If you’re a cat owner, then you know better than most pet owners, just how overwhelming it can be to determine when your fluffy friend isn’t feeling well. After all, as cat owners, we all want the absolute best for our fluffy friends. But like humans and dogs, our feline friends can also suffer from debilitating health conditions and disorders:
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Seizures
- Pain
- Skin conditions
- Upper respiratory issues
- Kidney complications
- Cancer
- Etc.
Traditional prescription medications are usually how veterinarians treat these unwanted health problems. However, as you might have already heard, pharmaceutical drugs often come with a handful of unwanted side effects. For this reason, hundreds of cat owners are now turning to either alternative or more natural treatments to address unwanted symptoms that their feline friends battle. In this article we’ll discuss what exactly CBD is, how it might be able to help your cat, and if you should administer CBD to your cat.
What is CBD oil for cats?
According to research, the cannabis plant, which includes marijuana and hemp, contains more than 100 different phytocannabinoids. The two most popular and active phytocannabinoids are Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While it’s true that THC is most popularly known for its psychoactive effects, it's more prevalent in marijuana than it is in hemp. In fact, only trace amounts of THC are found in hemp, 0.3% to be exact, which is not enough to get you “high”. CBD, on the other hand, is non-toxic and completely non-psychoactive, so it won’t get you “high”. Instead, CBD is used for its health promoting and therapeutic properties:
- Anti-inflammation
- Anti-anxiety
- Anti-seizure
- Antioxidant
- Anti-tumor
- Natural pain reliever
- Natural neuroprotectant
- Etc.
Amazingly, it's these same therapeutic properties that have pet owners wondering: Is there a difference between CBD oil for humans vs. CBD oil for cats?
The answer: Not Really!
When referring to CBD oil for cats, it’s basically a highly concentrated form of CBD that has been extracted from the hemp plant. It goes through the same extraction process as regular CBD oil that’s marketed for human consumption. The biggest differences are potency and how our cats consume CBD. CBD products for cats come in various forms:
- CBD oil or tincture
- CBD cat treats
- CBD capsules
- CBD creams or other topicals
The most popular and perhaps the most effective forms include CBD oil and CBD cat treats. As for the potency, CBD oil for cats may not be as strong as the CBD oil their owners would take. For example, most CBD oils that are designed for human consumption start at 800 mg per bottle, reaching to more than 2000 mg per bottle. CBD oil for cats usually starts at 100 mg and, in some cases, reaches no more than 1000 mg per bottle. For the most part, there isn’t much of a difference between CBD oil designed for humans and CBD oil for cats. Now let’s look at how CBD works in our cats’ bodies.
How does CBD work for cats?
Like humans, cats also have an Endocannabinoid system that helps stimulate and regulate how their body functions. This includes their appetite, mood, sleep, perception of pain, immunity, and other physiological functions. When CBD is consumed, it helps stimulate and regulate the natural endogenous cannabinoid receptors found all throughout your cat’s body, including the following systems:
- Immune system
- Central nervous system
- Peripheral nervous system
While research is still in its infancy regarding CBD oil for cats, many pet owners have turned to this therapeutic elixir for their fur babies. In fact, according to anecdotal evidence on reddit and other online platforms, some cat owners claim that CBD has improved their cats’ overall health. While these testimonials are thought provoking, studies are desperately needed to confirm these claims. Nevertheless, the studies that have been conducted on animals and humans do prove that CBD contains therapeutic value, which could potentially promote a number of benefits for our feline friends. So what are these benefits?
What are the benefits of CBD oil for cats?
According to Dr. Gary Richter, a veterinarian in Oakland, CA, “Almost anything that cannabis would be used for in a human, from a medical standpoint, has the potential to be equally as valuable in dogs or cats. Pain, inflammation, arthritis, gastro-intestinal related things, stress, anxiety, seizures, cancer, you name it. We’ve seen the benefits in all of these areas…”
Still, no scientific data is available regarding how CBD oil can address feline ailments like:
- Cats with cancer
- Cat anxiety
- Cat behavioral issues
- Kidney disease or failure in cats
- Cat seizures
- Skin problems and conditions found in cats
- Upper respiratory infections in cats
- Diaherra and vomiting in cats
- Etc.
This doesn't mean there aren’t any scientific studies regarding these ailments; it simply means none of them have been conducted on felines. For now, we are left with anecdotal testimonies from real cat owners. For example, Dr. Casara Andre, DVM, cVMA, the founder and director of Veterinary Cannabis Education and Consulting, found that CBD really helped her cat, Mattie, who struggled with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), arthritis, and problems with her kidneys. “I really didn’t have any good options for her, so I tried a CBD-dominant tincture, which offered more scalability, I saw a difference, but it took about 6 weeks. I noticed small improvements in her appetite, willingness to interact, and small play attempts.”
What makes this story more interesting is that while most pet CBD companies focus on THC-free CBD products, it was a CBD product that contained THC that really made all the difference in Dr. Andre’s cat. “When I began to incorporate a product with more even ratios of CBD to THC, I saw dramatic improvement. Mattie started eating better, playing, and no more IBD. It gave me my cat back, and gave Mattie 4 more amazing years.”
As moving as this story is, it’s important to note that Dr. Casara Andre is a veterinarian. Not only did she have the knowledge to treat her cat with cannabis extracts, she also had the medical equipment to motor her cat while on medicinal herbs like CBD and THC. Small traces of THC (0.3%) may not be harmful when combined with higher ratios of CBD, but higher ratios of THC may raise some medical issues. For instance, a medical case involving a 6-year-old Persian cat found that marijuana smoke caused a number of unwanted symptoms:
- Agitation
- Aggression
- Disorientation
- Excessive meowing
- Excessive drooling
- An increase in thirst
- Inability to swallow
The cat was hospitalized for 3 weeks and tested for rabies. According to veterinarian doctors, everything seemed normal. Soon the cat was behaving normally and was ready to return home. After 3 weeks of being home, the cat was displaying the same symptoms again. It was later found out that the partner of the owner was smoking marijuana and exhaling the smoke directly into the cat’s face. The veterinarians in this case diagnosed tha cat with marijuana intoxication and advised the owner to isolate the cat from marijuana smoke in the future. Surprisingly, this was “the first laboratory confirmed published case of the clinical signs of a cat being intoxicated with delta-9-THC.”
With the information of this case study, the question now remains: Is CBD oil safe for cats, and will CBD oil get your cat high?
What are the side effects of CBD oil for cats?
While it’s true that all mammals have an endocannabinoid system, no two species will respond the same to medications, supplements, and herbs. Cats are no different. In fact, a study was conducted on 8 dogs and 8 cats. Over 12 weeks, researchers observed the cats and the dogs for any adverse effects. Loose stool and a small number of vomiting episodes were recorded in the dogs. As for the cats, there were only two main side effects observed: excessive licking and head shaking. Although, researchers believe these two side effects may be the result of combining CBD with fish oil rather than with plant-based oil. There were other less common side effects noted as well:
- Pacing
- Chomping or chewing
- Gagging
- Vomiting food, bile, or hairballs
- Salivating, drooling, or foaming
- Jumping
- Uncooperativeness
- Grimacing
No changes in body weight, food consumption, or other abnormalities in behaviors were observed in both groups of the cats or dogs, thus concluding hemp-based CBD is relatively safe for healthy cats and dogs. It also concludes that CBD oil won’t get your cat high.
In addition, this study demonstrated that the combination of CBD and fish oil wasn’t absorbed by the cats as well as the combination of CBD and plant-based oil was absorbed by the dogs. Still, researchers believe further studies are needed in order to explore how CBD oil could address cat anxiety, seizures, arthritis, house soiling, and many other unwanted symptoms. Now that we’ve determined that CBD has a safe profile, let’s explore CBD dosage.
What's the best CBD dosage for cats?
Unfortunately, there is no scientific manual or guideline to determine the exact CBD oil dosage for every breed of cat. However, there are recommendations when dosing CBD oil to your cat. The key is determining the milligrams of CBD oil to how much your cat weighs. For example: 1mg to 5mg of CBD oil is generally administered per 10 pounds of your cat's body weight.
For cats who are battling chronic conditions, the dosage of CBD oil will vary. Some cats may require more CBD oil, while others may only tolerate smaller doses of CBD. Nevertheless, when starting any new supplement or medication, it’s best to start slowly with CBD oil and only administer small doses to your cat. Remember, before administering CBD oil, it’s best to consult with a veterinarian. This is especially true for cats who have chronic conditions and are on any prescription medications. Amazingly, CBD uses the same liver enzymes that break down pharmaceutical drugs. Combining CBD oil with prescription medications could interfere with their potency and may even enhance their side effects. If you find that your cat isn’t tolerating CBD oil, discontinue immediately. Finally, it’s imperative to only administer high quality CBD products to your cat. So how do you find the best CBD oil products for cats?
What's the best CBD oil for cats?
Sadly, not all CBD products are created the same. That’s why it’s so important to research a CBD company thoroughly before purchasing from them. In order to find the best CBD products for your cat, it’s best to ask the following questions:
- Is their CBD derived from hemp?
- Is their hemp grown on soil free of pesticides, herbicides, GMO’s, and other harmful toxins?
- Is their CBD extracted using clean extraction methods?
- Are the ingredients in their CBD products organic and natural?
- Have their CBD products been thoroughly tested by independent third parties?
- Are their CBD products accurately labeled?
- Do their CBD products have dosing instructions listed on the label?
- Do they offer high quality customer service?
Seeking out reputable CBD companies can be an overwhelming task. But as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” For the most part, the easiest place to find high quality CBD cat treats, and of course CBD oils, is online. This is because reputable CBD companies will provide the test results of their products, a list of their ingredients, and details of where their hemp is grown and how their CBD is extracted on their website. When it comes to your cat’s health, what you put in their body matters. While advocates often dub CBD as a “miracle healing” supplement, it should not be mistaken as a cure to all ailments — but rather as a tool to help you achieve better health and wellness for your feline friends.
If you and your cat are new to the CBD industry, CBD oil and cat treats could be just what you need to address their unwanted symptoms. Just be sure that you know what you’re getting before you buy, and always consult with your veterinarian beforehand.
