The Daily Cat Tips

April 27th, 2009
by Karen Nichols, author The Cat's Meow

  Is your cat going bald inexplicably? Try bathing her with diluted tea tree shampoo. It is a natural flea deterrent, and often works miracles on skin and scalp problems. For your cat’s safety, the product should not contain more than 1% tea tree oil. You should never use it on kittens or on cats who suffer from diabetes, epilepsy, or metabolic or neurological disorders.

Keep in mind that if your cat is losing hair in conjunction with obsessive grooming behavior that’s not a result of fleas or ringworm, it could be indicative of an underlying internal condition. In those situations, your cat should be examined by a vet.

See more Grooming tips
See tips related by keyword:brushing, fur, Grooming, instinct

There are 4 Comments

  1. sandi posted a comment on April 27th, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    Please be careful about tea tree many alternative vets and main stream vets, caution about this, It can have a deadly allergic reaction to cats and dogs.

    Please do your homework

    Remove me from this list
    Sandi R.N
    Shelter Volunteer
    Vet Tech

  2. Nutamu posted a comment on April 29th, 2009 at 6:22 am

    I wonder if sprinkling a little tea tree oil around outside windows (where fleas are coming in from) would keep them at bay as well?

  3. Cynthia posted a comment on April 29th, 2009 at 8:59 am

    Any essential oil is toxic to cats – dogs can use them – cats shouldn’t no matter how diluted. If you have cats, DO NOT use any oils in your house as they can get it on their paws and then ingest it from cleaning their fur.

    I would opt for using diatomaceous earth as a natural alternative to chemicals for any skin/flea issues. It works wonders (just be careful not to let animals breathe it in directly) for pets and house flea issues.

  4. Karen Nichols posted a comment on May 4th, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    Natuma, Tea tree oil (or any essential oil) itself should never be used where animals can ingest it.

    The post recommends a diluted tea tree shampoo, NOT tea tree oil.

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