Are neem leaves toxic to dogs or cats?

by Bev
(Winter Park, FL, USA)

A friend of mine has a neem tree in her backyard. She told me that if I dried the neem leaves and put some near the animals' bedding it would help with fleas. But I don't want to do this if neem leaves are toxic - especially to cats.

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Are neem leaves toxic to dogs or cats?

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Neem leaves aren't toxic at all.
by: Birgit

There is no need to be concerned. To use neem leaves that way is totally safe. You can also use neem shampoo, soap and oil products on dogs safely, and on cats with care.

Neem oil is the one you want to be careful with (the oil pressed from the seeds). Since cats lick their fur and ingest everything you put on them, you should not use neem oil on their coat. But anything that is rinsed out is fine, and the lingering smell of neem will still deter fleas.

Any external use of the leaves is totally safe. Even ingesting the leaves is safe for both cats and dogs (though they would not want to eat them anyway). Nothing to worry about at all.

If sprinkling a few leaves around the bedding will make much difference is another question. It should help some. It depends how serious the problem is, but it would not expect miracles.

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