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Cats get stressed just like humans. Some grow anxious when their owners leave them for extended periods. Others feel uncomfortable when new people come into the home. They also get stressed by disruptions to their lives, like moving, getting a new pet, or living with a new person. Cat treats can come in helpful for these situations.
When your cat gets stressed, you may notice some behavioral changes. For example, they might start to hide, be less tolerant of people, excessively hiss, scratch furniture, or change eating patterns. It’s likely heartbreaking to see your cat distressed, but you might be able to help them find some relief with CBD treats.
CBD has grown in popularity as a homeopathic remedy for various ailments such as stress, joint pain, skin irritation, and sleep troubles. Seeing how much it’s helped humans, many companies expanded their CBD products into pet-friendly lines so your anxious cat can experience the calming benefits of CBD.
To help you sift through the hundreds of calming CBD cat products, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite healthy cat treats:
- Best Calming Cat Treats Overall – JustCBD Cat Treats
- Runner Up – HolistaPet CBD Cat Treats
- Best Natural Ingredients – MedTerra CBD Calming Pet Chews
- Best Cat Treats for Large Consumption – CBD American Shaman Kitty Nugs
- Best Treats for Sensitive Stomachs – Koi CBD Cat Treats
Not sure which CBD cat product is right for your feline friend? We’ve put together a list of our top five calming CBD products to help you find the right match for your cat.
1. Best Calming Cat Treats Overall – Just CBD
JustPets Cat Treats are the best overall CBD treats for your anxious cat. JustPets creates these calming treats with hemp-derived cannabidiol and essential vitamins and minerals such as folic acid, vitamin K, and riboflavin to improve your cat’s overall wellness. Entice your cat with the famous chicken flavor, or surprise them with a variety jar filled with chicken, fish, liver, and turkey options.
Pros:
- Derived from organic and domestic hemp
- Inexpensive compared to other CBD cat treats
- Free from pesticides and GMOs
Cons:
- You can only get the liver, fish, or turkey flavors in the mix pack
Why we like it: Cats are relatively small animals, so having a treat containing one milligram of CBD makes it easy to gradually increase or decrease your cat’s dose for the desired effects. We also love that JustCBD’s pet products come from organic hemp grown and extracted in the USA. They also provide full transparency of their products with third-party lab testing to ensure they are the highest quality CBD cat treats.
How to feed to your cat: Each treat is one milligram of CBD. The recommended dose for the average cat is three to four treats at a time. You should not exceed two servings or eight treats in 12 hours.
2. Runner Up – HolistaPet CBD Cat Treats
HolistaPet is one of the top suppliers of high-quality CBD treats for pets. For your cat with sensitive stomach issues, try the HolistaPet CBD Cat Treats made with all-natural ingredients to soothe your cat’s stomach and aid in digestive nausea.
The HolistaPet CBD Cat Treats are made with full spectrum CBD and other cannabinoids to help your stressed-out feline feel more at ease. Their CBD cat treats are also grain-free, nutritious, and packed with a salmon flavor your cat won’t want to resist.
Pros:
- Also great for mobility, joints, inflammation, skin allergies, digestive nausea, and aging
- Made with all-natural ingredients
- 30-day money-back guarantee and free shipping
Cons:
- Only comes in salmon flavor
Why we like it: The all-natural ingredients list is one of our top reasons for loving HolistaPet CBD Cat Treats. There are no artificial flavors or fillers, only salmon, chicken, peas, yeast, and other natural products. We also love that the company is cruelty-free, and none of its products contain THC.
How to feed to your cat: There are two mg of CBD per cat treat. Give your cat one treat for every four pounds of body weight. You can repeat that dosing every four to eight hours as your cat needs.
3. Best Natural Ingredients – MedTerra
Check out the MedTerra CBD Calming Pet Chews if your cat prefers a softer treat. These bacon-flavored soft chews combine CBD with botanical ingredients to give your cat a boost of calm.
Pros:
- Made from organically grown hemp
- No GMOs
- Subscription options available
- Made from USA-grown hemp
Cons:
- Treats come in 10 mg of CBD, making it hard to dose for smaller cats
Why we like it: Aside from the CBD, these calming pet chews also contain Valerian root and L-Tryptophan. Valerian root has calming effects to help boost your cat’s relaxation. L-Tryptophan is a natural amino acid that can provide better sleep and anxiety relief.
