Holiday Aromatics

Are They Naughty or Nice?

- Susan Cook Henry

Ah, the Holidays! The colorful sights, the familiar music, the feel of the crisp air, the taste of some of your favorite foods, and the variety of aromas filling the shops and homes you visit ... all a feast for the senses. Our feline friends have plenty to keep them busy while greeting guests at festive gatherings, grabbing a bite of a wayward appetizer, finding their own joy in exploring Christmas trees and all the ornaments or toppling a menorah. But what about that fresh balsam pine scent emanating from your oil diffuser, or the variety of timely aromas from your new candles, or the delightful cranberry tart scent from those plug-in air fresheners? They may be a joy to you, but are they good for your cats?

Oil Diffusers

The use of oil diffusers in the home has become very popular, as some oils are tagged as “essential” in holistically improving health and well-being as “complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).”1 Some oils are absorbed through the skin, while others can be inhaled via microdroplets. Diffusers come in two types: passive and active. Passive diffusers include those using reeds in an oil-filled container, heat diffusers (including any plug-in types which evaporate oils or potpourri tanks), non-motorized personal evaporative diffusers (such as pendants and bracelets) which use room air currents to diffuse the aroma, and motorized diffusers which use a fan to blow air over a filter or pad permeated with an essential oil. Active essential oil diffusers are more recent to the market, which release not only pleasant aromas, but also actual oil droplets into the air. These diffusers operate by nebulizer and ultrasonic means.2