'Green' household cleaners can harm pets (2)

Labels can't always account for every reaction, Jandrey says. "Each intoxicating product has different concentrations and each dog or cat, each species, has a different sensitivity to that product. So what might be intoxicating to a dog is really, really intoxicating to a cat because cats might be more sensitive," he says.

Nancy Guberti, a New York City nutritionist and healthy lifestyle coach for the past 15 years, says some products will say green when they are not.

"Natural means nothing. The consumer has to be educated. It's all about awareness," she says.

Extra care also should be taken when cleaning around a pet's area, such as its toys or bedding, the experts say. Don't use fabric softener sheets that contain cationic detergents because they will give your pet - especially cats - stomach distress, DeClementi says, referring to a type of chemical soap that kills bacteria.

Such detergents and soaps, normally associated with helping to get clothes clean and fresh-smelling, can have chemicals that can sicken humans and pets alike.

Guberti switched to green cleaners out of necessity when her youngest son developed a liver disorder and many allergies. Guberti says the whole family became green - even their family's 6-year-old Shih Tzu, Flower, because her son can't hold Flower "if she is full of toxic chemicals or perfumes."

She recalled how she took the dog to a groomer for the first time, and Flower came out covered in perfume. Guberti washed her again at home, and now she brings her own bottles to the groomer.

"I have a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner with her name on it. I always remind them: 'No perfumes whatsoever'," Guberti says.

Golon, who uses a maid service once a month, says she had the same problem when they brought their own products when they first started cleaning the house.

"I hadn't thought about it but the smell was so overpowering, it really bothered me. I can just imagine what it was doing to the cats with their sensitivity to scents," she says.

We recommend:
Beauties in China Fashion Week	Rare photos tell stories of Leslie Cheung	Sexy female stars with long legs
Bikini-clad girls move on Robstep	Beautiful actresses in TV series	Female star: Zhang Li in casual style
"Journey to the West" staged in NW China	Creative sculptures made of vegetables	Ten most beautiful islands on Earth