How to feed to your cat: Each chew contains 10 mg of CBD. Start with half a treat to see how your cat reacts. If it seems that your cat is not having the desired effects, you can increase the dose to one treat. Do not exceed more than one treat for cats that weigh less than 10 pounds.
4. Best Cat Treats for Large Consumption – CBD American Shaman
If your anxious cat prefers more than one or two treats, try the CBD American Shaman Kitty Nugs. You can mix these full spectrum cat treats with your cat’s regular food to give them a tasty surprise at mealtime.
CBD American Shaman uses only top-grade hemp plants from USA-based farms that practice agriculture responsibility, so you can feel confident your cat is receiving the best quality CBD treats.
Pros:
- Made with full-spectrum CBD
- Vitamin-rich
- 45-day guarantee
Cons:
- Only comes in chicken flavor
Why we like it: CBD American Shaman Kitty Nugs are chicken-flavored cat treats made from chicken, peas, potatoes, salmon, carrots, beets, and various other vegetables. It’s also filled with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12 to keep your cat’s blood and nerves healthy and riboflavin to help your cat’s body use carbohydrates.
How to feed to your cat: This treat can supplement your cat’s regular food. There are 10 mg of CBD per cup of food. Start with ¼ cup of food once a day—you can mix it with your cat’s regular food or feed it to them by itself.
If your cat is not showing the desired effects, you can increase the dose to ½ cup of treats a day. To keep your cat from overeating, adjust the amount of regular food you give to account for the extra calories from these treats.
5. Best Treats for Sensitive Stomachs – Koi CBD Cat Treats
Promote happiness and healthiness in your cat with Koi salmon-flavored CBD cat treats. Made with full-spectrum hemp CBD and natural ingredients, your cat will find these calming treats delicious, calming, and delightful.
Pros:
- Made with full-spectrum hemp CBD and natural ingredients
- High in protein and fiber
- No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
- Veterinarian formulated
Cons:
- Only comes in salmon flavor
Why we like it: Koi CBD uses quality ingredients to ensure the highest quality treats for your cat. These salmon-flavored CBD treats contain full-spectrum hemp extract, salmon, chicken, peas, and natural flavoring to entice your cat.
We also appreciate Koi’s transparency on products making the COA available for every product batch available on their website. The COAs are lab results ensuring there are no detectable levels of THC and no contaminants like pesticides and solvents. In addition, these treats are veterinarian formulated and free of gluten, dairy, preservatives, and artificial flavors.
How to feed to your cat: Each treat has two milligrams of CBD. The recommended dosage is one treat for every four pounds of body fat. Do not give your cat more than one serving within eight to twelve hours.
If your cat still seems stressed after the initial dose, you can increase the treat by one after the first eight hours.
When we were deciding on the best healthy cat treats to recommend, there were a lot of factors that we took into consideration. We liked to see each of the treats and companies adhering to the majority of the following criteria:
Customer Reviews
Companies and brands can rave about their products, but what customers say matters to us. Customer reviews let us know that the products work and that people are satisfied with their purchases. They also let us know about potential red flags to consider. We like to see calming treats with at least a four star out of five rating before giving a product our stamp of approval.
Price
We want readers to enjoy the products we feature, which means they should be affordable. While we may feature a few slightly more expensive products than the average CBD cat treats, most products we share fall into similar price ranges.
Some considerations we take into account when it comes to pricing include:
- High-quality ingredients
- Potency of CBD (the more potent, usually the more expensive)
- Amount of healthy treats included in each package
Brand Reputation
There are a lot of CBD companies, and not all of them follow ethical protocols when it comes to their CBD growth, extraction, and production. Reputable CBD brands should provide transparency on where they get their hemp and how they extract the oils.
They should also use third-party testing to ensure the safety and potency of each product. A trustworthy brand should also have customer reviews, contact information, and dosing instructions.
All of the calming treats for cats we have on our list have their third-party lab test results available online, so you can look at exactly what you’re feeding your cat.
Shipping and Return Policies
We try to find calming treats brands with free or low-cost shipping to help keep the overall investment in your cat’s health low. We also want to find companies willing to ship nationwide, including Alaska and Hawaii, because we don’t want your location interfering with your cat’s ability to get the best CBD.
