Tea Tree Oil

I am pretty sure that tea tree oil is very toxic to cats

I googled to be sure and found this link..
http://www.tea-tree-oil-use.com/pets.htm

I used to use essential oils in my soaps and candles and had some around. I put some lemongrass oil in my completely full huge bath tub a couple of months ago and hopped in. I immediately started burning everywhere the water was touching.

It was so bad I thought I had an emergency room trip coming. I jumped in the shower and started washing off with dial soap about four times before the burning stopped. The essential oils are not to be fooled around with.

Tea tree oil is not good for cats, as posted above. I learned this when learning about safe cleaning stuff to use around my kittens. I was going to use some teeny tiny amount of tea tree oil in with the safe spray but no. Can't do that.

I wouldn't use tea tree oil on my cats, either. I use it in my humidifier in the winter to kill bacteria; I can't imagine what it might do a an animal's skin.

Plus it smells horrible.

I would be careful with over the counter flea meds too, many are toxic and can kill cats cats or make them very sick. If not immediately then after continued use.

Tea tree oil is very toxic to cats. Your best bet for flea control is to contact your vet and get some Revolution or similar product.

I agree, tea tree oil is too dangerous to use on cats. It can be a problem for dogs, too. Personally, I use Frontline. According to all I've read, it's the safest flea treatment around.

I like Revolution since it guards against fleas and heartworm and my very allergic cat Gizmo has had absolutely no side effects from it.

One of my cats died from exposure to tea tree oil. The groomer used the wrong shampoo in the bath. Bad stuff!

How awful! I have heard that tea tree oil is poisonous to cats.

Are there other essential oils that one should avoid? I've gotten rid of all the scented candles I used to love, all the plants in the house are edible (by cats anyway), and I use lavender spray as a deodorizer in the bathroom (Gizmo likes it, and lilac too.)

What scents and oils, other than tea trea, are dangerous to cats?

[QUOI like Revolution since it guards against fleas and heartworm and my very allergic cat Gizmo has had absolutely no side effects from it.
TE][/quote]

I used Revolution for years, only 2 or 3 times a year; when I used it a couple of months ago, 2 of the 3 cats I used it on had a bad reaction (1 stopped eating for 4 days, the other vomited phlegm for 4 days). I wonder if it's possible to get a bad batch? My vet recommended putting it on over a period of a couple of days instead of all at once. I don't know whether to try it that way next time, or switch brands entirely.

Essential oils, period, are bad for cats. If you must keep them in your home, keep them as you would cleaning products, well out of reach, locked if possible. And never put them on your cat, or yourself if you'll be touching the cat. Tea tree oil happens to be one of the worst. They do not have the capacity to metabolize (process) the oil and it becomes toxic very quickly at very low levels to cats, whereas to us it is not usually a bad reaction in small quantities as we are capable of metabolizing it.

Although over-the-counter flea treatments can be just as deadly in different ways.

The absolute, and always, best way to deal with fleas will be a prescription from your vet. You'll find differing opinions on which prescription flea med is the best, but nobody will argue that OTC ones are okay.

I agree completely with Zissou. Using OTC flea medications is like playing Russian Roulette IMO. Get your flea medication from a vet and you'll get the right kind and in the proper dosage for your cat's age and weight.

I get Revolution from my vet; it is not available over the counter. As sometimes happens with drugs, some cats might have a bad reaction.
My cat cannot take Prednizone, which gave her terrible diarrhea. Other cats do fine.
I guess it al ldepends on the cat.

When I was in school for massage therapy, we had a short course on arometherapy, and our teacher, a fellow animal lover, did not feel she could stress enough that on essential oils should not be used around animals. If I can find my notes from the class, I will post them.