Cross-post from Pets, on cats & cleaning products...

[TygrBright]

Maybe someone in Pets Group has already passed this on, but since I've had cats all my life and JUST found this out, plus verified it (the hard way, unfortunately!), maybe it'll be a helpful bit of information for others.

Phenolic cleaners are somewhat toxic to cats.

Phenolic cleaners are those using pine tar, pine oil, etc. IOW, "Pine-Sol" and its cousins, which I have been using on my floor for years and years until just recently.

My neutered male cat has always had a bad attitude, he's loving (but imperious) with me and my husband but hostile, cranky, and aggressive with just about everybody else. He's also always been touch-sensitive, likes a light pet now and then but reaches the "that's enough, I'm biting you now" threshhold very quickly indeed.

About ten years ago I changed my cleaning regimen to use pine-based cleaners for all my bare floors and Murphy's Oil Soap for woodwork. When the kitty began to slow down, sleep a lot, establish sleeping places far from his previous preferences, I just assumed he was transitioning from "young adult" to "mature." A couple of years ago, when we had an insect infestation during a particularly severe fall/winter season, we really boosted the cleaning regimen. At the time, I made no connection at all with the cat's licking himself bald in spots.

I took him to a vet who said that excessive licking is usually from one or a combination of factors: stress, hormonal imbalance, and/or allergies.

He'd never exhibited allergic symptoms before and there was no identifiable new stress source in his life, so the vet prescribed a very low-dose hormone supplement to be taken for a few weeks. It didn't seem to have much effect, but I was afraid to try anything stronger, so I let it go for awhile and the licking eventually stopped and the fur grew back.

When we moved to our new house at first I cleaned just the same as always, until I received a recommendation from a floor guy to clean our tile floor with just a wet Swiffer treatment for specific soil as needed, plus a weekly mopping with mild vinegar solution to eliminate build-up, scum, and to neutralize the alkali dust that accumulates here. So that's what we did.

In the last few months we've noticed that kitty seems to have a higher energy level (he's more playful than he used to be and does the "cat-town races" thing again, which he'd about given up altogether,) a somewhat mellower attitude to strangers (although not much) and a DEFINITELY improved tolerance for touch... in fact, he's becoming a bit of a love-bunny in some circumstances.

Yesterday I read about phenolic cleaners being toxic to cats, and suddenly the dominoes began to fall. I think the pine cleaner was a constant, low-level irritant that was accumulating, and when we had the insect problem it got acute, which prompted the licking behavior. When we went back to regular cleaning the irritation subsided. And when we stopped using pine cleaner altogether, it went away.

DAMN, I wish I'd known this years ago! Poor kitty... but he's a much happier boy now.

Anyway, I pass it on for what it's worth. Hope it's helpful if any cat person is still using pine cleaners.

regretfully,
Bright

[Warpy]

1. I use them very rarely because *I* can't stand the smell

Otherwise, it's Dr. Bronner's for the floors.

I haven't noticed any behavior changes when I've had to use a phenol cleaner.

I've read that Febreze can be toxic to pets, too, so avoid using it on their bedding.

[TygrBright]

2. I don't think an occasional use would have much effect...

...but over time, regular use would definitely activate the allergic reaction.

Who knew?

My gran always used pine tar soap for cleaning, so it smells "clean" to me. Pine-sol and its cousins, used well diluted, are relatively mild as cleaners go; it always seemed like a better option to me than enzyme- or phosphate-based stuff.

sadly,
Bright

[Warpy]

4. I remember the first drive my parents did through the south

toward Florida. My pop had a sales show in Miami and they were taking his vacation time to drive all over the state and revisit the places they'd gone on their honeymoon.

As soon as we hit southern Virginia, we started noticing this STENCH, strongest in public and hotel restrooms, a definite undercurrent in restaurants putting us off our feed. It was overpowering, caught in the back of your throat, curled the hairs in your nose.

By Georgia, curiosity finally got the better of her and she asked a waitress what that stink in the restroom was. After a laborious attempt at describing just what she was talking about, the waitress finally had the light go on and said "Texize."

That stuff was used all over the south, the cleaning product of choice for every single commerical application. I've never seen the stuff outside the south. I have long been grateful. Even living in NC, I never got used to it.

And that is why I won't use phenol cleansers unless I'm absolutely desperate to disinfect something.

[China_cat]

5. That Febreeze rumor is just that...a rumor.

It's perfectly safe to use around animals.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/febreze.asp

[NMDemDist2]

3. good warning Bright, Mr K is allergic to pine so we don't use it

and I use vinegar ALOT cuz of our hard water around here

[politicat]

6. Is the Murphy's Soap on that list?

I won't use pine-sol or anything with pine scents (pine allergy) but we use the Murphy's on the the floors during the monthly deep mop. (Spot and weekly cleaning is with Target's Method Wood for Good.)

Our cats zoom and zip around the house anyway (they're ON downers for a heart condition and a territoriality issue.... and 13 and 14, so not kittens at all) so if the Murphy's is bothering them, I'm not really seeing it...

[TygrBright]

7. Not that I know of...

...sorry if I was unclear. I was just referring to our cleaning regimen in toto as it were. We have no woodwork at all in our fauxdobe tract home, so I didn't even bring a bottle.

You can check the label, if it says it contains anything with the syllables "phenyl" or "phenol" it's phenolic, otherwise not.

clarificationally,
Bright