? Catalytic lamp fragrances and cats

Does anyone know if catalytic lamps, or more to the point, the fragrances they use, are safe to use around cats? I know a lot of essential oils are dangerous to cats, but the catalytic lamp fragrances are not the same, they are synthetic. My son gave me a beautiful lamp, but I'm afraid to use it until I know it's safe for my babies.

 

Hi Lucy,

This article about the problems relating to essential oils and danger to cats mentions that they are vulnerable to phenols. I've posted the link in the hope that it might be a springboard for your research.

http://cats.about.com/od/housekeeping/a/aromatherapy.htm




Mogs
.

 

Thanks, Mogs! I know the essential oils can be deadly to cats. These catalytic lamps don't use essential oils, they use synthetic fragrances that I believe have an alcohol base, but I can't find any information, anywhere, about using/not using them if you have pets around. I won't use it until I can make sure it won't have a negative impact on my babies!

 

I wonder whether the customer service department of an old supplier of mine might be able to help you? Ashleigh and Burwood are UK-based and they do a huge range of fragranced products including the catalytic lamps. I always found them to be very knowledgeable about the properties of their product lines. It might be worth your while contacting them to ask whether the catalytic lamps are safe to use around cats. You don't have to tell them where you're located. Here's a link to their website (catalytic lamp page):

http://www.ashleigh-burwood.co.uk/premium-fragrance-lamps.html

Regardless of the carrier for the fragrances, from what I remember of my chemistry most aromatic compounds are organic molecules which contain benzene rings. (Not sure whether that's any help to you.)


Mogs
.

 

Thanks, Mogs I really appreciate the help! I just sent them an email!

 

Be very interested to hear how you get on, Lucy.




Mogs
.

 

I'll post their reply when I hear back from them!

 

Cushty!

 

Hi Mogs. I got an email from their customer service department today, they were very quick to respond, and very pleasant. This is a copy of the content of their email:

Good afternoon Lucy,


Our fragrances contain a mixture of both natural and synthetic fragrance compounds, some essential oils, others not. Without knowing which fragrance it is you have I can’t say for certain whether it has any phenols or benzene rings in it I’m afraid. If you would like me to check the fragrance you have, please let me know which fragrance you have and I will be able to look into this further for you.


We have never received any complaints that our products have ill-effects on animals however, I am unable to comment on the safety of using our products around pets as our products are not tested on animals.


I’m sorry I can’t help you further on this.


Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you need any assistance in the future.

 

I'm so glad you got a speedy response from them, even if the slight subterfuge ( ) meant you couldn't get a more precise answer. They are an absolutely lovely company to deal with and their product range is excellent.


Mogs
.

 

After perusing their website I realized they sell the same fragrance I have, so I thought I might ask them about it, anyway.

Yes, they were lovely to deal with!

 

I came across this link on the Feline CRF group earlier about cats' limitations when it comes to metabolizing drugs and pollutants. It mentions phenolic compounds:

From the article:

"The domestic cat (Felis catus) shows remarkable sensitivity to the adverse effects of phenolic drugs, including acetaminophen and aspirin, as well as structurally-related toxicants found in the diet and environment.

Between- and within- species differences in the capacity to metabolize and eliminate drugs and other xenobiotics from the body are typically substantial, complicating the effective use of drugs, as well as minimizing the ability to predict the adverse consequences of environmental pollutants. Slow metabolic clearance leads to enhanced adverse drug effects and the bioaccumulation of pollutants, while fast metabolic clearance minimizes beneficial drug effects. One extreme of the species difference is the so-called ‘species defect’ of drug metabolism - a drug metabolic pathway that is common to most species, but essentially absent in one (or perhaps only a few) species. Perhaps the best known example of a species defect of drug metabolism is the inability of domestic cats to metabolize drugs and structurally related phenolic compounds by glucuronidation [...] Glucuronidation is catalyzed by the UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), a superfamily of conjugative enzymes predominantly found in the liver that transfer glucuronic acid to a drug (or other chemical compound) yielding a nontoxic, more water soluble, and readily excreted glucuronide metabolite [8]. Slow glucuronidation of acetaminophen [paracetamol] and acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) account for the slow clearance and exquisite sensitivity of cats to the adverse effects of these drugs compared with dogs and most other mammalian species."

Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3065456/


Mogs
.

 

Lol, I read exactly the same article! That's why I don't want to use this if it contains phenol or benzine rings. If the fragrance is dangerous I will just enjoy the pretty bottle!