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My cat inhaled peppermint oil. Is it toxic or harmful to her?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | spayed | 2 years and 4 months old

I poured peppermint oil all over the house to prevent insects from coming in not knowing how harmful it is to cats. My cat is showing no signs but I’m extremely worried because I can’t get the scent out of my house and I don’t know what her inhaling the oil this long will do

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on June 13th, 2018

The biggest problem with essential oils is not the smell, but when the oil gets onto the cat and they lick it off. This can happen when the oil is aerosolized or if it is sprayed or poured and the cat walks through it since they will then lick their paws. So, if you have sprayed or poured the peppermint oil in an area that Luna may walk through, then make sure you wash the area well. The strong smell is mainly a concern if a cat has asthma and is not associated with the toxicity aspect of essential oils. I am attaching a link to more information about essential oils below for your information. http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/blog/essential-oils-cats/ I have used diluted peppermint oil in my house and my cats have not had any problem, but you need to be careful that they do not have any access to it. I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 20th, 2021

    I'm glad to hear that you're cleaning up the peppermint oil. The worst toxic effects from peppermint oil in cats come from them ingesting it or directly inhaling fairly large amounts. The fact that you can smell it in the air means that your cat is still able to inhale a small amount, but odds are slim that this would be problematic. The challenge with most essential oils is that we just don't know how much is too much with respect to toxicity. I think that wiping the oil that you'd applied and opening some windows to air out your home as much as possible should be perfectly fine in terms of keeping your cat safe.

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