Are any scented candles/wax melts safe to have around cats?

[AintNobodyHereButUsChickens]

I like smelly candles but since we’ve had the cats I’ve kept the candles confined to our bedroom (they’re not allowed in there). But I miss having them around the house, are there any that aren’t harmful to cats?

I've always had wax melts and scented candles around mine since 2015, the melts I use are fine (checked with them)

Main thing is making sure they're out of reach and that cats can get away from them. So if I have one in the bedroom, the rest of the house is scent free so he can go elsewhere if he wants

I’ll admit I never realised candles/wax melts weren’t safe for cats- I’ve had my cat for nearly five years and always have an abundance of candles and wax melts lit! They’ve never been a problem for her. There’s a brand sold in TK Maxx called Sand and Fog, and they do a sub brand
called Sand and Paws, and these candles
supposedly help eliminate pet doors, so I can only assume they are safe to have in homes with cats! Also they smell delicious!

I always burn a candle in the evening - it’s on the mantelpiece and the cat would never go up there. Currently a White Company one which smells delightful.

Wax melts and candles are generally safe for pets. Anything that claims to have 'essential oils' in are not safe for pets. Most candles and wax melts will use toxin free fragrance oils and not essential oils.

Unless you are buying from a crunchy local seller you can be pretty sure they'll not be essential oils

I'm actually a candle maker and have candles burning all the time. I don't use paraffin wax (only beeswax and coconut wax) and would have no qualms about burning any of my waxes or fragrance oils with my dog and cat around. I've tested over 100 fragrances in my home.

Never ever essential oils though. They become toxic to humans and animals when burned.

Are there any open flame devices which are safe around a creature which sees all surfaces as fair game?

Not really

Sand and fog's 'sand and paw' range as previously said you can get in tkmaxx.

That's what I was thinking. We do have candles sometimes, but never leave them unattended in a room. We usually have the ones in a large heavy-based jar, so they are not easy to shift by a passing furry thing.

Wax melts are a step too far for me. All that liquid wax in a little flat saucer on top of something that can get easily knocked over. I do not fancy having to deal with a cat covered in scalding wax.

I mean it depends where you put them and on your cat really

If I burn in the bathroom, the door is closed
In my bedroom I have a shelf he can't get on to, same in the hallway (top of an Ikea unit he's no interest in)
Living room I use a windowsill that's blocked off by my desk and he's never sat on in his life

Anything with an open flame shouldn't be left unsupervised anyway, should it?

Scented candles are fine. It’s reed diffusers that you need to avoid with cats.

I have had cats and candles all my life. No harm has ever come to any creature.

And those too. Currently, Jo Malone basil and mandarin

Oil diffusers are toxic to cats. I would never take the risk personally.

We are on cat 4 as a couple and cat 8 in my life. All lived into their late teens apart from on who died of liver cancer at 5, which is extremely rare.

I also have Reed diffusers but only in the bathrooms on very high shelves
Cat doesn't tend to go in there and the doors are closed when I'm out due to his love of eating plastic, floss, and anything he shouldn't be eating