Essential oils question

I know by now that essential oils are bad for cats, but today we had a spillage accident in my home with some peppermint oil, and my cat may have been exposed to undiluted oil. I had wiped it off of the floor but not cleaned the floor when I came back in the room to find him snuffling, possibly licking the area where the spill had been. He managed to inhale pretty deepy, enough to recoil with a nasty expression on his face, from the piece of furniture I spilled it on, too (and have been trying to clean for the last two hours).

I telephoned the vet, and the advice thus far is "keep an eye on him," and I also cleaned his nose, mouth and paws off with gentle dishwashing liquid and a damp cloth. He hasn't shown any problems yet, and has both eaten and drunk water, so for now I am on paranoid watch to see if I need to hurry him into the vet.

So, my question is this: in some other questions on this forum, I have seen some folks chime in saying that they've had a cat who suffered essential oils poisoning, even died from it. Most of them seem to be tea tree oil, no peppermint, but I assume the effects might be similar. What should I be looking for, in terms of symptoms, and when should I pull the trigger on bringing him into the vet? On the phone the only thing mentioned was difficulty breathing, but in other places I've seen uncoordinated movement, vomiting, and lethargy also mentioned. I would be very appreciative if I could hear something from someone who has either had the experience or knows a little more specifically what to watch out for - just so I can be rigorous in my worried study of the cat.

Thanks for any help!!

Welcome to TCS, Pashoo! 

It sounds unlikely that he ingested any.  If he recoiled from the strong scent I'm wondering whether he would have actually licked where it was and even if he had, it would have he would only have ingested a tiny amount.

But you do need to be really careful with peppermint oil . It is one of the big no-nos for cats and must not be ingested (in larger amounts than it seems is the case with your boy), although it's fine for him to smell it.

There are all sorts of things that is causes, from gastro-intestinal to nerve problems, so you would be looking out for any discomfort or unusual behaviour.

As the vet says, be vigilant. But he or she would have you in there quick smart if they were very concerned.  And you've taken great care.

Thank you for the reply! It's helping me not to panic too much. Mostly, so far, he seems a) annoyed that I'm constantly peering at him, and b) very disgruntled at having discovered that The Comfy Chair (which I spilt the oil on) has disappeared behind a locked door for further cleaning and airing. I pray that an irritated cat is the worst I'll get out of this.

Thank you for being concerned and taking the necessary steps to clean up the peppermint oil and the cat in a timely manner. Symptoms of essential oil poisoning in cats can range from acute (vomiting, drooling, lethargy, confusion, dizziness) to chronic  (digestive imbalances, seizures, convulsions, twitching, other neurological disorders).

If toxic poisoning is, in fact, suspected, a blood test would show elevated liver enzymes since the liver cannot break down and excrete certain chemical compounds in essential oils.

I think it is best practice to keep all essential oils away from pets, but especially those containing salycilates, phenols, ketones, monoterpenes and d-limonene.

Pashoo said:

Thank you for the reply! It's helping me not to panic too much. Mostly, so far, he seems a) annoyed that I'm constantly peering at him, and b) very disgruntled at having discovered that The Comfy Chair (which I spilt the oil on) has disappeared behind a locked door for further cleaning and airing. I pray that an irritated cat is the worst I'll get out of this.

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       I can just picture it.. that "For heavens sake, what is the matter??" look.

Well, over 24 hours in and things look ok: healthy appetite, drinking well, and only normal levels of lethargy for a lazy old man. According to what the vet said yesterday, I guess can stop worrying about acute-onset systems now and just make sure he doesn't show any signs of liver damage down the line. Though, since he's due for a checkup soon anyway, might it be useful to have a blood screening, just in case?

Thanks again for the replies and reassurance!

Yes, I think you (and he) are in the clear! Take a deep breathe, go give him a big hug and kiss, and stop hovering. Lol.

If he's having his annual exam, I think it's always good to have a transitional age panel done for older cats at least once a year. It can help catch things early on that creep up in older cats.

I'm pretty sure liver damage would only occur after prolonged exposure, and more so if ingested. The chemical compounds of the essential oils would have to build up in the cat's system first before any elevated liver enzymes would show. It sounds your cat only had a chance to take a whiff before you caught him.