My cat ate tea tree 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. Tea tree oil can cause drooling, weakness, liver failure, coma, or death in cats.

What to do now

What to do right now

Call your vet or the nearest emergency vet.
Note what was eaten, how much, and when.
Bring the packaging.
Keep your cat calm.
Remove what 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

Tea tree oil is also known as melaleuca oil and is an essential oil produced from the Australian tea tree plant.^[1] Tea tree oil is available in variable concentrations.^[1] Pet products containing less than 1–2% tea tree oil are generally considered non-toxic when used.^[1]

Signs to watch for

Drooling
Weakness
Liver failure
Coma
Death

Where it is found

Pet products
Shampoos

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.

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

Common questions

What is tea tree oil also called?

Tea tree oil is also called melaleuca oil.^[1]

Can the concentration vary?

Tea tree oil is available in variable concentrations.^[1]

Are low-concentration pet products considered toxic?

Pet products containing less than 1–2% tea tree oil are generally considered non-toxic when used.^[1]

Sources

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