We also look into return policies. Every cat is different, and some CBD treats may not be the right fit for your cat. If you’re not satisfied with a product, you should have the option for an exchange or refund. We also find that brands with a refund policy are confident in their treats and genuinely want to find suitable CBD healthy treats for your feline friend.
Ingredients
We want to ensure the products we recommend are healthy and safe for your cat. Therefore, we tend to favor companies that use all-natural or human-grade ingredients. We also look for products free of GMOs, artificial ingredients, and pesticides.
We want to ensure these treats don’t interfere with your cat’s diet and only offer the benefits you need.
What to Consider When Buying Cat Treats
The endless options can feel overwhelming for cat owners new to calming CBD products for their cats. When searching for the right CBD treat for your cat, consider the following.
- Flavors – Many CBD cat treats come in only one or two flavors, usually salmon or chicken. Not all cats like fish or chicken flavors. If your feline friends are picky, you may want to explore additional CBD treat options that your cat will enjoy.
- Calories – If you’re giving your cat multiple CBD treats per day to help manage their anxiety, you may want to consider the calorie count of each treat. You don’t want to overfeed your cat (especially senior cats) and cause weight issues, which can lead to additional problems such as stiff joints or poor digestion.
- Ingredients – You want to look for healthy and safe cat calming treats, which means finding products that primarily come from real food, such as chicken, fish, and vegetables. You can look for labels that say “all-natural” or “human-grade,” meaning the ingredients in the treats are safe for human consumption. You can also look for products free of preservatives and artificial colors and flavors.
- CBD Potency – Sometimes CBD treats are labeled as pet or pet-friendly, meaning they are safe for cats and dogs. These treats often have a higher amount of CBD per treat. A single treat may contain too much CBD for your cat. Look for products that have 1 mg or 2 mg of CBD per treat for easy and safe dosing.
- Brand Reputation – There are a lot of CBD brands out there, and not all of them follow ethical protocols. Visit a reputable brand’s website. You should easily find information about their product testing, background on the company, and if they’re related to any affiliations such as the National Hemp Association or Hemp Industries Association. A trustworthy brand should also have reviews from verified buyers and customer service information if you have questions. You can also Google a brand’s name to see if there are generally positive or negative sentiments about their products.
Types of CBD Cat Treats
As a cat owner, you’ve probably seen the wide variety of treats available for your fur baby. And chances are, there is perhaps a consistency of treat your cat prefers. The good news is that CBD treats also come in various types, so you’re sure to find something your feline friend will love.
- Crunchy – Crunchy cat treats are perhaps the most popular type out there. They have the consistency of dry food and give your cat a bit of crispiness when they eat. Crunchy treats can also be good for your cat’s oral as they tend to not stick to your cat’s teeth, causing less build-up and tartar than other treats.
- Chews – Chews are the soft option for a cat treat. They’re still in a solid form, but they have a softer consistency. Chews are a great option for senior cats who may have difficulty eating crunchy treats.
- Freeze-Dried – Freeze-dried cat treats have a similar look and consistency to crunchy treats, but they are minimally processed and often made with all-natural ingredients, making them a healthier option for your cat.
- Lickables – Lickable treats are similar to wet food. They have a water base to make it easy for your cat to lick instead of chew. Lickable treats are great for mixing with other foods to encourage your cat to try something new.
Benefits of CBD Cat Treats
The Federal Drug and Food Administration (FDA) does not allow companies to make any claims about the effects of CBD in terms of health concerns. However, many CBD products are safe for cats, and even many vets support the use of CBD products.
One of the main benefits of cat calming CBD treats is to reduce the symptoms of stress or anxiety in your cat. When your cat eats a CBD treat, it will likely experience a sense of calmness, making its stress less intense. In some cases, this calmness can help them sleep better and feel comfortable eating in stressful situations.
CBD treats can also aid your cat in minor discomfort. Many cat owners find CBD to improve their cat’s mobility and decrease joint pain due to CBD’s anti-inflammatory nature. Additional reported benefits include an improved mood, shiner coat, and overall improved wellness.
Giving Your Cat CBD Treats for the First Time
Cat owners need to consider a few things when trying CBD treats for the first time.
