Holiday season is approaching and this is the time of year where air freshener sales skyrocket. We all love the smells of pumpkin, apple, pine, etc. permeating our homes. These aromas help put us in the holiday spirit but is it healthy for our cats?
For so many years I was obsessed with making the house smell fresh and homey. Plugins were an easy way to keep the home smelling good, especially when there wasn’t time to clean. When friends were coming over Adrienne would spray Febreeze or some other aerosol air freshener to add a good scent for their entry. We spent quite a lot of money during the holidays on Yankee Candles because I love the holiday smells.
We never knew that all of this was harming our cats.
Studies show that air fresheners are one of the leading causes of asthma and allergies in cats. There have been reports of cats having seizures after breathing in certain essential oils that were being diffused in the home for aroma purposes. And when you think about it, it makes sense.
You see, our cats are much smaller than us and the law of gravity insures that the smoke, sprays and scents fall to the ground. Our kitties walk on these surfaces, absorb those chemicals and even ingest them while grooming. Not to mention that plugins are at eyelevel of our cats so they’re required to breathe them in all day long. Since science is telling us that these air fresheners are not good for humans, imagine how unhealthy they are for our cats.
This doesn’t mean that we don’t have options for good smells though! There are many ways we can still make our homes smell good without harming our kitties. Try boiling some water on the stove and add in cinnamon sticks or cloves. Bake some holiday cookies in the oven. Research cat safe essential oils to diffuse. Or do like we do and just open the windows or use air purifiers.
It often feels like a huge sacrifice to give up your creature comforts, especially during the holidays – but it’s a sacrifice for the greater good of your beloved cats.
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