Cannabis for cats? Hear me out. Last spring I awoke around 4 a.m. to the cries of my little kitty, Jade. I had left the window open a crack, and she had managed to slip through it. I rushed outside, grabbing a blanket on the way to cover myself. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw what every cat owner fears: My kitty was being tossed in the air between two coyotes!
I screamed, which scared one of the coyotes away. But the other one was oblivious to my racket, maybe because coyote No. 2 had Jade clamped in its mouth. My motherly instinct kicked into overdrive, and I threw my blanket over the coyote and punched it twice. He dropped my little Jade and scurried off. I scooped up my baby and ran inside to safety.
She was breathing heavily and spitting up water. Fortunately for both of us, I have a background in animal rescue. I knew what to look for and I gave her a complete exam. As far as I could tell, she had no serious internal or external injuries — but she was suffering from shock, which in itself can be fatal.
After a few hours, her short quick breaths calmed down to a more normal state, but she was still wide-eyed and not herself. She had no appetite, so over the course of the next day I tried feeding her a concoction of yogurt and protein powder through a syringe every hour. I hoped to see her regain some strength, but instead I noticed that her gums began to turn gray, a sign that she was becoming more dehydrated and lacking proper nutrients. Hour by hour she grew weaker. She was fading fast.
Clearly, she needed further treatment if she was to heal and survive. But I was at a crossroads, with no money in savings to pay for veterinary care. I pleaded with several vets for help, promising them payment within a month. All of them turned me away, and I suspected mine was a promise too often made and broken. As a last resort, I asked one of my neighbors with a medical cannabis card to shot-gun smoke in Jade’s little kitten face to stimulate her appetite and maybe ease some of her stress.
Cannabis For Cats
My neighbor seemed a bit surprised by my request, but being a cannabis enthusiast, he was intrigued to see if this strategy might help. I held my little girl’s head as she tried to resist the smoke, and within a few minutes, she fell sound asleep. After a three-hour nap, she awoke and headed straight toward her yellow food dish. Her appetite had clearly been stimulated! She devoured a whole can of cat food then fell back into a blissful sleep.
Cannabis for cats? It’s a thing! Numerous studies have shown marijuana to have significant healing and pain relieving powers in animals, just as it has in humans. It has been proven time and time again that marijuana delivered by patch or canine cookie is safer for animals than many of the conventional drugs prescribed for our furry kids. CBD is also making ground in improving cat health.
However, just as with human pharmaceuticals, money and profit margins trump when it comes to veterinary medicine. The fortune to be made from an herb or holistic treatment can never compete with big pharma drugs, even in the animal world. This leaves our pets in a long-term state of dependence and us with a never-ending bill.
Accounts of animals in the wild ingesting mood-altering plants to alleviate pain are common and well known. How many of us can identify with the contented smile of a koala bear leaning back for a nap after eating his eucalyptus leaves? Or how about the relaxed reindeer in North America, known to gobble mind-altering mushrooms? And in New Zealand, five years of testing has revealed marijuana can stop mad cow disease, leaving many cows unharmed and anger–free.
Nearly a year has passed since my little kitty Jade’s harrowing encounter with the coyotes. Thankfully, she has only a chipped front tooth and a healthy fear of the outdoors to show for her traumatic event. For that, I’m grateful for the help of a neighbor and the healing powers of cannabis for cats.
Laura Anne Rowell is a freelance writer residing in Silverlake, CA. She has edited weekly papers, interviewed rock stars, done PR for music festivals along with SEO and research format freelance writing. Still her favorite thing to do on a Friday night is to put on an Eels album and spend the evening with her two cats.
Submit your story or essay to Buzzworthy Blogs
