Preliminary CBD Oil studies, such as from the American Animal Hospital Association,  have suggested it may be beneficial for pets struggling with illness, pain, and stress related to advanced age and common diseases. If you have a senior cat, anxious cat, arthritic cat, epileptic cat, allergic cat, or sick cat that has not responded well to expensive veterinary medicine, CBD Oil may be an effective, safe, and natural way to finally experience some relief. Luckily, you don’t have to get a prescription from a vet to give your cat CBD Oil, since this product is widely available online. Picking a reputable company is key!

Remember those Amazon Guidelines we mentioned earlier? To be more specific, Amazon has prohibited all CBD products, including items identified as full spectrum hemp oil, rich hemp oil, and products identified as containing CBD. To get around this, brands play with variations of these words to sell their products under the radar, while hoping you won’t know the difference and mistakenly purchase a product you thought contained actual cannabidiol.

CBD is extracted from hemp plants, but that doesn’t mean that all hemp oils contain CBD. This is because CBD is found in its strongest concentration in the flower and leaves of the hemp plant, so the extraction method is important in ensuring a significant amount of CBD is present in your CBD product.

Hemp oil (aka Hemp seed oil) is produced from the seeds of a hemp plant and contains little to no CBD. It can serve as a nutritious dietary supplement for your cat, but it will not have the desired health benefits of CBD.

Hemp Extract (aka CBD Hemp Oil) is produced from the flowers and leaves of the hemp plant and contains high concentrations of CBD. When looking for a legitimate CBD Oil for your cat, make sure “CBD” or “Hemp Extract” are on the label. You must also see references to phytocannabinoids, which means that the cannabionoids present were produced from plants, as opposed to endocannabinoids which are produced from mammals.

So, you have found a CBD Oil that says “CBD” or “Hemp Extract” on the label, but how do you know if it REALLY has CBD inside of it? It’s time to check the label! A reputable CBD Oil should have a “Supplement Facts” or “Product Facts” on the label, and “hemp extract” should be listed as one of the ingredients on the label. If it does not say “hemp extract” in the Supplement Facts, it is likely not a real CBD product. Alternatively, a “Nutrition Facts” label is an indicator that the product is a hemp seed oil dietary supplement, and likely does not contain CBD either. Good CBD oil companies will make sure to have the Supplement Facts clearly visible in their product page photos, so you can know exactly what you are getting. Missing or obscured label photos that only show the brand name are likely trying to hide something.

While you are inspecting the label of your CBD Oil product, don’t forget to check if the milligram (mgs) content is listed. Reputable CBD Oil is measured in milligrams and represents how much CBD is actually present, per serving, in a bottle. The higher the number, the higher the dose of CBD, and it is important to have this information in order to know how to properly dose your cat. If your label does not list the milligrams on the bottle, it likely does not contain CBD.

When reading CBD Oil bottles, you may come across references of products being “Full Spectrum” or “Broad Spectrum,” but what’s the difference and which is safer for your cat? Both have the wide array of hemp cannabinoids, without the unwanted effect of making your cat “high.”

Full Spectrum CBD Oil contains all of the beneficial nutrients of the hemp plant, including cannabinoids, terpenes and essential oils. This means it will also have trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC), which acts as the psychoactive component of CBD.

Broad Spectrum CBD Oil starts off as Full Spectrum CBD Oil, but has the THC completely removed during the refinement process. This is especially important for cats!

Why is THC bad for cats? It can have a range of unwanted symptoms and effects on your cat, including vomiting, anxiety, slow heart rate, lack of coordination, and agitation. To be safe, any CBD Oil you purchase for your cat should specifically state there is no THC, which means there is less than 0.3% of THC present and is safe for your cat to consume.

Another sign you want to watch out for when purchasing CBD Oil for cats is the bottle itself. Real CBD Oil is typically sold in small quantities (1-2 oz), a tincture bottle, and with a medical grade dropper for administering a proper dose to your cat. Glass tincture bottles are good because they allow for adequate dispensing of liquids one drop at a time, have tight screw caps to prevent air and moisture from compromising your product, dark tint to stop sunlight from deteriorating the active ingredients, and are food-safe and recyclable. If you see an oil sold in a larger, plastic, and dropper-free bottle, chances are it does not contain CBD.

We have seen many large bottles advertised for cats with over 9000 mg written on the label--but, 9,000 mg of what exactly? They don’t say! Less reputable companies want you to focus on the large numbers and quantity for a low price, compared to real CBD. They hope you will make the logic leap that you are getting great value for your money, when in reality you are getting more of a lesser product. Remember, in the case of CBD oil for cats, smaller size bottles are more potent and better!

Once you have narrowed down to a few choices of CBD Oil for your cat, check to see if the company has third-party lab testing for their product. The CBD industry is highly unregulated, and as a result, some unethical companies over-state the quality and quantity of CBD in their product, or lie outright. 

Reputable manufacturers will have a third-party lab test their products and be able to produce a certificate of analysis (aka COA) upon request. Labs will typically test for things like cannabinoid profiles, presence of heavy metals, and biological contaminants to ensure the safety and efficacy of a product.

Companies are not required to have their CBD Oil for cats tested by a third-party lab, but a company with integrity will do so. If a company does not follow this practice, or refuses to share a COA with you, move on to a company that will!