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Our four-legged friends are often our closest friends, dearest confidents, and give the best cuddles. The unconditional love they bring can bring so much joy to our lives. But what is the effect of our habits on their health?
Many of us love to burn incense in the home, whether it is for spiritual or ritualistic purposes, to help to enhance relaxation and improve sleep, or to cover up some unwanted domestic smells.
In this guide we will be exploring the question: is incense bad for pets, and how can we use incense around our fluffy friends without causing them any harm?
We will focus on the two most common household pets, cats and dogs, but the research here is relevant to almost any animal kept inside the home.
Is Incense Bad for Cats?
Cats have extremely sensitive respiratory systems, meaning direct exposure to smoke can cause irritation in their noses and lungs.
Over time, this can cause long term issues such as cat asthma and other respiratory problems. Using effective ventilation when burning incense in the home can help to alleviate this risk.
Unlike essential oils, which risk transferring onto the cat’s fur and causing all sorts of neurological and digestive issues, as long as the cat is unable to reach the incense to ingest it, incense is a far safer alternative.
Is Incense Bad for Dogs?
Dogs, like cats, have a very effective sense of smell. This means that, while something can smell mild and pleasant to us humans, it can be overwhelming to our furry friends and even cause headaches. For this reason, a well ventilated home is essential.
Poor quality incense is also known to produce all sorts of nasty carcinogenic chemicals when burnt, which can be inhaled by our dogs, so it is absolutely essential to buy high quality, natural incense for burning around the home.
How to Use Incense Safely Around Your Pets
The good news is, humans and animals have co-existed for hundreds of years without these important rituals getting in the way. With just a bit of consideration it is easy and safe to get the best of both worlds. Here are some things to remember:
Burn quality incense. Incense made using high quality, natural ingredients will release smaller amounts of potentially damaging chemicals, making it far safer to use around pets, as well as safer for the humans in the home
Consider an air purifier. If you burn incense regularly around the home, consider investing in a small, low-power air purifier to help to reduce any residual harmful chemicals in the air
Store and burn well out of reach. Cats and dogs have an amazing ability to reach the most difficult places, which can spell disaster if they touch or ingest incense. Store incense in a sealed container, out of reach of your pets, and only burn incense in a different room from your pets, safely disposing of any leftovers before the pet is allowed to re-enter.
Ventilation is key. Keep windows and doors open if burning incense in the same house as animals, giving the room an opportunity to air completely before allowing them to reenter the room.
The Takeaway
With careful consideration and a few key things to remember, there is no reason that burning incense in a home you share with four-legged friends is damaging to their health or happiness.
