I got this question from a regular listener:
Do you know of any spices or oils harmful to cats? I have a Maine Coon cat and he goes crazy when I use the spice cloves and oil, which seems to drive him crazy like catnip. Also do you know if olive, coconut or almond oil in his food or rub on his coat, which seems to be dry and dull. Thank you.
I checked with Dear Sally for some specifics and then forgot that I hadn’t sent it on to you. Forgive me!Sally didn’t know about powdered spices (although the herb valerian is attractive to cats) but we both know that essential oils are no-nos, while hydrosols (by-products of essential oils) are acceptable. The first article mentions clove oil as not recommended. Some good links follow:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/
http://www.holisticat.com/aromatherapy.html
http://www.thelavendercat.com/3201/index.html
Re: the coat issue – what are you feeding him? If it’s dry food, please go right away to my website and read blogs & Q&A’s and get rid of that Kitty Crack right away. As soon as you switch him to wet food you need to add Omega 3 fish oil for his skin and coat and he should be much better in a matter of a week. Cats need the Omega 3 oil from an ANIMAL source – the best brand with purest oil is Nordic Naturals – read about them on my website. Putting oil ON the cat is useless and just makes a mess. The value of coconut oil is not clear – the fish oil is the only way for the cat’s body to absorb it.
Tracie
