the advice of anyone posting here does so at their own risk. > > It is up to you to educate yourself. By accepting advice or products > > from list members, you are agreeing to > > be fully responsible for your own health, and hold the List Owner and > > members free of any liability. > > > > Dr. Ian Shillington > > Doctor of Naturopathy > > Dr.IanShillington@G... > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2003 Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 Hi, On Tue, Sep 16, 2003 at 09:27:34 -0500, Elizabeth wrote: > Here is a safety warning on safety and cats from another aromatherapy > website that I agree with: > Aromatherapy, Essential Oils, and Cats > There is a lot of information online about not using essential oils > with cats or even diffusing essential oils as aromatherapy in the home > with cats around. > > Essential oils are extremely potent substances even when using for > humans, so use in a small animal, such as a cat, can be dangerous, not > only due to the size and weight, but also considering that cats do not > have the same metabolism for the oils as we do. I have also learned that cats are unable to metabolise essential oils and further down I just include 2 parts of articles about it from my files. I don't have any links , sorry. > > There is a safe middle ground in my opinion ;-) > Why would anyone want to find safe middle ground? If there is any danger of causing illness to a cat why would anyone think of taking the risk? If it was suddenly proven that kids under 5 could not metabolise EO's would anyone then be looking for safe middle ground? Would they be saying oh well a few hours of EO diffusion will be OK? I think not. I don't think anyone can change the physiology of cats, so the facts remain. > In Australia I know a wonderful distiller of organic Tea Tree who has > used this oil on all his cats for generations- incredibly healthy > animals- never an issue with the liver- never. > Well I dont have any scientific evidence, I have just gathered a lot of info after 2 years in one of the cat-raw-feeding groups, and they are adamant that EO's are toxic to cats and tea tree is supposed to be one of the worst for cats, and their research says never ever use Tea Tree oil on a cat! I don't think I would want to use it on a cat for any reason whatsoever, what could be the justification for using a product on a member of your family after you have heard it is highly toxic? > There is no actual evidence that diffusing essential oils where cats > live/ roam is dangerous or toxic. And....essential oils have been used > safely around cats for a long, long time without incident. I say- use > common sense and do your own research...and do what you think is right. > I believe there is actual evidence, and when I get more time I will have a scout around for more. Here is a small clip from an article :- --------------------------- Essential Oil Safety & Cats By Sue Martin Please be wary of any animal practitioner or supplier of essential oils claiming that their products or techniques are completely safe to use with cats: the statement is both inaccurate and unsafe. No matter what their claims say, nothing will change the unique physiology of a cat. Generally, essential oils consist of hydrocarbons or monofunctional compounds from mono-and sesqui-terpenes, together phenylpropanoids and other volatile aliphatic and aromatic substances. Many terpenoids are rapidly absorbed orally and dermally by the cat's system and are metabolized in the liver. Due to their volatile nature, inhalation of essential oil components is also possible, and these enter the bloodstream via the lungs, also to be metabolized in the liver. The terpenoids and their metabolites are often conjugated with glucuronic acid (glucuronidation) and glycine depending on the type of terpenoid and animal species involved. The conjugated metabolites are usually more water-soluble and are easily excreted through the kidney and feces. Cats are known to be deficient in their ability to eliminate compounds through hepatic glucuronidation (they lack enzyme glucuronyl tranferases). Glucuronidation is an important detoxification mechanism present in most animals except cats. Lack of this important detoxification mechanism in cats may result in slower elimination and thus build up of the toxic metabolites in the body causing toxicity problems. <<<SNIPPED>> Copyrights,Sue Martin 2002 ---------------------- *Aromatherapy and Your Cat* ------ Aromatherapy? No, we're not talking about lighting candles and simmering potpourri for your kitty! Classically, aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils. Essential oils are extracted from the flowers, leaves, stems, roots, seeds and bark of many different plants, and while their most obvious property is that they are aromatic, it is these " oils " which act as the plant's immune system- fighting off bacteria, viruses, yeasts, molds, and other insects. But there's a big problem here? and that is that cats cannot tolerate or metabolize essential oils. Their use can lead to symptoms of toxicity or even death. Why can cats not tolerate the oils? There are several reasons. The major one is that they cannot metabolize them the way that dogs or humans can. (they also cannot metabolize certain herbs or allopathic meds, either) This means that they are not efficiently excreted by the body and can build up to toxic levels. Symptoms of toxicity include vomiting, dizziness, clumsiness, lack of appetite and lack of energy. The next one is that cats have very thin, delicate skin. This means that essential oils can be absorbed more rapidly into their skin and enter the bloodstream. Cats also dislike strong odors and generally keep away from strong scents- even highly diluted essential oils. I have run into several instances where cat owners almost killed their cats even by using just one drop of essential oil on their paws or belly, or diffusing them in the area where the litter box was located. Neither the owners or the vets knew what had happened- they just thought it to be a " mystery poisoning " which could not be detected. Luckily, their cats spent several days at the vet receiving fluids, and did not suffer any permanent health problems as a result. I am sure that many instances such as this happen every day, as there are many cat products out there which do contain essential oils. Shampoos, coat sprays, ear cleaners, rechargeable flea collars and herbal dips. Many companies refer to essential oils as " oil " (as in " Clove oil " ) or " herbal oils " . Please read labels carefully and pass on the word about the potential dangers of essential oils for cats- too many people are unaware of the dangers. What is safe, then? A by-product of essential oil production is " hydrosols " (also called " hydrolats " ) Hydrosols are what is left after the essential oils are distilled from plant matter. Basically, the plant matter is put in a still, on top of a mesh screen, and there is water below which is heated to steam. The oil phase of the plant matter is taken from the plant with steam, condensed and moved to another container (this is the essential oil). You are then left with the steam itself- which has passed through the plant matter and is now rich with the water soluble parts of the plant's chemistry. This steam condenses, and you are left with the hydrosol. Kristen Leigh Bell President, Aromaleigh Inc. Holistic Aromatherapy for Canines, Felines and Humans Certified Aromatherapist Member, National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy --------------------------- Persian sorry if this is too long and OT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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