EM for dogs, cats, and small pets: beds, litter, and Proferm Pets

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A bed that smells like wet dog, a litter box that quickly picks up a whiff of ammonia, a rabbit hutch to clean every week: pets need regular upkeep. Many owners look for gentle products for the job, without a strong chemical smell, that leave no harsh residues where their animal sleeps and licks itself.

Products made with effective microorganisms (EM) can fit the bill, with a few precautions specific to each species. Here's how to use them for cleaning, litter, and feeding, and what you shouldn't expect them to do.

Cleaning beds, doghouses, and cages without harsh products

EM Clean is an EM-based cleaner that you dilute in water and that needs no rinsing. For your pets' spaces, the manufacturer's guidelines are as follows:

• Floors and tile where your pet walks: 1.7 fl oz per 2.6 gallons (50 ml per 10 liters) of water.
• Doghouses, cages, trays, pet carriers: 5 to 10%, or 6.4 to 12.8 fl oz per gallon (50 to 100 ml per liter), sprayed on after mechanical cleaning, then wiped.
• Cushions, blankets, and covers: 0.3 to 1 fl oz (10 to 30 ml) in the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine.

In every case, first remove hair, leftover food, and dirt: the product works on a clean surface, not through a layer of grime. For food and water bowls, washing them in hot water with dish soap and rinsing well is still the simplest option.

EM Clean cleans and reduces odors, but it is not a disinfectant. If your vet asks you to disinfect bedding after a contagious illness, follow their protocol, and never mix EM Clean with bleach: bleach destroys its microorganisms. To use this product throughout your home, see our guide natural cleaning with EM Clean.

Emy's tip

Let the bed, doghouse, or cage dry completely before your pet goes back in. Bedding that's still damp soon smells bad again, and your companion shouldn't have to lie on a product that hasn't finished working.

Litter and odors

Litter odors come mainly from urine, whose urea turns into ammonia on contact with bacteria. The manufacturer suggests regularly spraying a solution of EM-A Microferm diluted at 1.3 fl oz per gallon (10 ml per liter) of water on cat litter, kennel floors, aviaries, or the bottom of rodent cages. The causes of odors and other helpful steps are explained in our guide getting rid of bad odors with EM.

The cat's litter box

Scoop out waste and clumps every day, and change the litter completely on a regular basis: no product can replace this. Then spray the diluted solution on the clean litter or the empty box while your cat is out of the way, and let it dry.

Cats are very attached to the smell of their litter box. They also have trouble eliminating certain compounds found in essential oils, which they absorb through their skin, by breathing them in, or by licking their fur. So choose unscented products, such as diluted Microferm or classic EM Clean, over the mint- or basil-scented deodorizer. And a cat that starts going outside its litter box should be seen by a vet: it's often a sign of discomfort or pain.

Did you know?

Cat feces can transmit toxoplasmosis, which is harmless for most adults but best avoided during pregnancy. If you're pregnant, hand litter box duty over to someone else, or clean it wearing gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.

Rabbits, guinea pigs, and rodents

In a cage or enclosure, urine often collects in one corner. Clean that corner several times a week, replace the bedding, and lightly spray the diluted solution on the clean floor. Make sure there's good ventilation: ammonia builds up quickly in a small enclosed space.

Birds

Birds have airways that are extremely sensitive to anything sprayed into the air: droplets, fragrances, diffused essential oils. Never spray any product of any kind in the room where they are. Take them out or move the cage, clean, let it dry, and air out the room before putting them back.

Proferm Pets: what it is

Proferm Pets is a supplementary feed made from spelt bran fermented with EM, the same as the Proferm made for horses, with doses adapted to small animals. The manufacturer's guidelines:

• cat or small dog (11 to 22 lb, or 5 to 10 kg): 2 teaspoons a day;
• medium dog (22 to 44 lb, or 10 to 20 kg): 1 tablespoon a day;
• large dog (44 to 88 lb, or 20 to 40 kg): 2 tablespoons a day;
• rabbit or chicken: 1 teaspoon a day;
• bird: 1 teaspoon a week.

Mix it into your pet's usual food. Start with a small amount and increase over one to two weeks, especially for rabbits, whose digestion doesn't handle sudden changes well. It complements a diet suited to the species; it doesn't replace it.

Like any animal feed, Proferm Pets is not allowed to claim that it prevents or treats any disease, and no independent study has evaluated its effects. According to the manufacturer, fermentation makes food more appealing to animals. We present the other products in the same family, and what the law allows them to claim, in our guide EM-fermented feeds for horses and livestock.

Precautions: sick, young, or senior animals and exotic pets

• Symptoms mean a trip to the vet first. Diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, itching, a strong smell from the skin or ears: these signs call for a diagnosis, not an EM product.
• Ask your vet before giving a supplement to a puppy or kitten, a pregnant female, a senior animal, or one undergoing treatment, and for all exotic pets (ferrets, reptiles, small rodents).
• Nothing on wounds, eyes, or ears. EM solutions are for cleaning your pet's surroundings, not for treating your pet.
• Nothing to drink. Never pour EM-1, Microferm, or EM Clean into drinking water or the food bowl: they are not food.
• Aquariums and terrariums: these are delicate environments, and we know of no reliable dose. Don't use EM without a specialist's advice.

Key takeaways

For your pets, EM is first and foremost for keeping their surroundings clean: bedding, cage, litter. Their health is a job for the vet.

EM toothpaste and soap are not for animals

Our EM hygiene products are formulated for humans. EMiko Care toothpaste contains, depending on the version, eucalyptus or fennel essential oil and menthol. An animal doesn't spit out its toothpaste: it swallows it. Only use a toothpaste sold for animals, as recommended by your vet.

The same goes for EM soap: a dog's skin doesn't have the same acidity as ours, and a shampoo made for humans can irritate it. Choose a product designed for the species.

Finally, if you practice bokashi or vermicomposting, keep buckets, activator bran, and pre-compost out of reach: a dog drawn by the smell may dig in and swallow fermenting scraps. We cover these situations in our guides problems after burying bokashi and vermicomposting and pets.

In summary

With a dog, a cat, or small pets, EM is mainly useful for cleaning: diluted EM Clean for floors, doghouses, cages, and bedding, and Microferm at 1.3 fl oz per gallon (10 ml per liter) on litter, always after mechanical cleaning and on surfaces left to dry. Avoid fragrances for the cat's litter box, never spray near birds, and keep rodent cages well ventilated. Proferm Pets is a feed supplement to be dosed by weight and introduced gradually, with no health promises. Human hygiene products are not suitable for animals, and any symptom warrants a visit to the vet.

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