Wondering if CBD is the answer to your cat’s health problems? Then look no further because we are taking an in-depth look into this popular new health supplement.
Said to be able to help our felines with their anxiety, pain, inflammatory issues, and more, is CBD pet parents’ new best friend? Let’s find out!
What is CBD for Cats?
CBD is short for cannabidiol, which is one of the hundreds of unique compounds that appear in CBD oil. These compounds are taken from the resin that coats mature cannabis plants, specifically, the hemp variety instead of the marijuana kind to avoid the intoxicating high.
While marijuana plants can get you and your cat high, hemp cannot due to these plants not producing enough tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, besides their difference in the amount of THC they create, hemp and marijuana are very similar. This means they share many of the same therapeutic benefits that made medical marijuana famous.
CBD products derived from hemp offer the same therapeutic benefits marijuana does. Now, it’s important to note that hemp benefits aren’t as prominent as marijuana’s. However, hemp CBD is seen as significantly safer, not only because it’s non-intoxicating but because it also avoids almost all the side effects seen with marijuana use. You can think of the difference as you would when comparing prescription pain medicine to their over-the-counter counterparts.
All of this makes hemp CBD safe for children and our pets, like our cats and dogs. This is truly wonderful to see too, because CBD products can benefit health in a naturally unique way, making it a promising aid for many.
The one place CBD for cats differs from a dog CBD brand or one for humans is they often contain catnip. Like many of us, our cats don’t care for the grassy and nutty flavor that CBD products can have. This is why most cat owners prefer catnip infused CBD oils.
How Does CBD Work?
Within CBD products are two main classes of compounds: cannabinoids and terpenes. Within both classes are hundreds of individual compounds. When ingested, these compounds interact with regulatory receptors found on cells across the body. When these cells have their regulatory receptors triggered, they carry out tasks that heal and maintain balance in their surrounding area.
Normally, these receptors are activated by self-produced endocannabinoids, which are a part of the greater endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a mother regulatory system that’s responsible for maintaining health in other regulatory systems, such as the immune and nervous systems.
As you can see by the name, the endocannabinoid system has a close relationship with cannabis and the phytocannabinoids it produces, like CBD and THC. Endo = internal; phyto = plant.
Not only named after cannabinoids like CBD, but the ECS is also supported by them in a very similar way it supports other regulatory systems.
While a regulatory system like the immune system has the ECS to help ramp it back up when it’s down, the body doesn’t have anything to ramp up the ECS when it’s down. For example, an injury alone can cause pain, inflammation, and stress, causing multiple regulatory systems to call for the ECS’ help. But this can leave the ECS overworked and depleted, ultimately unable to support the body in the way it needs. This opens the floodgate to more illnesses occurring. But this is where CBD products come in, with their mirror-like compounds that can do the ECS’ job for it. Additionally, phytocannabinoids can help the body replenish its endocannabinoid levels.
Because the ECS supports so many systems from the brain to the feet, everyone who has an ECS, which includes all mammals, can see several improvements in health by taking CBD.
Benefits of CBD for Cats
Because of the way CBD interacts and supports the Endocannabinoid System, CBD supports a host of regulatory functions, both big and small. And how it can help a person or furnugget’s health can vastly differ depending on what their health needs. The ECS does support some regulatory systems to a greater degree than others. This is why anxiety, epilepsy, chronic pain, and inflammation are the most common health issues CBD can help.
CBD for Cats with Anxiety
The nervous system is one of the most taxed systems in the body due to its involvement with pain and anxiety, and it’s one that the Endocannabinoid System helps out the most. That’s why when the ECS is overworked, known as an endocannabinoid deficiency, anxiety can run rampant in the body. Thankfully, CBD’s ability to boost endocannabinoids and do their job for them is the reason CBD has been found to significantly help with all forms of anxiety.
CBD for Cats with Seizures
Cannabis’ ability to treat seizures is simply incredible. While seemingly able to help reduce seizures in all forms of epilepsy, cannabis products like CBD can reduce seizures in drug-resistant forms of epilepsy. This feat alone soared CBD to mainstream popularity.
CBD for Cats with Pain
Like with anxiety, CBD supports the ECS, which supports the nervous system, which is responsible for accurately perceiving pain signals. An unsupported nervous system due to an endocannabinoid deficiency will misinterpret pain signals, telling the body they are more intense than they actually are. Even worse, it can interpret a harmless stimulus as intense pain.
CBD for Cats with Cancer
First, the compounds in CBD may indeed be able to kill cancer cells. How effectively they do this is unknown — it’s likely not significant. Though anything little can help.
However, this doesn’t mean CBD isn’t fantastic for cancer.
CBD can help reduce several of the side effects that both cancer and the common treatments for it, like chemotherapy, can create. CBD helps regulate appetite, stimulating it in individuals lacking one. Then it can reduce stress, inflammation, and pain, while promoting sleep at high dosages or better energy at lower dosages. This can make it an invaluable tool when treating cancer in cats.
Side Effects of CBD for Cats
CBD is noted and quite famous for its safety profile, with the extreme majority seeing no side effects from use. You can make it even safer by choosing a 100% MCT oil free.
When appropriately dosed, most cats will experience no side effects while a small minority may see some stomach discomfort, restlessness, or tiredness, in the first week. This is common for many medications, as the body often needs time to see said medication is harmless.
Speaking of other medications, CBD is known to influence CYP liver enzymes similar to things like grapefruit. There are many foods and supplements that do this, and this is why medication for humans will warn against them. However, foods like kale and grapefruit aren’t common in a cat’s diet, and as such, their medication may not warn about CYP drug-drug interactions. As such, if your cat is on prescription medication, it’s important to talk to your vet first about CBD before giving it to them.
Just because your cat’s medication may interact with CBD doesn’t mean they can’t be used together to treat the health issue.
