Kitty too aggressive?

I have 4 cats: Maggie who is almost 2 years old and siblings, Valentine, Silver and Rose who are 8 months. I adopted them when they were 8 weeks. Maggie would get too aggressive with her play that I was afraid she'd hurt them. At those times, I would take a drop or two of Lavender Oil, rub it into my hands and then stroke it down her back. It worked almost instantly and she would calm down leaving the kitten alone. Lavender is a natural "sedative" which has a calming affect on both people and animals. I only used this a few times and now, if she becomes too aggressive I either wave the bottle under her nose or tell her,
"Have lavender, will use!" Also, lavender will not harm the cat if they clean themselves especially since so very little is used and, as in my case, not often.

I hope this is helpful to someone.

Cat Slave to 4 and lovin' it!!

Thanks for telling us that, my mom loves lavender, so we have a lot. If Blueberry gets too agressive, which is quite often, I'll try some!

I will definitely file that under things to remember. Thank you.

Hi Cat Slave to 4: Welcome to PT! It's a great site to get addicted to. And thanks for the tip. My Max goes after Speckles all the time and the poor girl is constantly being stalked. I'll definitely give it a try. Sharing information. That's what this site is all about. Thanks again.

BTW, do you have any pictures of your furbabies to post??

Thanks for the tip!! I should really look into that, my roommate cat is aggressive towards my two. She growls and hisses and attacks everytime she sees my two cats.

Is the lavender oil pure or does it contain a carrier oil? (a carrier oil is used to dilute the pure oil). I am just asking because lavender in its purest form is quite toxic. I would not be rubbing it on Bastet without a carrier oil in it. I would be afraid that I would poison her when she goes to lick herself clean.

Also lavender is not so good for pregnant women either. Please remember that any kind of plant extract can be absorbed through the skin. Its not just the smell.

I don't want to put a damper on your excellent advice I just don't want people poisoning their kitty's or themselves.

Welcome to Pet Talk and thanks for the advice. :) I'd recommend that before you use lavender oil that you should ask your vet or at least do some research on it. I'd also hate to find out that this was poisonous to your pet.

Hello BasketMum,

Thank you for your input. I appreciate your concern and hope
that I can relieve some of them. Yes, it is the pure oil, However,
since it comes out of the bottle in teeny-tiny drops at a time,
rubbed in hands, not all of it will be transferred to the fur and will
not harm the cat. Wash hands with soap and water. I would not use it on a daily basis or on young kittens. I've used it on Maggie 2-3 times, with long periods inbetween, and now all she has to do is smell it and she knows to settle down. The info was given to me by a friend who is a licensed accupucturist and has Degrees in Chinese medicines and herbs. She told me about the lavender after witnessing several episodes of Maggie being too rough. I, also, asked if it was harmful and she was definite in her answer of "no". She has used it on her own furry friend. I, like
everyone else, would never harm our precious pets. We are their
guardians and they depend, and trust, us to take care of them
and keep them safe.

Also, thanks for mentioning that pregnant women shouldn't
touch the stuff!!

Hello Krazyaboutkatz,

Good advice ( BasketMum mentioned same). As with anything one is unsure about do some checking.

Phew glad to hear it! Thanks for the prompt reply Cat Slave, I just didnt' want someone with a cat that was aggressive to end up accidentally poisoning them.

Lavender is excellent stuff!

Hi there-

Have been doing a little research on botanicals ...do you know if lavendar works to calm scared kitties as much as it does aggresive ones? Either way this info will help cuz Cleo sometimes gets a little rough with Izzy who seems to keep going back for more so I know she's ok but I'd feel better if her sister wasn't quite as rough so this will help :-) Anyway, Izzy is a scared kitty (my thread is the "terrified kitty" one ) so I was wondering if lavendar helped with fear/anxiety.