Like humans, cats suffer from arthritis. This disease affects cats at different ages, although aging felines are the most vulnerable. Traditional treatments have been around for a long time to help pet owners relieve their ailing cats.
Despite their valuable contributions, these medications aren’t the silver bullet that can boast a monopoly of anything. We can confirm this fact by the large number of cat owners embracing CBD as a viable alternative to treating arthritis symptoms.
Many pet owners are realizing CBD’s invaluable contribution to arthritic cats’ health and wellness. Thus, overall, it’s one of the best natural ways of improving an ailing cat’s quality of life.
Do you wish to learn more about how CBD does the above and how your cat can also benefit from its pain-relieving potency? Then remain on this page to learn more and improve your cat’s overall well-being.
What Is Cat Arthritis, and What Causes It?
Cat arthritis, or osteoarthritis, is a disease cats suffer from as they age and their joints degenerate. Thus, osteoarthritis is the most common form of cat arthritis because it’s a joint degeneration disease.
Like humans, cats have natural joint padding that wears down with age, causing discomfort and difficulty during movement.
Mostly, older cats suffer from this disease because their joint padding has served them longer than their younger counterparts. Obesity also complicates this condition in older cats.
However, younger felines can also get arthritis, although older ones suffer more pain than younger felines. Other medical conditions like infections and injuries expose cats to arthritis or worsen it.
So, how do you know if your feline pet is arthritic? What symptoms does it manifest to alert you to start early treatment?
Due to the disease-induced chronic pain, a cat isn’t likely to manifest its discomfort in obvious ways because it isn’t very intense.
Generally, the cat feels uncomfortable and takes longer to get up. Here are some common symptoms to watch out for:
- A noticeable decrease in your cat’s muscle mass.
- Increased hesitation or reluctance to jump as usual.
- The cat changes how it walks.
- The feline’s body and limbs become stiff.
- The cat limps.
- Noticeable difficulty rising after laying down.
- Challenges climbing stairs.
Dosage of CBD for Cats
Now that you have chosen to try CBD for cat arthritis treatment, how do you administer it? This section examines CBD treats’ dosage for effective administration.
You can find more valuable information about CBD cat treats for arthritis to develop a suitable treatment regimen and achieve maximum relief for your pet.
Like other treatments, CBD treats for cat arthritis require starting with the smallest doses that work well for your pet. Afterward, you can increase the dosage as the cat responds well and gets used to it.
We recommend giving your cat 2mg/kg twice daily. Our team recommends this dosage if you administer CBD oil under the cat’s tongue because your pet can absorb it well.
You can increase the dose when serving the oil with food because some of it and its potency will be lost in the cat’s poop.
Moreover, it goes to the liver before breaking down, losing even more potency. We also recommend talking to your cat’s vet regarding the ideal starting dose and if you need to increase it but aren’t sure.
Please note that your cat’s condition also determines the exact dosage. For instance, cats with mild arthritic pain may only require maintenance oil doses. Those with chronic pain need higher doses to experience positive results.
Further, your feline might need higher doses if it has a genetic condition like feline leukemia or immunodeficiency virus because its immunity is compromised.
Is CBD Safe for Cats?
Now, let’s discuss CBD treats’ safety for cats before learning how to choose the best product for your feline friend. While the FDA hasn’t approved CBD as an “official” cat arthritis medication, research proves that it’s a safe remedy any cat can safely tolerate. Ensure the product comes from CBD you sourced from a reputable brand and meets the following requirements:
- It uses organic, natural ingredients.
- The brand follows safe manufacturing practices.
- It subjects its products to third-party testing.
Other studies reveal that CBD oil without THC has fewer side effects on felines. We emphasize THC because these studies discovered that THC adversely affects cats. Thus, ensure that any CBD treat you give your cat includes broad-spectrum and not full-spectrum CBD; the latter contains THC.
So, does using THC-free products mean your cat won’t feel any side effects? No. Side effects don’t make a product unsafe, and a safe product doesn’t necessarily have zero side effects.
Even safe CBD cat treats have some tolerable side effects you should know about. This experience is common with all supplements, especially new ones. So, monitor your cat for the following issues:
- Dry mouth. This side effect is common because all cannabinoids, like CBD, interact with the cat’s salivary gland receptors and reduce saliva production.
- Drowsiness. Some cats might feel drowsy. However, this effect only happens with higher doses, especially of full-spectrum products.
- Stomach issues. An upset stomach is the most common CBD side effect in cats. It manifests as diarrhea, vomiting, or poor appetite. We recommend consulting your vet, reducing the dosage, or discontinuing usage if your cat manifests any of these signs.
- Allergic reactions. Some CBD treats contain allergens like coconut oil, to which some cats react. Affected cats might appear uncomfortable or scratch/lick themselves. We strongly recommend discontinuing the dosage and consulting your vet if you notice any allergic reactions. Therefore, checking every product’s ingredients is crucial.
- Interactions with other medications. CBD treats might also interact with other medications, for instance, those treating pain, seizures, and anxiety. So, consult your vet before using CBD to treat your cat’s arthritis if it’s taking other medications to avoid unnecessary side effects.
Choosing the Best CBD Solution for Cat Arthritis
Choices have consequences, and you should take all CBD product alternatives seriously. Selecting the wrong feline product can do more harm than good. Here are tips for making the correct decision worth your cat’s happiness and overall well-being.
- Quality control and testing. Only buy treats from manufacturers who submit their CBD formulas to third-party lab tests to guarantee purity, potency, and accuracy.
- Transparency of sourcing and manufacturing. Don’t purchase CBD products from companies that don’t provide full details of how they source their raw materials or manufacture their treats. Don’t compromise on this issue to ensure high-quality ingredients and adherence to industry best practices.
- Potency. Check out a product’s potency to ensure it’s safe for cats. Your chosen brand must produce lower-dose CBD containing <600mg to make it easy and safer to serve cat needs.
- Ingredients. As earlier hinted, check out a product’s ingredients to ensure it contains no allergen that could cause your cat adverse side effects. The product should only use natural preservatives, coloring, and flavoring.
- Hemp source. Lastly, the manufacturer should use naturally grown US hemp that adheres to approved growing standards.
Closing Remarks
Cat arthritis is a common condition affecting cats, especially older ones. Fortunately, CBD treats are handy treatment alternatives for symptom alleviation. We shared all the facts regarding this condition and how CBD can help so that you find the best CBD treatment to improve your arthritic cat’s quality of life and wellness.