What cat-safe cleaners can I use for my cat's house and eating area?

Most household cleaning products are fine to use around your cat. There is no serious harm here if you are using products and then allowing them to airdry. The main concern is that some aerosolized cleaning products can cause irritation of your cats airway in some cases. However, most of these products will also cause you discomfort as well, so use your best judgement here. In most situations if you can handle exposure to the product, then so can your pet. As far as ingesting products go, you just have to make sure not to leave out any buckets of cleaner that your cat could potentially get into, and you are basically covered here as well. If you are still a bit worried about your pet, you can also switch all your household products to more organic cleaning products such as Green Works or the Mrs. Meyers products, which are derived from 98% natural products. I hope that this helps! Best of luck with your kitty and safe cleaning practices. Take care.

I would not recommend using essential oils, cats are very sensitive to them and certain ones are highly toxic. I will be honest, I don't use a special cleaner in my home as a vet. I just don't let my animals into the clean area until it's completely dried, and I have never had an issue. Brands I use in New Zealand are likely different from ones you can get in the US, but even the cleaners you get at the grocery store are safe to use around your cat. Just don't let George in the area until it's completely dried. I hope this helps!

I would suspect the citrus oil could be irritating to a cats upper respiratory tract. With sensitive animals around using a vinegar and water solution is always a safe bet. Another suggestion would be to keep Melcho in a different area of the house while cleaning and allow him back in once everything has dried and the fumes have mostly dissipated. A bit depends on what type of allergic reaction he was having, if it's respiratory you want to avoid compounds with strong perfumes or fumes. Cats seem particularly sensitive to the Pine-Sol and Lysol type products. If it was more of a contact reaction to touching the cleaners then typically waiting till the area is completely dry may be safe. But in general vinegar and water solutions are very safe to use around cats and you should not need to remove him from the area you're working in. I hope this helps, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

As long as you thoroughly rinse the rugs after they are washed, there shouldn't be a problem with any residue from the cleaner. If you can find a soap/shampoo called Orvus in your area, or order it online, that should be a safe, effective cleaner. I have used it myself to bathe horses, so it shouldn't be a problem using it to clean rugs for your cats to lie on.

Yes, it is absolutely fine to continue using your normal household cleaners - Lysol included - as long as Frankie does not directly inhale or ingest any of these substances. Rinsing his litter box with dish soap after spraying with Lysol is also okay. :-)

Most of the floor cleaners used nowadays are not heavily toxic and if your kitty just licked a small amount off his feet he shouldn't have any long term effects. Occasionally we may see some stomach upset or irritation to the mouth. I would offer him some food and just monitor him for vomiting and excessive drooling. If you notice any abnormal behaviors then you can bring him in for an exam. As I said, most floor cleaners will dry quickly and won't be harmful unless the pet is licking large volumes up, but if you want to be extra cautious you can mix vinegar with water to make a cleaning solution (though you can't use this on wood floors).

Hello. You can never go wrong with dilute bleach. One (1) part bleach to nine (9) parts water is effective for just about all viruses & bacteria. Wipe the entire cage down with the dilute bleach, let things sit for about 5-10 minutes & then just wipe dry. No need to rinse. Either replace the litter box with a new one or soak it in the bleach water along with all bowls & dishes. The dishes should be rinsed with water before drying. New bedding will kept your kitten healthy & safe. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.