Hi beccaw,
I can't respond to the skin irritant question, but I know LM products are all natural and made with the best care. Also, I'm really new at hoodoo, so my knowledge is limited. You could probably pray over some olive oil and use that to anoint them.
I have had success ending cat fights, so I can give some suggestions for how my partner and I addressed this problem in the past. We had 2 male cats who fought all of the time, and we managed to have peace after many attempts.
All of this was before I knew about LM or hoodoo in general ( I knew of it through family members, but never practiced it until recently), so it was trial and error with things that I read about or prayed about, and suggestions made by friends.
Some things I've found useful in the spiritual:
The cats seemed to like a clean house, and spiritual house cleansing helped to clear the air and bring a more balanced feeling to the environment. I didn't want to use chemicals around them, so I always used natural products for cleansing- lemon juice and water, or salt scrub and water rinse. Sometimes, I would steep a tea with peaceful herbs, and use that around the house.
I always pray when I'm cleaning- this helps to keep me mindful of my purpose.
I like incense, and after cleaning I fumigate the house while praying for peace, protection and blessings. Cats are very sensitive to their environment, especially their people, and my cats always responded positively to each other after I'd been doing prayer work and burning incense partly because I felt centered and peaceful.
It helps to be peaceful yourself, so work on bringing peace to you and your partner by clearing out any negative things that might be cluttering up your environment.
My Catholic friends suggested I light a candle and pray to St. Francis for blessing the animals, which I did. I've also prayed over them, and used holy water behind their ears.
I haven't tried these things- but I recently, on the LM Hoodoo Rootwork Hour, I heard cat mention St. Martin de Porres as a great intercessor for animals, specifically household pets. Peaceful Home products sound good too. Maybe sprinkle some peace water around the house. You could also look up an AIRR worker to help you out. If I remember correctly, during the same show, I think Miss Michaele mentioned doing work for pets...but, I'm not sure.
Some things to do in the mundane:
Cats fight over territory, and with so many in one place, they are trying to carve out some space that they can claim as their own. Try to create vertical space- cats love to be up high, surveying their territory. Purchase or build cat trees of varying heights. Mount ramps and ledges on the wall for them to walk around on. I know it sounds like overkill, but cats really do need LOTS of space, and they will fight to claim it for themselves.
http://www.wallcats.comCats like dark, warm places too. Open up a closet and tuck a box in the darkest spot. Put something soft in it- a blanket, towel or old t-shirt. My cat also sleeps in his carrier, which is in the back of the closet.
There's a pheromone product called "Feliway" that you can use to calm them. It's at most pet stores.
http://www.feliway.com/us Dr. Bach's flower Essences. Rescue Remedy ALWAYS worked for us to break up a fight. Just place a little on your finger, and rub it behind their ears.
http://www.bachflower.com/ An excellent book is "Cat vs Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat", by Pam Johnson-Bennet. You can find it on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Vs-Keeping-Pe ... 043&sr=1-6Hope this helps!
DeLaine (+dee)