CBD Oil Can Help My Anxious Kitty?

Surprisingly, yes! There are countless situations that can cause our feline friends to be stressed out and anxious. This can be anything from a recent vet visit, grooming appointment, car ride, move, or simply an unannounced visitor to the home. Some cats just aren’t good with stress, or have had a hard go of things overall, and are more anxious or tightly wound. CBD may be an effective way to help cats like this find a bit of mellow, in a natural and safe supplement that can be taken without the worry of dangerous side effects.

Will My Cat Get High From CBD?

Both marijuana as well as hemp, come from the cannabis plant. Both CBD and its psychoactive cannabinoid cousin THC are found in all members of the cannabis family, the difference being that hemp has a very low concentration of THC and a much higher concentration of CBD. This is effectively the opposite of marijuana, which contains mostly THC, with the rest of the cannabinoids present in varying ratios depending on the strain.

CBD oil is most frequently extracted from industrial hemp, which has to obey a federal cap on the trace amounts of THC that can be detected. This makes it a very rich and reliable source of CBD, without the worries of including a psychoactive cannabinoid. This is of particular importance when talking about cats since THC can be toxic to pets in large enough quantities. This also means that CBD is legal in all states since it meets the federal cap for the maximum allowable THC in a hemp product.

This means that not only will your cat not get high from CBD, but they will also enjoy all the benefits of cannabinoid therapy without the danger of becoming intoxicated or even poisoned by the THC content. Instead, your kitty companion will simply experience mild relaxation. 

What’s The Difference Between CBD Oil & Hemp Oil?

You will want to pay close attention to what you are buying, since CBD oil and hemp oil are not to be considered the same thing, for the purposes of calming your anxious cat. They are obtained from the same plant, and neither one is psychoactive, hemp oil is not made from the mature hemp plant, but rather from the pressed hemp seeds produced by the mature female hemp flower. 

Hemp seeds do not contain any CBD. They contain proteins and fatty acids that the plant will need during its initial growth phase, which although valuable nutrition in its own right, is not effective for treating anxiety in cats. CBD oil is made from the pressed plant matter such as stalks, flowers, and leaves, which are ground up and pressed with a solvent in order to make the extraction. That extraction is then separated from the solvent, often CO2, and what is left is the full-spectrum CBD oil. 

The full-spectrum oil can then be refined into broad-spectrum CBD oil if all THC is then removed. The only more highly purified CBD form beyond that is called CBD isolate, and it is a powdery, crystalline 99%+ pure CBD distillation.

Choosing A CBD Oil For Your Feline

This is where it can get tricky. There are few if any, formal guidelines for labeling CBD products, other than the usual disclaimers and so on. This can make choosing a potential supplement relatively confusing, so be careful when choosing, and read the label and documentation thoroughly. 

Be sure that you are buying a CBD product that states clearly the amount of CBD in the package, and the amount per dose. There should also be readily available lab test results that can show you the samples are free of any potentially lethal heavy metal contamination. Beyond that, choose one that looks like the dosage and administration will both fit your needs.

How To Determine The Proper Dosage

Finding an effective dosage can take some time, especially if your cat isn’t simply anxious all the time. If they are only triggered by heavy thunderstorms, for example, then it may take a storm or two before you are able to find an effective dosage amount for your cat. 

A good starting point will be 1mg-5mg per ten pounds of body weight. While this is a good baseline to begin finding a dose that helps you and your cat, be aware that there are no known maximum or lethal dosages. Many people will start right in the middle, at 3mg for a 10-pound cat, and will watch for symptom reduction or elimination. Ideally, you are hoping to see calm, but not lethargy.

Can I Administer CBD Alongside Other Medication?

This is something only your vet, who is familiar with your cat’s health, can effectively gauge. Before you begin shopping for a CBD supplement for your cat you should speak to your vet and get their input. Many vets are open to holistic treatments and will be able to comfortably guide you to use CBD in lieu of more narcotic prescriptions. This can be especially helpful if you also take CBD since there is no distinction between “human grade” and “pet grade” in the CBD world, so CBD is CBD, once it’s home and on the shelf.

Best Ways To Administer CBD

You know your cat best. Some cats are picky about taste, and will only eat certain things, while some are ready to slurp up any old goop off the ground. Bottled CBD oil is often one of the best options since you can just drop it into their normal food. You can also get a coconut CBD oil extraction that is handy to apply to the cat’s paws to let them lick off, or applied directly to the skin of the inner ear to be absorbed through the skin. Full-spectrum oil will have a more natural, plant taste, and maybe a turn-off for some cats. A flavorless CBD oil can be used to get past this.