Neem oil on cats

by Karen Goold
(Australia)

My cat Maggie has scabies. I bought neem seed cold pressed oil 85%, as neem plant spray was all I could get. How can I use this on my cat in a shampoo form ?
Thanks, Karen

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Neem oil on cats

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Using neem on cats
by: Birgit

Hi Karen,

I'm not totally sure what you bought there.

Neem plant spray would be a very diluted neem oil solution, typically 0.5-2%.

85% neem oil is not a spray, it's the oil. Did you mean you bought oil to be diluted and used as plant spray? In that case, do you know what ingredients make up the remaining 15%?

Sometimes neem oil is mixed with lighter oils that help keeping the neem oil pourable (it becomes solid at lower temperatures). Sometimes it is blended with soap to save you adding the soap extra.

If that's what it is then your oil is fine.

But I'm a bit worried about it being called plant spray. Because there are some neem oil products that are meant to be used only on plants and that combine neem oil with other synthetic insecticides.

Make sure that your neem oil does not contain any insecticides before you use it on your cat.

Let's assume your oil is fine. In that case you can just add it to the shampoo that you usually use for your cat. Just as you would for humans. That's the easiest way to make neem shampoo.

(Warning: I mention the addition of tea tree oil on that page, it's not a page specifically for cats. Don't use tea tree oil on cats, ever. It's toxic to them.)

Neem oil is not stable when mixed with water. Many shampoos contain water. If yours does, then you need to mix your neem shampoo freshly every time you want to use it. You can just mix a few drops of neem oil with shampoo in your palm.

I hope your cat doesn't mind bathing and shampooing too much, because you will need to do it several times. I'd also leave the shampoo in for as long as she will tolerate it before rinsing, to give it the best chances of affecting the mites and eggs.

I can't tell you exactly how often you will have to do it. Neem oil just isn't enough of a standard treatment yet (unfortunately). There just isn't enough data and research to give specific directions.

Read the pages on how it's used on humans to understand how it works. Then start with little and carefully to see how your cat responds, and take it from there.

I hope Maggie will get better soon!

More info:
  • Neem and scabies: note that the traditional treatment for scabies is neem leaf
  • Neem oil for cats: see notes on tea tree oil and also comments on neem leaf. Neem shampoo is safe to use on cats, but neem leaf is also a great alternative.

(Please also read the disclaimer. I'm not a doctor or veterinarian, so don't take this as medical advice.)
Use only Pure Neem Oil for animals or humans
by: Anonymous

Only pure, cold pressed Neem Oil should be used on animals and humans. An 85% Neem Oil Plant spray most likely has inerts and other ingredients that are toxic to skin.

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