Are lavender candles safe for cats?

Lavender candles are really popular when it comes to the different types of scented candles.

Lighting a lavender candle regularly can help you relieving stress, improving your sleep quality, and reducing symptoms such as headaches.

However, if you are living with cats, the question whether lavender candles are safe for cats should come up before using them. In this article you can read all about the topic.

Key Points - Is Lavender safe for cats ?

 
Lavender Candles and Cats:
• Avoid lavender candles as they contain toxic compounds harmful to cats.
 Scented Candles and Cats:
• Choose lighter scents, use high-quality candles, and ensure proper ventilation.
Safe Essential Oils:
• Opt for cat-friendly oils like frankincense, cedarwood, copaiba, and peppermint, ensuring proper dilution.
Safe Candle Practices:
• Consider unscented candles for safety, never leave an open flame unattended, and follow general safety measures.

Are scented candles safe for cats?

To begin with, let’s see whether scented candles are safe for cats in general. The starting point of the topic is the fact that cats have a lot more powerful and sensitive sense of smell than us.

That’s why a strong smell could be overwhelming or irritating for them. Therefore, you definitely have to choose lighter scents which fade more easily.

Secondly, you should choose more natural and high-quality candles to avoid releasing dangerous chemicals in the air.

It’s also an important aspect to always provide proper ventilation and leave the doors open so your cat could leave the room if the scent becomes unpleasant. 

Are lavender candles safe for cats?

After the basics, let’s see what you need to know about using lavender candles around your cat.

Unfortunately, the answer is no as the common lavender plant contains compounds which are toxic to cats.

That means that using candles around them which contain lavender essential oil is definitely not a good choice.

Even though lower level of lavender is not necessarily harmful for them, it is better to be safe.

Which essential oils are safe for cats?

As lavender candles are out of the picture, the question is which essential oils are safe for cats.

The list is unfortunately short, but among the safe essential oils, you can find frankincense, cedarwood, copaiba and peppermint.

However, even with the safe choices, it is really important to know and keep in mind that pure and undiluted form they are harmful.

So, you have to be extremely careful that they are properly diluted at the right concentration.

To see the other side as well, it is worth knowing a few common oils which are dangerous to your cat.

Apart from lavender, you should also avoid eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, ylang-ylang, tea tree and lemongrass around your cat.

How to use candles safely around cats?

If you want to be 100% safe, you might opt for unscented candles. It might be the safest choice around your cat to avoid even the milder symptoms.

When it comes to unscented candles, you still have to take a few things into consideration.

Obviously, never leave an open flame unattended when you have a cat around.

Not only is it dangerous for your cat, but them knocking the candle over accidentally is also a huge fire hazard.

All in all, while lavender might not be your best option around cats, you still have a few options when it comes to lighting scented candles in your home.

As long as you keep in mind all the safety measurements, both you and your cat will be fine.