  |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
Posted by Victoria Anisman-Reiner Aug 4, 2007 |
Most people who use natural and holistic remedies on themselves are open to using them on their pets. In fact, many dog and cat owners who are unwilling to spend the money on organic groceries or holistic treatments for themselves are more than willing to shell out the money to treat their beloved pets' diseases the natural way.
The one exception is aromatherapy. Some pretty horrific stories have been circulating about cats dying after exposure to even a brief whiff of essential oils. So most careful cat owners are putting away the essential oils and foregoing aromatherapy treatments in order to protect their cats' health.
Guess what? Such extreme measures are absolutely unnecessary.
What is needed is some education. Education about the quality of the various essential oils used in treatments. Education about the poisons being put into perfumes and "aromatherapy oils" - no matter what degree of purity their labels may claim - and going into all our bodies (if you're crammed onto a subway car with someone wearing an expensive perfume or cologne, you're being exposed to carcinogens. But forgive my digression. I was talking about pets, wasn't I?).
My cats may not be fond of essential oils, but they're certainly not poisonous.
The oils I use are therapeutic-grade, grown organically (or the equivalent in their country of origin) and produced by the only North American company to have won international recognition for the quality and purity of its oils. And yes, I use them on my cats.
One of my girls has a level 6 heart murmur. She can't be spayed because with her heart defect, an anaesthetic could kill her. Despite the fact that she's a mischievous little imp, I treat her as gently as I can.
When she goes into heat, she sometimes loses bladder control and starts to leave yellow puddles on the kitchen tiles - and I gently apply essential oils to help calm her and to strengthen her bladder and eliminative organs. I take barely a drop (or half a drop where possible) of cypress or lavender, or a calming blend of oils, and rub it right into my hands, then sneak up on her (she's not fond of strong smells) and rub my almost-dry hands onto the fur on her back.
My other cat is prone to eye and nasal infections and the occasional runny nose. She came to me yesterday morning with one eye looking pink, drippy and nearly shut. Two hours after applying lavender oil (from almost-dry hands) to the bottom of her four feet, she was perky and her eye looked normal.
The same essential oils that we use on ourselves or on our children are, for the most part, safe to use on animals - and can be very effective! Please research any oil you intend to use on your cats or other pets. Labelling that claims that oils are "100% organic" or "therapeutic-grade" may be misleading.
For more information, see Do Essential Oils Kill Cats?