My cat ate pine oil—what should I do?

Updated 2026-09-30 · 1 sources

Based on: Pet Poison Helpline

Call a vet now

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet right now. Pine oil is highly toxic when ingested, and cats are especially sensitive to it.

What to do now

What to do right now

  1. Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet.
  2. Note what your cat ate, how much, and when.
  3. Bring the packaging.
  4. Keep your cat calm.
  5. Remove any pine oil that is left.

Don't

  • Do not make your cat vomit unless a vet tells you to.
  • Do not give any human medicine.

Why it can be dangerous

Pine oil is highly toxic when ingested.[1] Cats are especially sensitive to pine oil.[1] Small volumes of concentrated pine oil can cause severe gastrointestinal injury.[1]

Signs to watch for

  • Vomiting
  • Low blood pressure
  • Death

Where it is found

  • Pine (Pinus spp.) trees
If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

OkPaw asks a few quick questions about your pet and tells you in 30 seconds whether it can wait. Free on Google Play for Android.

Get it on Google Play

OkPaw is on Android now – an iPhone version is on its way.

Common questions

How much pine oil is dangerous?

Even a small volume of concentrated pine oil can cause severe gastrointestinal injury.[1]

Which signs should I watch for?

Vomiting is a possible sign.[1]

Sources

  1. Pet Poison Helpline

How this page was made: written with the help of AI from the sources below, then checked claim by claim against those sources. Urgency levels follow OkPaw’s fixed safety rules. It is guidance, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages

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