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CBD for cats

There is not enough evidence to say CBD helps cats with any condition. Cats absorb CBD differently from dogs, and in Australia it needs a vet's prescription.

Facts checked 13 November 20264 min readHow we research

There is not enough evidence to say that CBD helps cats with any condition. The few published studies in cats measured how the body handles CBD, not whether it works. In Australia, CBD for a cat is lawful only on a veterinarian’s prescription.1

What does the research in cats show?

Our reading: not enough evidence.

Almost all pet CBD research has been done in dogs. For cats, we found three relevant sources.

A 12-week safety study. Researchers gave 8 cats and 8 dogs a CBD-rich hemp product at 2 mg/kg twice daily for 12 weeks. The study measured blood levels and side effects. It did not test whether CBD helped any condition.2

A dose-escalation study. A separate study gave cats single doses of increasing size to measure blood levels and tolerability.3 It too was not a test of benefit.

An evidence review for arthritis. A 2024 knowledge summary in the journal Veterinary Evidence looked for studies of oral CBD added to usual treatment in cats with osteoarthritis. Its search, run to September 2023, found no study that met its criteria. It concluded: “There is currently no evidence to recommend the use of CBD in cats for the treatment of OA.”4

The closest thing the review found was a report of a single cat. That cat’s product contained THC, the cat was also on a steroid, and the reviewers called it poor evidence.4

We found no controlled trial of CBD for anxiety, seizures, pain or appetite in cats.

Do cats absorb CBD differently from dogs?

Yes, on the evidence available. In the 12-week study, cats and dogs received the same dose for their body weight. The peak level of CBD in the blood averaged 43 ng/mL in cats and 301 ng/mL in dogs.2 That is about one seventh as much.

This has two consequences:

  • Results from dog trials cannot be assumed to apply to cats.
  • A dose worked out for a dog tells you nothing reliable about a cat.

It is not a reason to give a cat more. Nobody has established what blood level, if any, is useful in cats, or what is safe over the long term.

What side effects were seen in cats?

In the 12-week study:

  • one of the eight cats had a persistently raised ALT, a liver enzyme measured on blood tests
  • cats showed excessive licking and head-shaking when the oil was given.2

Eight cats is a very small number. Rare problems would not show up in a study of that size, and nothing is known about long-term use.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) says “early indications suggest CBD is likely to be relatively safe in animals” and that prescribing should be cautious.1

Is THC dangerous for cats?

The AVA’s warning covers animals generally: “We know that animals can be psychoactively affected by THC and can suffer severe complications which may be fatal.” It says the use of THC in animals “cannot be recommended”.1

The detailed poisoning studies we cite on this site were done in dogs. Human cannabis medicines, cannabis edibles and unregulated “CBD” products can all contain THC, so none should be given to a cat. See pet safety for the signs of poisoning and who to call.

Only through a vet. According to the AVA:

  • vets may prescribe CBD products that meet the Schedule 4 definition, where CBD makes up 98 per cent or more of the cannabinoids
  • CBD compounded by a licensed compounding pharmacy is permissible
  • Schedule 8 products (those with more THC) and Schedule 3 products are not allowed for animals
  • “to date”, the national veterinary medicines regulator (the APVMA) has not approved any medicinal cannabis product for animal use. That policy was ratified in July 2023, and we could not confirm the position as of November 2026.1

The AVA adds that where a registered veterinary medicine can achieve the result, it should be used, and that “there should be demonstrable benefits to justify choosing medicinal cannabinoids over the available registered medicines”.1

The law is covered in more detail on CBD for pets in Australia.

Are hemp seed oil products for cats the same thing?

No. Hemp seed oil is a food oil that may contain only a trace of CBD, no more than 75 mg per kilogram.5 It is not CBD oil. See CBD oil vs hemp seed oil.

What should you raise with your vet?

  • What is causing the problem, and which registered treatments exist for it.
  • Every medicine and supplement your cat takes.
  • Whether blood tests are needed, given the liver enzyme finding above.
  • Exactly what any proposed product contains, including whether it has any THC.

The vet chooses the product and sets the dose. This site does not give doses for animals.

Footnotes

  1. Australian Veterinary Association. Use of medicinal cannabis in animals (policy, ratified 20 July 2023). https://www.ava.com.au/policy/use-of-medicinal-cannabis-in-animals ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. Deabold KA and others. Single-dose pharmacokinetics and preliminary safety assessment with use of CBD-rich hemp nutraceutical in healthy dogs and cats. Animals, 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6826847/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Escalating single-dose pharmacokinetic study of cannabinoids in cats. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10092881/ ↩

  4. Veterinary Evidence. The therapeutic effectiveness of oral cannabidiol in addition to current treatment in cats with osteoarthritis (knowledge summary), 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12710401 ↩ ↩2

  5. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩

Common questions

Can cats have CBD oil?

Only if a vet prescribes it. The Australian Veterinary Association says vets may prescribe CBD-only products that meet the Schedule 4 definition. There is not enough evidence to say it helps cats with any condition.

Does CBD help cats with arthritis?

Nobody knows. A 2024 knowledge summary in the journal Veterinary Evidence searched for studies of oral CBD in cats with osteoarthritis and found none that qualified. It concluded there is currently no evidence to recommend it.

Is CBD safe for cats?

The data are very limited. In a 12-week study of eight cats, one had a persistently raised liver enzyme, and cats licked and shook their heads when dosed. The Australian Veterinary Association says early indications suggest CBD is likely to be relatively safe in animals but advises cautious prescribing.

Can I give my cat a product made for dogs or people?

No. Cats handle CBD differently from dogs, and human cannabis products often contain THC, which the Australian Veterinary Association says can cause severe and sometimes fatal complications in animals.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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