While CBD oil has become exceptionally popular as a treatment for a range of issues for humans, and even in our canine friends, it’s effectiveness on felines is still being looked at. As this is a new area of study and research you should err on the side of caution if you are choosing to self-diagnose and self-treat your feline companion with any complimentary alternative medicines.
However, the research so far is very promising and several options look to be about to come on the market designed specifically to get your top cat in prime condition again. Just make sure you are purchasing through a reputable retailer, and that you know the dosage that you should be giving your pet based on the weight and age of your cat, as well as the dose that is suitable for the particular ailment you are trying to find aid for.
What Conditions Can CBD Oil Help Treat In Cats
The two top uses for any non-THC based cannabis product are usually pain relief and reduction in anxiety conditions. Unsurprisingly, these would be the two primary treatments in felines as well. However, because marijuana has been known to cause toxicity in cats (usually when they have chewed on a cannabis plant), there is understandably some reservations around using a cannabis plant-based oil in treatment for felines.
Although there is still only limited research specifically around CBD and cats, it would certainly appear that it is the THC in the cannabis plant that causes the toxicity, with the hemp products (usually defined as a cannabis plant which has less that 0.3% of THC) seeming to have no negative effects.
In fact, manufacturers of cat treats are racing to get patents in and pass FDA testing so that they can corner what they see as a very lucrative market. The first products officially on the market look to be focused on anxiety, which gives a strong indication about what you can use CBD products for!
While having FDA approved CBD products for cats will be a huge boon for cat owners and bring regulation into the industry, it is generally considered that as long as you are sourcing your oils from reliable source who provides ingredients that are as labeled, then your furbaby should be in good hands.
Medication And Dosage
Because of the limited scientific research available at this stage it is very hard to confirm the exact dosages you should be giving your cat. If you are seeing a vet for any ongoing concerns, particularly for cancer or osteoarthritis, they are presumably giving your animal medication to treat the condition, in which case you need to confirm with your vet, or do a lot of your own research, about the effect that cannabis or hemp products can have if combined with the medication already prescribed. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24734306.2018.1434470
While CBD oil has been used successfully to manage pain in cancer patients and osteoarthritis suffers, both human and canine, the dosages for your cat will be smaller, and they metabolize things differently. Worse, even though cannabidiol has no known toxicity in cats, if you are using a poorly manufactured substance you may be giving your cat toxic THC along with cannabidiol. The generally accepted allowance of THC is any hemp or cannabidiol product is 0.3%, but without regulations and quality controls in place this can be hard to verify.
