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CBD. It’s been at the forefront of a storm of alternative medicines geared towards those that are sick of dealing with the medical industry with their fancy drugs, unknown chemicals, and enormous price tags.
In our little corner of the world, CBD has taken the role of a guiding savior for one of our cats, and it’s become an indispensable part of our care routine for him. We’re here to give you everything you need to know about CBD for cats.
Cannabidiol, commonly referred to as CBD, is a chemical found in the cannabis plant. Found in the same plant is THC, the psychoactive compound that makes users “high”. But make no mistake, CBD will not create a “high” for its users - human or animal.
There will be no euphoric effects from ingesting CBD. There are, however, a plethora of health benefits associated with proper consumption of CBD.
Yes, CBD is considered safe for cats as long as it is not mixed with THC.
Similar to humans, there can be side effects from CBD usage in cats, which we will outline a little later in this article. But as a whole, CBD is safe for cat consumption, as long as it is pure.
As a result of CBD being fully legal since 2018, there has been an outstanding lack of regulatory oversight on the production of CBD. This has led to a huge quality issue within the market, with numerous brands selling, for lack of a better word, snake oil to their customers.
This is to say that purchasing from a trusted source is paramount to ensuring your cat's safety with CBD. There are a few check and balances to verify a manufacturer adheres to quality standards, such as being listed on the National Animal Supplement Council list.
CBD works by reducing the production of cortisol in a cat's brain. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is linked with anxious behaviors. In effect, CBD helps to create a more calming effect on your cat's endocannabinoid system.
CBD also targets the vanilloid receptors in your cat's brain. This effectively reduces their response to pain which can improve their mobility and mood.
As a natural equalizer, there are lots of mental and physical benefits that come from CBDs ability to manage their endocannabinoid system.
As an extremely versatile compound, CBD has a wide range of benefits for both animals and humans. Since we’re a blog about cats, we will stick to what we know. The most common ailments that CBD helps with in cats are:
As you can see, the list is long, and probably still incomplete. No matter the ailment, there’s a good chance that CBD can help treat it. That is to say, treat does not mean cure. For many of these ailments, CBD can only help ease the side effects, not cure them.
The dosage of CBD to give to a cat depends on a few factors, including what you are treating and how big your cat is.
To expand on this, the dosage required to treat severe ailments is higher than the dosage required for minimal issues. For example, a cat being treated for moderate anxiety and a cat being treated for intense, chronic pain do not receive the same amount of CBD, even if they are the same size.
To help with the shifting dosage needs, we’ve built a handy calculator to help determine the best amount to be giving your cat.
Please enter your cat's weight in lbs and select the condition being treated: