I once got into a heated discussion with someone after mentioning that I used Vicks Vaposteam in my vaporizer. This person flat out told me that the eucalyptus oil in Vicks would kill the kittens. And sure enough, many people jumped in and talked about the horrors of eucalyptus oil. This encounter is one of the reasons I implore everyone not to believe anything you find on social media no matter how convincing or knowledgeable the person seems.
I could easily point to hundreds of cats and kittens that were exposed to Vicks Vaposteam in my home without any ill effects. But I want to explain why I decided to use it and why I encourage others. Then, you can make up your own mind based on evidence and not my say so.
Eucalyptus Oil may be toxic in large doses, but not small doses.
Very little scientific research exists on the use of essential oils on cats. Most of the information is purely antidotal stories. And it seems that the idea that eucalyptus oil is toxic comes from a story about a woman who used pure eucalyptus oil in a diffuser.
The use or essential oils with cats is problematic because there is very little scientific research and a lot of antidotal stories. Nevermore so than with Eucalpytus oil. In all my research, I was only able to find one story which was about a woman who used the oil in a diffuser. But even in that story, the cat didn’t die.
The ASPCA says it best “The answer, as we so often see, is slightly more complicated than a simple “yes” or “no” since there are various factors that come into play.”
So Eucalyptus could be toxic in high concentrations, and Vicks Vaposteam does not have a high concentration.
Vicks Vaposteam has a small amount of Eucalyptus Oil.
After a lot of research, I was unable to determine how much Eucalytpus oil is in Vicks Vaposteam. The label states that it is 78% Alcohol and 6.2% camphor. The remaining 15.8% contains Cedarleaf Oil; Eucalyptus Oil; Laureth-7; Menthol; Nutmeg Oil; Poloxamer 124; and Silicone.
I was able to determine that similar Vicks products contain 1.2% Eucalyptus oil, so I think based on all this it’s safe to assume that at most, Vicks Vaposteam contains no more than 2% Eucalpytus oil, but probably closer to 1%.
That’s an incredibly small amount.
The Amount of Essential Oil is Key.
Most of the veterinary literature I’ve found on the dangers of essential oils to cats talks about toxicity over time due to feline livers not being able to break it down (or something to that nature). But as the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association explains, “There is mixed opinion on the use of vaporized or aerosolized essential oils. While the risk of acute toxicity is low with inhaled oils at low concentrations, some people believe there is the possibility of long-term cumulative damage that may increase the risk of liver and lung diseases. Others believe this risk is insignificantly low.”
And when we’re talking about using Vicks Vaposteam, we are talking about using it for two weeks at most.
The Benefits Far Outweigh the Risks
I once asked an exceptionally good vet about this and she said “Use it. Getting the kitten to breathe is more important than the small risk of a possible side effect.” That was 5 years ago. I’ve used Vicks Vaposteam hundreds of times. I’ve never had one issue. I’ve also used a few drops in nebulizers. It works. It works very well.
And I’ve not had one issue that suggests it is having a toxic effect on the kittens. I always make sure I add it to the water (not the little cups on the top). I’ve used it around kittens just a few days old.
How I Use It
I use it consistently in my vaporizers. I make sure to put it in the water, not in the cups on top of the device. I’ve also used it in my nebulizer. Never more than 3-4 drops, 2x a day.
I’ve never had one kitten or cat have a reaction to it. I will say that the first time I used it in the nebulizer was a kitten who was severely ill. He developed a URI on top of having panleukopenia. Two of his siblings had died, from panleuk not the URI. I’d been force feeding him and trying to drag him along for a week. Finally, I was desperate and decided to try it. I immediately saw an improvement and his appetite improved. The kitten, who I named Miracle, is one of my favorite stories.