Spider is a 17-year-old tabby boy with kidney disease, which was diagnosed in March 2015. He was also found to have a malignant tumor (an adenocarcinoma), which was removed from his right ear in June this year.

Sadly, there isn’t much we can do about illnesses that come from old age, which in cats tend to be kidney failure, cancer, or thyroid problems. However, we can treat the symptoms and work on the best quality of life we can possibly give our elderly furbabies.

I use medical cannabis myself, in the form of oil, to dampen the 24/7 rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia pain that even the strongest painkillers won’t touch. So I searched the internet for something similar that might also help animals with cancer, pain issues, or other ailments.

I came across Canna-Pet and ordered a two-month supply of its Canna-Pet Advanced for Small Pets. A week into giving Spider his new meds, he started acting like a new cat. He has always been a fussy eater, and over the past 12 months he has at times stopped eating and lost more than a pound. Since taking Canna-Pet, he has been eating vigorously and has regained the weight he lost. For his age he is still very playful, but now he plays even more. He is also more affectionate and much more active in general. The tumor removed from his ear shows no signs of growing back.

Before using Canna-Pet, every night Spider cried or howled, and it got quite noisy. My vets tried giving him anti-epileptics, but they had no effect. For whatever reason – pain, anxiety, senility – he stopped his nightly howling after a week on Canna-Pet pills.

I am over the moon to have found something that helps Spider regain the quality of life he deserves in his old age. While Canna-Pet obviously will not reverse the natural aging process or cure terminal illnesses, it does appear to help keep pets happy and relatively healthy — hopefully until the day they cross the Rainbow Bridge.

I caught up with Canna-Pet CEO Dan Goldfarb for some more information about his company’s products.

Barbarella Buchner: How did you get the idea of treating animals with natural cannabinoids?

Dan Goldfarb: The desire to improve the quality of life in all animals is what ignited the passion behind Canna-Pet. We wanted a to help animals feel their best that was actually good for them. Modern pharmaceuticals have side effects and harmful long-term effects we think are important to avoid, so we wanted to create something that was natural and didn’t cause negative side effects even when used for years.

There is more than 30 years of documented research on small animals and cannabinoids with positive results. Ultimately, we saw the value from this research and were able to harness hemp’s healing properties, specifically for pets.

Tell us more about the plant you derive your product from. I understand this is not the same as the cannabis plant for human use.

Canna-Pet products are made from European-sourced industrial hemp, which has been used as an animal food and as a natural supplement for humans and animals for thousands of years. The hemp we use is non-psychoactive with minimal traces of THC [the psychoactive component in cannabis], making it safe, veterinarian recommended, and even covered by many pet insurers now.

When most people think of cannabis, they think of the drug form of marijuana or medical marijuana. What most people don’t know is that this drug form of cannabis, which contains high levels of THC resulting in the psychoactive effect, is just one type of cannabis. It’s like the difference between breeds of dogs. Golden Retrievers and Chihuahuas are two specific breeds of dogs, but they’re still both dogs. The difference is that they demonstrate wildly different physical and personality traits because they were bred differently.

We take hemp and we “breed” it differently. We make sure that the hemp we use in Canna-Pet products has nearly zero THC. Canna-Pet hemp products are formulated to be non-psychoactive, highly concentrated, and absorbed directly into an animal’s mouth without the hemp taste.

Do only cats and dogs take Canna-Pet, or do other animals such as rabbits or horses also benefit?

Although most of our customers are cat and dog owners, we work with dozens of species, including parrots, macaws, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, goats, pigs, and horses. We want everyone to see the best results for their pets so we work directly with our customers to figure out the perfect plan. We also adjust feeding instructions over time to determine the optimal amount of Canna-Pet each animal should be taking in order to see the biggest benefits. Truth be told, the basic guidance by species and weight works for more than 95 percent of pets — but we are there for our customers who need more help.

What do customers use Canna-Pet for?

Issues such as allergies, anxiety, pain, inflammation, seizures, side effects of cancer treatments including loss of appetite, and nausea. Many of our customers seek to reduce or replace prescription drugs, though we always suggest to ask your vet before taking your pet off any medications. Aside from chronic issues, we also see many animals who experience situational anxiety during storms, car trips, and similar scenarios.

Caroline Coile, a canine expert, recently wrote a book titled Cannabis and CBD Science for Dogs, which explores not only how cannabinoids work, but also reviews specific therapeutic options they offer all small animals, including cats. [Coile is a contributor on Catster’s sister site, Dogster.]

Some vets say that treating animals with natural cannabinoids is not effective. What evidence do you have that it works?

No study is going to tell you what is perfect for your pet. Colorado State University has conducted research on our products, and the results speak for themselves. Other universities have studies under way — but those may not be published until 2017.

Canna-Pet is the only cannabinoid brand for pets recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. We provide a money-back satisfaction guarantee, and we encourage people to try our products in their own home. In practice, we find that more than 99 percent of customers are satisfied. So, we guarantee that Canna-Pet offers unique and singularly effective products.

You can visit Canna-Pet on its website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Have you tried your cat on Canna-Pet or similar cannabinoids to treat any medical issues in your cats? What were the results? Let us know in the comments.

About the Author: Barbarella Buchner — Ailurophile. Geeky Goth Girl. Ex-Musician Singer/Songwriter. Photographer. Web Designer. Fibromyalgia + RA Sufferer. And totally mad. She originally hails from Hannover (Germany), then moved to London, and since 2004 has lived on the tropical island of Lanzarote, together with her tabby twins Lugosi & Spider, and ginger queen Ruby Akasha. She is a photographer, and she works as a freelance web and graphic designer and occasional Catster/Dogster contributor.