Indoor Cats Have 23× More Household Toxins Than Humans

Most cat parents never consider this

Hey Golden Whiskers family,

I want to start this one with a little honesty.

For most of my life as a cat dad, I thought I was doing the important things right.

I kept my cats indoors.
I fed what I thought was decent food.
I took them to the vet.
I loved them a lot.

What I never thought about was the environment they were living in every single day.

Candles were always burning.
Plug-ins were everywhere.
Cleaners that “smelled clean” felt like a good thing.

It honestly never crossed my mind that those choices might matter to my cats.

In this week’s Golden Whiskers Podcast, I asked Jae and Adrienne from Two Crazy Cat Ladies a simple question:

“What’s the one thing you wish more cat parents knew about keeping indoor cats healthy?”

Their answer surprised me — and once I heard it, I couldn’t un-hear it.

Here’s what stood out from this 10-minute clip, which you can listen to here.

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✨ Episode Snapshot

In this segment, you’ll learn:

🧪 The Stat That Changed How I Think About Indoor Cat Health

Jae and Adrienne shared research showing that indoor cats can have up to 23 times more household toxins in their bloodstream than the humans in the same home — and more than twice as much as dogs.

That’s not because cat parents are careless.

It’s because cats:

• live close to the ground

• groom constantly

• absorb what’s in their environment through paws, fur, and air

🌬️ Why Fragrance Is the First Thing to Question

When I asked where cat parents should start, their answer was immediate: fragrance.

Plug-ins.
Candles.
Aerosol sprays.
Floor and counter cleaners that smell “fresh.”

Those scents don’t just disappear — they land on surfaces, on fur, and eventually get ingested.

Adrienne shared how hard it was to look back and realize how much constant fragrance exposure may have played a role in her soul cat’s asthma. That part stuck with me.

🧠 This Isn’t About Doing Everything at Once

One thing I appreciated about this conversation is that it never turned into “your house is toxic, panic now.”

The message was simple: You don’t have to overhaul your entire home overnight.

Most real change starts with not replacing things once you know better.

🧼 Simple Swaps That Don’t Cost More Money

Instead of expensive “natural” products, Jae and Adrienne talked about what they actually use:

• Vinegar + water as a base cleaner

• Citrus peels or herbs added to vinegar for scent

• Simmer pots or baking instead of artificial fragrance

Nothing extreme. Just more awareness than most of us were ever taught.

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📘 Jae & Adrienne’s Recommendations for Cat Owners

• Pay attention to fragrance first — especially plug-ins, sprays, and candles

• When something runs out, pause before replacing it

• Vinegar + water works surprisingly well for everyday cleaning

• If scent matters to you, add it naturally instead of synthetically

• Open windows when you can — fresh air helps cats and humans

• Remember that cats are more affected by the home environment than we are

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🐾 What I’m Trying with Niko and Milo

This conversation made me rethink a few everyday habits.

Nothing dramatic — just small shifts.

I’m no longer using plug-ins.
I’m more intentional about what I clean with.
I open the windows more often, even if it’s just for a few minutes.

I’m not trying to create a “perfect” home.

I’m just trying to be more aware now than I was before — especially knowing what I didn’t know with Mia and Nomar.

If these changes help Niko and Milo avoid even one issue down the road, they’re worth it.

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🎧 Listen to This Week’s Episode

If you want to hear this conversation in full — including the research, personal stories, and practical ideas — you can listen here:

👉 Your Home Might Be Making Your Cat Sick
https://www.goldenwhiskerslove.com/p/your-home-might-be-making-your-cat

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✨ Final Thought

Most of us are doing the best we can with the information we have.

But once we learn something new, we get a chance to do a little better — not perfectly, just more intentionally.

If this email made you look at one candle, one cleaner, or one habit differently, that’s enough for today.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for caring about your cats the way you do.

Until next time,
💛 Scott | Golden Whiskers