The controversy about the use of marijuana for medical reasons continues despite many American states legalizing it and more moving in that direction. There are numerous claims of marijuana helping to alleviate pain and had been in use for thousands of years for other the treatment of ailments like nausea.  But all these pertain to humans, and there is no evidence that marijuana for cats can be effective in the same way.

Just as humans are growing opposed to traditional medicines due to its harmful side effects and looking for natural and herbal alternatives by considering it safer, similarly, pet lovers are looking for natural remedies and herbal alternatives to veterinary drugs.

While dog owners are keen to try cannabis on their pets, many cat owners are contemplating to use marijuana on their pets to derive the medicinal benefits associated with it.

But how safe is cannabis or marijuana for pets is a question that we will try to answer through this article.

Is marijuana toxic for cats?

Cats can get high from marijuana, as proven in a study that found a cat exposed to marijuana smoke. It happened that someone jokingly blew the smoke into the cat's face, and soon the cat started demonstrating strange behaviour because of THC in marijuana, which causes high.  How much worse is THC for cats, is yet to be ascertained, although, for dogs, it is established that the minimum toxic dose is 3 grams, which is quite a high amount of THC. However, cats might detest the feeling of high like many people do.

Signs of toxicity

On inhaling marijuana smoke or munching some cannabis leaves, cats can show several symptoms like anxiety, dilated pupils, increased vocalization, drooling, and convulsions. Also, slow breathing rate, elevated blood pressure, and heart rate, and a reduction in body temperature were the other symptoms that did not last very long. However, marijuana can be dangerous on cats that are on medication for heart problems.

Ensuring pet safety

To protect your cat from marijuana exposure even unknowingly, keep it away from places where people smoke or vape marijuana because the THC particles carried by the smoke that floats in the air might settle down on the pet's fur. If the pet licks the place, it could result in some THC finding its way into the pet's system. Although the symptoms might not be too pronounced, it can have severe effects if the exposure is for a long time.

To avail the health benefits of marijuana, you must be careful about the THC content in the cannabis product to prevent pets' toxicity. Instead of marijuana, a safer choice is to use cannabidiol or CBD, which usually has low THC content not more than 0.3%, which does not cause high, and neither has any toxic effect on the animal.

Administering CBD oil to your cat or dog will help to avail the medical benefits of cannabis, which helps to reduce inflammation and pain, improves sleep, and reduces anxiety and stress while keeping the pet healthy and happy.

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