lavender oil...toxic to cats???

I purchased some lavender water oil today from an expo and I googled uses for it..i stumbled over a few sites saying its toxic to cats and a few that said you can rub it in them! Does anyone know if it is toxic??
I got it to spray on my pillow as I dont sleep well BUT 3 out of the 4 cats sleep with us at night (my boy Jinx on my pillow too). My mum has lavender bushes with cats so im not worried about the plant so much but the sites that made me worry were focussing on the essential oils.. please help.

Why would you rub an oil, any oil on your cat?  If your cat seems ill she should be seen by a vet.  This site says that it may be toxic, i wouldn't give my cat anything "medicinal" without the advice of my vet, or very well established procedures that make it clear it is 100% safe.

See http://cats.about.com/od/housekeeping/a/aromatherapy.htm

It looks like you're asking if it is OK to spray on the pillow, not the cat, right?  I've tried lavender on my pillow and while it didn't help me, it didn't seem to hurt my cats.  The problem with essential oils is that they are concentrated, and much like a human baby, cats have a lower surface area to volume ratio and that makes certain substances much more toxic in smaller quantities.  So as soon as I say that your cats will be fine, something like spraying one area of the pillow to much and the cat getting into that will be a problem. 

My cats no longer sleep with me (I have asthma and they couldn't behave, not a good mix with insomnia) and I ended up hating the smell so I don't use oils anymore.

Id NEVER rub it on my cat, I was simply explaining the difference in advice, site to site. As mentioned, I got it for myself to sleep better...not for my cats.
I wanted to use it in the bedroom and on my pillow.
Then I thought hmm..I wonder what else its used for. Thats when I googled it and found all the cat warnings.
Maybe ill bin it and buy a bush..

Ok that wasn't clear in your original post, good that you aren't using it on the cat!

Hi

All essential oils are toxic to cats. Cats are missing some enzymes in their liver that other species have, human, canine, etc. So their liver is not able to handle essential oils. I would skip it as it isn't just a contact to skin type thing the fumes/fragrance can irritate their throat and lungs.

Before people start saying they use essential oils on their cats without a problem. It can also be something that builds up after a while.

There are also all natural products that are sold for cats with essential oils in them. They are also toxic. Read labels. All natural doesn't = safe. Some of the most toxic pestisides are "all natural".

I don't' know that the lavender will help you sleep. You could try better living through chemical therapy? Oh, and don't let them chew on the lavender.

Good that you checked first.

Even humans shouldn't ingest essential oils.  They are intended for topical or aerosol use only.

Different preparation methods bring out different elements from herbs.

Water infusions (steeping teas) are usually the safest for consumption.

Decoctions (boiling herbs) is a method for treating very woody/fiberous herbs and roots.

Then there are alcohol and acidic (vinegar) infusions.  They bring out more elements than water treatments.

Oil treatments bring out the strongest, most volatile elements; which is why they are usually used for topical creams or aerosols.

There are a few herbal oils used for cooking.  The heat from the cooking process changes the chemistry enough to make them ingestible.

To use Lavender EO on your pillow, I would spray it on the pillow itself or a towel under the pillow case.  Have you tried melatonin pills or camomile tea as sleep aids?

Ok thanks all! I never knew any of that! Hmm. I am having throat surgery tomorrow to help with breathing issues..hopefully ill sleep better then. When i lived at hone i use to sleep with some of the flowers in my room and i found it to help. Maybe ill dry it and keep it in a bag out of reach.