Us omnivores and herbivores have had a lot more evolutionary adaptation and experience dealing with these compounds, which in essence are natural pesticides to thwart herbivory. Others, the flower scents, are used to lure pollinators to flowers. Mainly these compounds are targeting insect herbivores and pollinators, but mammalian herbivores have had to contend with these phytochemicals for a long evolutionary time as well, to the point where they can be therapeutic to us in the proper careful dilutions. Since we have been eating plants for a significant part of our evolution, our livers have developed complex processes to deal with these poisons/medicines. While there are a very few exceptions to this major biological difference, I steer far away from any essential oil direct-contact products for cats, dogs, and other mainly carnivorous pets.
Our herbivorous pets, domesticated food and labor beasts, and wild herbivores and omnivores would need to be considered on species by species basis. For example, wild primates who take ill have been observed to leave the tribe and diet on plants not ordinary to the menu of their healthy kin.
All of the olfactory cues/medicines for carnivorous animals (and these usually work for omnivores and herbivores as well) are going to be animal scents, like pee, scent glands, and poop. A lot of pet stores are using these sorts of derivatives to train, adjust and comfort dogs and cats. These products are by nature much safer for carnivore pets than plant based products. How acceptable they smell to their human companions will be debatable! For example, the cat's mania for catnip. Cats are not reacting to the essential oils in catnip, which have a very beneficial healing and balancing affect on us humans, but to the water-soluble valerianic acid (same active ingredient as in Valerian root) which in concentrated form smell like really bad stinky socks. In fact, the powerful stinky pungency of valerianic acid IS the stinky smell of feet, and is the compound by which felines (and canines as well) track their prey. This is why dogs and cats often love our shoes and smelly feet! So if we project our response to catnip (relaxation and anti-depression) onto a cat, expecting them to have the same response, we have gotten it very wrong. Instead, we have activated the predator reaction!
That said, it may be that olfactory and non-contact experience of plant compounds could have magickal if not aromatherapy benefit to carnivorous pets, although not much peer-reviewed or even suggestive anecdotal data have been contributed to the discussion. This is an area where we really need to be conscientious of human tendency to project our interpretation of the world and preferences onto our animal companions, and to anthropomorphize their wants and needs.
Peppermint and Pennyroyal are used to drive away pests, including rats and mice, so we should be very careful about what our caged pets are subjected to, since they can't escape the vicinity. Cats also hate almost all minty and citrus smells as well, and thymols, thujones and oreganols are also known to be very hazardous for dogs and cats. Pet's negative reactions must be respected unquestioningly to aromatherapy diffusers, natural herbal incense, herbal pillows, or being petted by their humans who are wearing a properly diluted essential oil blend (by which I do NOT mean get your hands all gobbed and oily with the stuff and petting the cat with greasy aromatherapy hands which the kitty will be obliged to groom away immediately and therefore subject his liver to some strange and poisonous plant compounds). In this way we as evolutionary omnivores have the opportunity to serve as mediums between our Green Allies and our carnivorous Animal Companions. But spiritually, not consumptively, okay?
Right now humans are undergoing a rapid plant-based aromatherapy exploration. We don't really know how much these compounds, and not to mention the varying qualities of the products, do to us, but many of us are enjoying the benefits dramatically. Well-meaning anthropomorphism might lead us to project our benefits onto our animal companions, but I recommend a very cautious and light-handed approach, because at best we might be wasting plant resources to no good effect, and at worst we might be taxing our animals' ability to process plant poisons.
copyright Cedar Stevens
September 2015
