Will tea tree oil hurt my kitty?
 

I have heard that tea tree oil is very bad for cats and can contribute to liver failure, etc. I was just wondering the quantity that would harm a cat and how they must be exposed to it to harm them (skin contact, orally, or both?).

I am not planning on using tea tree oil directly on my cat of course, but I use it on my face to treat acne about twice a day. She isn't much of a face licker but I use it before I go to bed so I'm worried about it maybe transferring onto my pillow and coming into contact with her.

Would that be enough to harm my kitty? Tea tree oil is that only product that I have found which actually makes a difference with acne, but I don't want to cause my cute little girl to get liver failure! Is that a possibility? or is that such an insignificant amount that it wouldn't affect her?

Google it up, ask poison control, contact the company that makes it.

While tea tree oil has benefits for many, human and animal, it is basically turpentine and can have adverse reactions used as a topical let alone swallowed.

[url]http://www.poison.org/poisonpost/winter2010/teatreeoil.htm[/url]