- All cats are different. Cats react differently to CBD. Some cats experience lasting effects after a single dose. Others need a few doses or higher doses before they get calm. If you have multiple cats, keep in mind that they may need different amounts, even if they are of similar age and size.
- Not all cats will enjoy the flavor of all CBD treats. You can try placing the treats in your cat’s food or consider a different flavor or brand. If you have a picky eater, your cat may resist eating CBD treats.
- CBD is for adult cats. It is not recommended to use CBD with cats less than 12 weeks old.
- Start with a small dose and see how your cat reacts. Start CBD with the smallest recommended dose and keep a close eye on your cat in the hours after you administer the CBD. CBD may cause side effects, such as dry mouth, nausea, or diarrhea. If your cat experiences any of those effects, cease using CBD and talk to your vet about whether CBD is suitable for your cat.
- CBD is safe but check with your vet before you use it. Most cats have no side effects or concerns about using CBD. However, if your cat has a health concern or is on medication, you should consult with your vet to ensure the CBD won’t interfere with their health.
Other Products to Calm Stressed Out Cats
Not all cats are fans of CBD treats. If your cat doesn’t like the flavors or consistency of most treats, there are other CBD options you can try.
- Oils – CBD oils come from extracting CBD from cannabis and diluting it with an oil like hemp seed oil. Most CBD oils come with a dropper which makes them easy to dose. You can give your cat CBD oil orally by shooting the recommended amount directly under the tongue or mixing the oil with cat food.
- Paste – CBD paste is similar to a lickable treat, but they generally come in a syringe-like tube. The syringe aspect makes it easy to dose the paste. You place the tube’s opening in the corner of your cat’s mouth. You can also mix the paste in with cat food.
- Sprays – If your cat does not like eating anything other than its cat food, you can try a CBD spray. Sprays are similar to oils, but you spray them on their fur instead of having your cat consume the CBD. The CBD seeps in through the skin, providing your cat with calmness and comfort.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are CBD cat treats?
CBD cat treats are pet-friendly treats infused with CBD. Most pet owners use CBD treats to help their cats feel calm or relieve anxiety. Some CBD cat treats can also help with skin irritations, joint stiffness, mobility, digestive troubles, or inflammation.
Is CBD safe for pets?
Most veterinarians agree that CBD is generally safe for cats. However, each cat may have slightly different reactions, and some may have side effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, or a loss of appetite. In addition, CBD may not be safe for some cats on medications or with certain health complications. If you’re considering CBD for your cat, speak with your veterinarian to ensure there are no concerns.
Does CBD help calm stressed-out cats?
CBD products can help stressed-out cats feel calmer. Like the effects seen in humans, CBD can provide a therapeutic effect to counteract stress.
How many treats can I give my cat per day?
How many treats you can safely give your cat depends on the amount of CBD per treat. It also depends on your cat’s size, age, and overall health. CBD brands recommend a dose of two to four milligrams of CBD for a ten-pound cat. You can repeat the dosage three to five times a day, leaving a few hours between doses.
Again, each brand and treat is different, so it’s vital to read the directions and follow the recommended dosage instructions.
Can my cat have CBD treats daily?
Unless otherwise noted by your vet, it is safe for your cat to have CBD treats every day. Daily CBD servings may help maximize the benefits of CBD to promote overall calmness and improved well-being.
What are the healthiest cat treats?
The healthiest cat treats generally come from human-grade ingredients. If a treat uses human-grade ingredients, that means the contents of the cat treat are legally safe for humans to consume.
Some common ingredients found in healthy cat treats that can calm our feline friends include green tea extract, chicken meal, and salmon meal.
What are lickable cat treats?
Lickable cat treats have a similar consistency to wet cat food. Manufacturers usually make them with water and a meat puree and sell them in pouches. You can squeeze the lickable treat on your cat’s favorite food or treats or allow them to like it right out of the container.
What happens if I give my cat too many treats?
If you give your cat too much CBD, you may notice side effects such as dry mouth, vomiting, diarrhea, or drowsiness. Your cat may also experience low blood pressure. If your cat is experiencing any side effects of CBD, contact your veterinarian.
If your cat is new to CBD, start them with the lowest recommended dose. Don’t administer any more once you notice your cat is experiencing the intended benefits. Also, avoid combining different CBD products. Talk with your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about your cat’s reaction to CBD.
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