The reason I love animals so much is that they give off an attitude of happiness, innocence and unconditional love to their people. Our pets are just as happy being a part of our household as we are of having them with us.



But, sometimes we meet and bond with a "crazy" animal!

Example, the cat who runs and hides whenever your best friend visits. Or, the pup who wont go outside if it's raining. Or, what about the dog with separation issues that completely wrecks your house when you're working? Any of these sound familiar?

My two beautiful kitties, Max and Sammie, absolutely love to hang out on our screened in patio. But if the big bad garbage truck comes by, they run inside to hide until it leaves!

Your animals' fears might sound crazy to us, but they are completely real for your animal.

Using essential oils on our animal friends can really help to lessen their stress, in a major way!

Animals have heightened scenes and because of this, they respond very well to the use of essential oils. In the wild, animals know which plants will heal them. But, in captivity, they don't have access to healing plant life. Applying essential oils to our animal friends gives them the ability to heal their ailments and make life (in captivity) more tolerable.

Here are the 3 best essential oils to calm your animal friends:

Peace & Calming, Lavender and Roman Chamomile

These essential oils can be used to support your animal with; fear of rain and thunderstorms, separation anxiety, hyperactivity, trauma/abuse, depression, Illness, trips to the vet's office, grief/loss of another family pet and any other situation that causes great stress for your animal, such as garbage trucks!

Please know that less is more when applying essential oils to animals. Animals are very sensitive.

You should also dilute the essential oils with a carrier oil, such as organic olive oil, found in most grocery stores. The dilution ratio for dogs and horses is 1 part essential oil with 1 part carrier oil. For cats the dilution ratio is 1 part essential oil to 10 parts carrier oil.

Please take caution when using essential oils with cats. Cats are extremely sensitive to essential oils and some essential oils are potentially dangerous for them. These oils include oregano and thyme, which are high in phenols. Cats can't effectively digest phenols because they lack the proper enzymes to digest phenols. Please avoid Peace & Calming with your feline friends as it does contain small amounts of phenols and also citrus oils, which cats don't like. But, Roman chamomile and lavender essential oils are very safe for use on cats.

How to use essential oils on pets:

To calm your dog: Mix together 1 drop of lavender, peace & calming or Roman chamomile essential oil with one drop of organic olive oil. Rub this onto your dogs pads, tips of the ears or through the fur. Apply at any time that your dog is in distress.

To calm your horse: Mix together 1 drop of lavender, peace & calming or Roman chamomile essential oil with one drop of organic olive oil. Rub this onto your horse's cornet bands, tips of the ears or on their muzzle. Apply at any time that your horse is in distress.

To help calm your cat: Mix 1 drop of lavender, Roman chamomile or Peace & Calming essential oil with 10 drops of an organic olive oil. Then, rub this mixture into your cat's pads, ears or on their fur anytime he/she is having anxiety.

By the way, the essential oils in this article are also good for easing your anxieties, too! Dilution is not required on humans. Just apply a drop or two on your wrists, shoulders or behind your ears.

The next time you open a bottle of lavender essential oil, try sharing some with your animal friends! They'll love it!

2008 Christa McCourt