Teatree Oil toxic to cats?

[Mark]

hi, i work for a health food company and we sell tea tree oil we also sell dog shampoo which i know contains tea tree  i don't think its harmful to animals but like us humans it would be if injested i hope this helps

I think a lot of things that are fine for dogs are a problem for cats. I read that teatree amongst other oils contains phenols which cats are unable to break down as they don't have the enzymes. A build up in the system can be fatal.

[reneemaaa]

I don't know about cats but I'm allergic to the damn stuff. They seem to put it in half the bleedin' bath products too!

[furballmom]

hi, i work for a health food company and we sell tea tree oil we also sell dog shampoo which i know contains tea tree  i don't think its harmful to animals but like us humans it would be if injested i hope this helps

[blackcat]

teatree, being an Australian native, is quite possibly not good for cats as it evolved on a continent that did not have a cat population until our mob arrived there. Is is a strong antiseptice and really good all-round thing to have in the medicine cabinet, but I would use it with caution around cats and dogs (which did not arrive in OZ until around 5000 years ago). So, my advice?? for what it's worth, keep clear of topical or internal applications because kitties being kitties, topical=internal

[Team Svartalfheims]

I'd wondered about something similar Mark as I'd seen these things called Dermoscent essential 6 for cats that you apply to the back of the neck once a week to help improve skin and coat but it contains tea tree so I was a bit concerned about whether or not it would be safe. I emailed the company and got a reply saying it is hypoallergenic and non toxic but not to use it in pregnant or lactating females or kittens under 3 months of age and never to use it more than once a week so I guess tea tree is safe in carefully worked out doses.

[Gillian Harvey]

I've heard of cats dying from have tea tree products used on them, admittedly one of the products was an animal toothpaste, which means the cat may have ingested some of it, and I guess its likely, with a skin product, that a cat could ingest that too.

[Millys Mum]

Tea tree is like Aloe Vera, some resources says its fine to use others say its toxic   

[Mark]

I would have thought being an excema treatment, it would be used long-term.

[Desley (booktigger)]

it is supposed to be, but there are pet products that contain it. Last time it came up (might have been on CC rather than here), someone said it is the kind of thing that they dont always get rid of, so can build up in their system, so you could use it for months before it causes a problem.

[Mark]

I read recently that teatree oil is toxic to cats as they don't have the enzyme to break it down. I was in Wilkinsons yesterday and saw a pet excema treatment that has a high % of teatree oil in. I can't remember the name (Its something like exmagone ) but it says "imported by seven seas" on the container. It has a picture of a cat and a dog on the container.

Any ideas?