Is Incense Safe for Cats? A Comprehensive Guide

Incense sticks are primarily composed of organic phosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids. Many commercially available incense sticks may also include additional ingredients such as lemon eucalyptus leaves and extracts, and mosquito repellent gels. Among these components, polyester compounds are the most costeffective, with higher toxicity levels (the more toxic, the better the mosquitorepelling effect). They are almost universally used as the main ingredients in both incense sticks and electric mosquito repellents.

The variety of polyesters is vast, including pyrethrin, permethrin (also known as Baygon), allethrin, and cypermethrin (also known as Dursban). These are all components recommended by the World Health Organization for use in mosquito repellents.

Therefore, as long as they are used according to instructions, these incense sticks pose little risk to humans. The human liver can metabolize these compounds into nontoxic or lowtoxic substances and excrete them. However, cats lack the ability to excrete these polyesters!

It can be understood that while a small amount of pyrethroids inhaled by humans can be slowly eliminated without causing harm, cats, even with a minimal intake, will have them remain in their bodies, making them difficult to metabolize and clear. This can lead to a series of physiological changes, such as protein denaturation, damage to the central nervous system, organ failure, and even death.

Cat polyester poisoning is similar to the discomfort caused by excessive exposure to mosquito repellents in humans, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe:

Salivation

Loss of balance when walking

Overexcitement, followed by seizures

Vomiting

Loss of appetite

Reducing the use of incense sticks might seem like a solution to balance mosquito control and safety, but it only shifts the cat from acute to chronic poisoning. If a cat's health is already compromised, it could be fatal.

It's important to note that cats have limited abilities to metabolize many toxic substances. While you can use substances containing DEET or lemon eucalyptus oil instead of pyrethroids, cats can still be poisoned if they accidentally ingest these substances.

If a cat exhibits the symptoms mentioned above, pet owners should immediately take them to a veterinarian for emergency treatment. Failure to do so can lead to irreversible harm, kidney failure, and even death in cats. Even the most professional treatment can only provide shortterm relief from the symptoms of poisoning, with longterm detoxification requiring multiple dialysis sessions. The emotional and physical toll on both the cat and the owner is immeasurable.

Therefore, prevention should start at the source:

Be cautious or avoid using items containing pyrethroids, and opt for physical methods of mosquito control, such as using electric bug zappers, mosquito nets, and window screens.

After applying mosquito repellents, wash your hands and maintain a distance from your cat to prevent them from getting the medication on their fur.

In summary, it's crucial to prevent direct contact between cats and mosquito repellents containing polyesters to avoid poisoning.

Tip: Click on "Why Can't Cats Use Mosquito Repellent Incense" to learn more about the reasons why cats should avoid mosquito repellent incense.