It’s a question more and more cat owners are asking: given the benefits for human beings, can CBD be given to cats, and how much should be given? We’ll be looking at the following points to try to clarify how much CBD you should give your cat:
- what are the potential benefits for cats
- what affects how much CBD we should give a cat?
- how to work out how much you can give your cat?
- Caution, things to look out for
As we have seen in previous posts, CBD interacts with our endocannabinoid systems and can produce a range of effects that can be beneficial for various
issues such as swelling, stress, pain, and anxiety. As cats also have a similar system it was understandable that owners would be curious about potential
benefits for cats as well. Although anecdotal evidence suggests CBD can be useful for various ailments in cats such as pain, seizures, and anxiety, we are not aware of any in-depth research.
What affects how much CBD we should give a cat?
How the cat’s system absorbs and processes the CBD has the most significant effect on the amount you can give it. If the cat’s physiology means that a large amount of the CBD is lost through digestion or broken down quickly once in the bloodstream, then its effect will be reduced. Any pre-existing health conditions can also have an effect.
How to work out how much CBD you should give your cat?
The starting point is that CBD shouldn’t harm your cat. The research referenced below concluded on the “relative safety of oral supplementation over 12 weeks”.
However, it does say that more long-term research specific to cats is needed.
Research published in 2019 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6826847/) showed that cats generally need higher dosages than dogs as they appear to absorb lower amounts of CBD when delivered through food.
The current rule of thumb is to base the dosage on the weight of the cat in question at a ratio of anything from 1.5 to 4 mg per 10 pounds of weight.
Caution, things to look out
It is important to keep an eye on your pet when giving them any treatment and this is no different with CBD.
Firstly, ensure you keep a permanent record of when you give CBD and the amount you used. Once they have eaten the CBD, you should expect to see its results within an hour and the CBD should remain in their system for up to 7 hours or so.
The research mentioned above noted that most of the cats that participated in the trial exhibited excessive licking and head movement whilst consuming CBD.
More important is to be aware of any significant change in your cat’s behavior or any expression of discomfort that it might display. As your cat’s owner, and friend, you are best placed to notice these indicators.
Any changes in behavior that worry you should lead to the immediate cessation of the CBD treatment.
You’ll find a variety of CBD products specifically for cats on the market and we hope they will be beneficial to your cat.
Please dose carefully based on the potency indicated on the product, keep a record of everything you do, and look out for any potential adverse effects.
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