Concerned for our furry friends: Does burning incense around our pets cause them harm?
This is a question we get asked over and over; is it safe to burn incense around our pets? And we get it - our pets are often our closest companions and we would never want to do anything to endanger or upset them. We’ve all referred to them as our fur babies, much to the dismay of people who have actual babies, but it’s because we care about them so much and we know their well being depends largely on us as their caretakers.
The short answer is no, it’s not bad for our pets and it is completely safe to burn in the presence of our cats, dogs, rats and rabbits etc. Burning incense is as safe for our furry friends as it is for us.
Every pet is unique
Now, having said that - every pet is different. Anyone with a pet knows that they have unique personalities and individual quirks. Some pets may have sensitivities to certain things and be predisposed to respritory issues - the same way we humans do. And when it comes down to it, some pets may simply not like it.
You may see them go on alert and sniff and sniff before moving away, if they move away they may be trying to tell you something. Do they raise their little furry heads, ears and nose twitching and lay back down? I’d say they notice it, but it’s not bothering them in any way. Pay attention to how they behave around it and follow their cues - they will let you know if they don’t like it.
A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.
- Ernest Hemingway
Quark's Quirks
We at Floré are cat people and we have a combined 4 cats between the 2 of us. And as incense is a huge part of our life, we are burning incense constantly - for enjoyment, for ritual, for creation and testing of new fragrances and for quality control. I (Kayte) can say that after burning a copious amount of incense of all fragrance profiles that my baby, Quark, doesn’t like Patchouli.
Quark is a quirky little dude but he is incredibly easy going and chill. He will sit under a faucet of running water like it’s nothing. We have even given him baths with no resisting. He loves to be picked up and is insanely curious, but if I light something with Patchouli in it, he is nowhere to be found. For this reason, I don’t burn anything that contains Patchouli in my home. I miss Protection (so much, a personal favorite), but I get to enjoy it in other ways at work and I will sometimes leave a stick dry in a burner as that’s not something that bothers anyone in my household.
Written by Kayte
