Many cat owners have a hard time dealing with their furry friend’s anxiety issues. Their cat struggles with her issues when the owner leaves the house or someone new comes to meet their pet. The worst part is that animals cannot communicate their problem. This might become a bigger issue if traditional medicine starts exhibiting its side effects on your precious one.
If you are one of those cat owners, then there might be a solution for your pet—it’s called cannabidiol or CBD. Being a naturally-occurring compound, CBD does not have any side-effects and it has been successfully adapted by both animal and human body. Even though the research on its therapeutic qualities are limited, yet there are cases from across the world where people have benefitted from its anxiolytic properties. The same is working in the case of cat anxiety as well. In this article, we’ll find out how and why CBD is an CBD effective solution for your cat’s anxiety issue.
What’s anxiety?
In simple words, anxiety is the body’s response to extreme stress. Anxiety is quite normal in today’s world. Almost everyone suffers with it. However, when people can’t even go do normal work without worrying about it, it becomes a disorder.
More intense anxiety situations result in panic attacks, seizures, body aches, dizziness, muscle tightening, shaking, etc. This is the case of humans. Well, how do cats feel anxiety? They do not have to perform at work or take care of the chores. Well, they have their own stuff to deal with—yes, even your cat.
Some factors include, your leaving home for a long time and frequently, an outside presence, another cat in the yard, something crashing near it, etc. These might not seem like a big deal to you but to your cat, these are reasons enough to panic. Animals are anyway more sensitive to outside energy anyway.
What are the symptoms of cat anxiety?
Some of the popular symptoms of cat anxiety are listed below for your perusal. Urinating
- Pacing
- Obsessive behaviour
- Obsessive grooming
- Over or undereating
- Aggressive behaviour like biting
- Running
- Sudden change in activity
Greenthevoteok says Please note that these aren’t all the symptoms of the anxiety. Different pets show different signs; you just have to look. However, there are certain natural ways in making your cat feel better instantly. You can play with it, provide it a safe place, be patient with it, or simply ask your doctor about cat therapy.
CBD and cat anxiety
Since CBD is an anxiolytic, it can easily calm down the anxiety nerves of your furry friend. If you are familiar with CBD, then you must already know about its therapeutic properties. So, does CBD work its magic on cats in the same way as it does on normal human beings? Well, the simple answer is yes.
Cats have the same endocannabinoid system as humans. In the same way, the endocannabinoids interact with the receptors of the system until the body achieves homeostasis or a state of balance. Once it achieves that state, serotonin and anandamide balance in your brain also becomes balanced and thus, anxiety disappears automatically.
Here’s how CBD helps in dealing with your anxiety-
- By increasing serotonin level: It has been observed that CBD interacts with a specific receptor in the brain called 5-HT1A. This is exclusively a serotonin receptor. CBD is known for accelerating serotonin levels in the brain, which typically helps in boosting mood and bringing mental clarity. This directly alleviates symptoms of anxiety. This is exactly what antidepressants do to your brain. However, CBD is completely natural and isn’t addictive, as might be the case in the latter medicines.
In this 2016 study published in the Journal of Neuropharmacology, it was revealed that CBD has rapid antidepressant-like effects on mice.
- By accelerating the growth of brain cells: A 2013 research covered in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology concluded that CBD has the potential of promoting the growth of new cells in the hippocampus. The study was originally done on mice, who have the same endocannabinoid system as humans. CBD promotes neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and also balances the ‘bliss molecule’ known as anandamide in the brain. It was monitored that anxiety levels in mice went down quite a notch. If you want to know about CBD oil for anxiety you can visit discovermagazine.
As per this 2016 study, CBD again proved to have antidepressant qualities and regulating anandamide, which eases anxiety and reduces depressive behaviour.
Is CBD safe for cat consumption?
In a single word, yes, it is. Being a natural compound, it does not have any side-effects. Also, even though it is a product of the cannabis plant, CBD does not contain or contains less than 0.3% of THC—the prime compound needed for producing ‘high’ in your brain. Thus, CBD will not get your cat high, in any case, whatsoever.
It is completely safe and available in abundance at a reasonable price. However, there are a few things to remember at the time of buying of CBD products—
- Make sure that the product has no or less than 0.3% THC
- The company has acquired certificate of analysis or COA
- The products are from a reputable company
- The products are third-party lab tested
Once you are through the above checks, well, go ahead and start the treatment. If you are still doubtful about the treatment, go ahead and consult a doctor about the same. Once you are convinced, you can start the treatment and see visible improvement in your cat’s behaviour.
Conclusion
If your cat exhibits anxiety behaviour, then the first thing you should do is take her to a good veterinarian. Once you get her check-up done, you can suggest a CBD course for your cat to the vet. You can discuss the dosage and other things with them before starting with the first dose. Once everything is clear and decided, go ahead and treat your friend with an ideal dosage of CBD everyday and soon, you will see positive results.
