---

Jeg har brukt tea tree på katten på sår og det har leget seg veldig fort.
Katten har ikke vist noen tegn på forgiftning
Fikk vite i gjennom en annen gruppe at eterisk olje var alt for sterkt for
katter på grunn av at metabolismen deres er annerledes enn den som er hos
katter og hunder. Har jeg bare vært heldig. Jeg legger ved artiklen er det
noen av dere som vet noe om
dette.

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.

If you want to use aromatherapy for your cat, hydrosols are your only safe
option. Hydrosols are wonderful because cats CAN tolerate them with no
problems, no toxicity. They can be spritzed on the cat for deodorizing or
flea and tick control, used as ear cleaners or calming agents. They are not
concentrated as EO's are and do not require the careful thought and dilution
which essential oil use does.

Hydrosols are delicately scented, and are excellent for the skin. They have
strong anti-inflammatory properties due to high levels of carboxyl