Sazure (Us) on 08/05/2018:
Warnings on Tea Tree Oil and other related products - for cats.
Warning:
Using Tea Tree Oil topically on a cat.
Tea tree oil, which contains phenols (as does its neighbor, turpentine! ) is very toxic to cats because they do not possess the enzymes to metabolize it, so it is stored in the liver and can cause irreparable damage over time.
Most veterinarian medicines are prohibitively expensive, harmful or outright poisons. If health is a business, let the buyer beware. However, I would see a vet just to determine if the cat has also an ear infection as well as ear mites. Antibiotics have a long-term damaging effect on the body and some cats do not recover well at all.
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Jillyan (Cleveland, OH) on 09/27/2006:
Warning
I have for years used tea tree oil as a cure-all for skin ailments as well as wounds. I foolishly thought that tea tree oil would be a good preparation for my cat's ears that were scratched raw from ear mites. It seemed to help the skin, BUT I found out a few days ago (check any website!) that tea tree oil, which contains phenols (as does its neighbor, turpentine!) is very toxic to cats because they do not possess the enzymes to metabolize it, so it is stored in the liver, and can cause irreparable damage over time. I was SO shocked by this, I thought all cat guardians fond of "organic" and "natural" remedies should be made aware of the toxicity to cats of tea tree oil. Great for humans, DEADLY for cats! Thanks & best wishes.
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