Do Not Use Cedar for Pet Bedding
-I made mention in a previous post, called Fleas, actually my first official post, and how I thought cedar trees may be one reason why there does not seem to be a big flea problem in Northern Michigan, so I decided to look into it further. 
I discovered a lot of benefits for using cedar for bedding. It does help control fleas and ticks, along with other insects or skin parasites. Every pet owner wants their critters to be pest and parasite free.
Before you choose to use cedar; chips, shavings or planks for bedding, for your pets, please take into consideration the aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic and are found in cedar. That strong sent of cedar, is not just a lovely smell. Many studies have showed that cedar is toxic in several different ways. Many people as well as animals have allergic reactions to cedar. Red Cedar is quite high in plicatic acid.
When I worked at a hospital many years ago, I asked one of the doctors, what the most unusual “cause of death” he had experienced was. He explained how he once had a patient, that he treated for quite some time, before he eventually died and the bottom line, cause of death was, a cedar sliver. The man had gotten a sliver and did not remove it, little did he know it ended up killing him.
Here is a great source for finding information about Wood Allergies and Toxicities. You will notice cedar of many variations are toxic. Many pet owners use Cedar Oils as flea prevention. Believing full well, it is the natural way to go, so it must be better than the toxins they sell in the store. Use caution when considering this, topical flea treatments that are sold in stores are calculated and dispensed in doses that are controlled. Rubbing your pet down with cedar oils is not controlling exposure and may be causing irreversible damage. You may never know unless you have your pet tested and evaluated on a regular basis, as they do in controlled studies, when developing a product such as topical solutions.
When I read the affects of cedar bedding for rodents and rabbits on the Rat Fan Club’s website, I was surprised. Here is an article about The Toxicity of Pine and Cedar Shavings, opened my eyes as to how dangerous this can be for our pets. It does address other pets other than just rodents. Cats are the same size as a full grown rabbit, so I would assume they are at risk for the same reactions. The effects it has on the liver shows no symptoms and unless an autopsy is preformed, you simply do not know if it was a contributing factor, to your loved one’s demise.
So before you line the kennel, cage or coop with cedar or pine, before you landscape around your house and before you use an all natural solution, make sure you have all the facts. Decide for yourself, if you want to take the risk of cedar causing harm to your critters. Because these products are sold primarily for animal care and landscaping, the FDA is obviously, less concerned about safety standards for this material and it’s uses.