The Cat Treat Conspiracy

Debra’s cats don’t look like they were feral; they’re quite plump and round. Now housecats, these fortunate felines are exercising less than they did when outside, have consistent food sources, which they didn’t have previously and, on top of that, are getting treats. Sheepishly, Debra explains that she resorted to using food as a way of bonding to her feral friends.

In fact, Duncan, one of the former ferals, is trained to “come and sit” thanks to his love for tasty treats. (He doesn’t “come” very fast, and he sits because he’s too lazy to keep standing or fussing. But don’t tell Debra that!)

Debra feeds a wholesome diet of premium cat foods, so treats wouldn’t have been so bad for the fleshy felines; it’s the type of treats she was feeding that may be part of the issue.

Aside from trying to teach cats new tricks, cat treats can be a nice reward for taking medication or are useful themselves for hiding medication that you need to give your cat.

Though kitty treats shouldn’t be fed in a volume, owners may wish to take the same health precautions as they do when selecting cat foods. Cat treats can be nefarious for having ingredients that you should not be feeding your cat. After all, they’re treats! They’re made to taste really good. More often than not, they’re the feline equivalent of junk food.

If you must feed your cat treats, one or two a day is fine. But don’t go overboard with four or six a day as that’s too many.

In reading cat treat ingredient labels, and disbelieving any hype on the front label, you can learn much about what makes up most cat treats. And, though they certainly do not need to meet the same nutrient requirements as cat food, they shouldn’t have unhealthy ingredients.

Some ingredients to avoid in cat treats include:
1. sugar and all its forms—sucrose, corn syrup,
2. preservatives like ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT
3. artificial colors

Other things to consider with cat treats:
1. select low calorie treats
2. check the grains and fillers versus real meat
3. added vitamins and mineral can be a problem for cats or prescription diets, especially if you feed too many treats!

Some owners use wholesome people food as treats like fruits and vegetables. Others use a dollop of canned food as a treat for cats. An interesting homemade cat treat is if you blend canned cat food to a whipped texture and then put dollops on a cookie sheet and bake until they are hard.

Just keep in mind that the idea of treats is a human concept. Kitty doesn’t miss them if he doesn’t get them. Many a cat owner has never fed her cat treats. But if it’s something you’d like to do, or a way to give your cat a special reward for particular behavior or for having endured the stress of getting a pill, a treat or two a day isn’t going to hurt anyone.

Next article: What Kinds of Cat Treats Are Good for My Cat?

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Different Type Of Cat Treats