Are Holiday Candles Safe to Burn Around Pets?
Learn which holiday candle scents bother dogs, cats and birds, plus safer ways to keep your home cozy.
Some holiday candles can irritate or poison pets, so safety depends on scent, wax, and placement. Plain unscented soy or beeswax candles burned briefly in a ventilated room away from animals carry lower risk than strong scented types. Holiday candles here mean seasonal jar, pillar, and tealight candles with added fragrance.
Dogs, cats, birds, and pets with asthma face different risks from the same candle.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 06, 2026.
Which scents and waxes cause problems?
Pet Poison Helpline lists wintergreen, sweet birch, citrus, pine, ylang ylang, peppermint, cinnamon, pennyroyal, clove, eucalyptus, and tea tree oils as poisoning cats, with several also poisoning dogs, as described in the Pet Poison Helpline essential-oils update. Holiday blends with pine, cinnamon, clove, citrus, peppermint, and eucalyptus are common, so check labels before burning around cats and dogs. Wax and wick matter too.
Plain soy, beeswax, coconut, and vegetable waxes with unbleached cotton wicks are viewed as low risk for healthy adult dogs, while paraffin, phthalates, naphthalene, and essential-oil fragrances carry higher risk, according to the Rover guide with Dr. Beth Turner. Choose unscented candles without added fragrance when pets are indoors.
Lead-core wicks were banned from U.S. manufacture and sale in October 2003 because they can release lead particles. Some imported candles may still contain them, so avoid old or unlabeled imports.
Why does placement matter so much?
No candle is safe when left unattended or within reach. Wagging tails, paws, and curious noses can knock candles over and cause burns or house fire. Keep lit candles in closed rooms pets cannot enter, on high stable shelves behind barriers.
Blow out candles before leaving the room, even for a short errand.
What if a pet eats wax or licks scented liquid?
Dogs may chew jars and cats may bat at flames or cords. VCA Animal Hospitals says the main concern after a pet eats a scented candle is a gastrointestinal foreign body and possible obstruction, explained in the VCA Animal Hospitals holiday toxins guide. Watch for vomiting, retching, loss of appetite, drooling, or straining to pass stool.
Liquid potpourri and reed-diffuser liquids pose a separate burn risk. PetSafe reports that essential oils plus detergents can burn a cat's mouth, skin, and esophagus, causing drooling, vomiting, breathing trouble, tremors, and fever from even a few licks, noted in PetSafe holiday safety tips. Store warmers, oils, reeds, and refills sealed and out of reach.
- Move candles, matches, and lighters after each use
- Wipe spills before pets walk through wax or oil
- Call a veterinarian promptly after chewing, licking, coughing, or wheezing
How can you keep seasonal scent with less risk?
Ventilation, dose, and health history change risk. Pets with asthma or respiratory disease react more easily, so burn briefly with airflow and stop use if eyes water, sneezing, coughing, or lethargy appear. Birds need extra care.
MonVet veterinary group warns that scented candles, incense, aerosols, and air fresheners release volatile compounds that harm birds, and overheated PTFE/Teflon coatings release odorless fumes rapidly fatal to them. Keep birds in a separate fresh-air room during cooking and candle use. For cozy scent, use unscented soy or beeswax candles away from pets or switch to flameless candles.
Save ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 and Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 where you can find them quickly.