Best and worst cat treats

peer jones

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Kat goes a bit nuts for Friskies Party mix, prefers the 'Beachside Crunch' over original.

Only has about half tablespoonful once or twice a month though

He also really likes vanilla Activia (and peach, but not the bits of fruit)

I won't open cup when he's in the house now as he want's a share and somehow makes me feel guilty for not sharing (my fault for letting him taste it in the first place)

It got to where it was teaspoon for me, teaspoon for him (I put it in his bowl, we don't share spoon
)
 
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kittylover23

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Kat goes a bit nuts for Friskies Party mix, prefers the 'Beachside Crunch' over original.

Only has about half tablespoonful once or twice a month though

He also really likes vanilla Activia (and peach, but not the bits of fruit)

I won't open cup when he's in the house now as he want's a share and somehow makes me feel guilty for not sharing (my fault for letting him taste it in the first place)

It got to where it was teaspoon for me, teaspoon for him (I put it in his bowl, we don't share spoon
)
OH MY GOSH!!! This is just like Cookie!!
She loves Activia yogurt! Whenever I finish my yogurt every morning I have to let her lick the container clean.
 

skytracer929

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Keep in mind raw egg whites contain an enzyme that can cause issues for the cat. This can basically interfere with the cats absorption of thiamine (B Vitamin)....

Additionally raw meat can cause food poisoning... even in cats. Yes, in the wild cats would eat raw meat, however now that they are in a household, it doesnt have to reply on raw meat.

However, the store bought foods often contain grains that aren't the best for the cat. Cats dont really have a use for carbs. High protein and moderate fat is best.

Look for foods that dont have soy, corn, or wheat. However, if you can't afford these foods then stick to one that doesnt use any of the products as the top ingredients. Many foods have alot of fillers.

Also, for treats, most treats have calories. Its safe to give a cat a couple here and there. However, dont over do it.... I use temptations. However, I'm sure cooked chicken, freeze dried chicken, or cooked turkey might be healthier ways to go.

Also one last thing on the food issue... Its good to provide your cat with some wet food daily. Cats by nature dont always drink as much water as they should. Canned/ wet food can help a cat stay hydrated.

If you want more info on the foods to avoid, such as raw, dairy etc... Visit: http://pets.webmd.com/cats/ss/slideshow-foods-your-cat-should-never-eat
 

ldg

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Keep in mind raw egg whites contain an enzyme that can cause issues for the cat. This can basically interfere with the cats absorption of thiamine (B Vitamin)....
You're referring to avadin. In small amounts, there's no issue with raw egg white. If fed with the yolk, there isn't any issue. And if cooked, that renders the avadin inactive.
.

Additionally raw meat can cause food poisoning... even in cats. Yes, in the wild cats would eat raw meat, however now that they are in a household, it doesnt have to reply on raw meat.
Sadly, pet treats and food can also cause food poisoning, especially dry treats and food. Google "pet treat recall" or "pet food recall." When feeding raw food to our animals, not only are we feeding a species-appropriate diet, but we're feeding human grade food, not the garbage of the garbage of human food production. For anyone with concerns about bacteria or parasites in raw food, here are some resources:

http://catcentric.org/care-and-health/salmonella-e-coli-and-listeria-oh-my/

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/248317/raw-feeding-and-parasites-questions

Oh - and here's a list of recalls: http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/safetyhealth/recallswithdrawals/default.htm You'll find everything from contamination with antibiotics to salmonella.

TCS has a raw feeding forum. I have yet to see a cat sick from raw food.


If you want more info on the foods to avoid, such as raw, dairy etc... Visit: http://pets.webmd.com/cats/ss/slideshow-foods-your-cat-should-never-eat
If the risk of bacterial contamination were the only criteria, then we couldn't feed our pets anything.
 

harleydiva

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I spent an hour in the local pet store one day, reading the ingredients list on all the cat treats.  I found most of them to be really bad.....especially when I am being so careful to provide them with no grains and only healthy foods.  (I feed raw).  I did find one treat that wasn't totally awful....Evo Wild Cravings.  The cats loved them the first time I picked up a couple of packages....so I ordered 4 more.  Fed the first package....and then saw the notice that they had been recalled!!  At this point, I will feed only freeze dried treats.  I have done Pure Bites (from the dog aisle), Whole Life.....and most recently, have been ordering from Absolute Pet Treats after talking with the guy at the cat show (www.absolutepettreats.com).  Quality is good, cats love them, all ingredients from the US, and pricing is very good.  I use chicken, turkey, and occasionally liver.  I just ordered 3 large bags which should last me quite a while.  

I have a puzzle box (catamazing.com) that the guys love to fish treats from once or twice a week.  We also have a bedtime ritual.....all three follow me to the bedroom, where I toss a few treats on the bed.....don't think they would let me go to sleep if I didn't do it....lol.   (I'm well trained.)  I also crumble freeze dried treats, or freeze dried raw (Stella & Chewy's)  on top of their less favorite foods.  
 

pat

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My favorite treats - based on my desire to only give my kitties single protein nothing added treats, and to offer that to my customers, are Kitty Kaviar, Wildside Salmon, the Whole Life line of pet treats (which I admire greatly for their "from the farm to you" approach with a list of their sources), and the Fresh is Best line of raw treats.
My cats adore Whole Life Cod, the wildside and KK (as I call it) the best.  For an appetite stimulant, I use Dr. Becker's Bites Appetite Flakes - which is bison and beef liver flakes - and nothing else :)
 
 
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taz mom

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I've been giving my Taz either Greenies - Oven Roasted Chicken Flavor or the My Little Lion - Chicken Flavor.  He loves both of these and he's on top of you as soon as he hears the bag.  Sometimes he comes running as soon as he hears the drawer the Greenies are in open.  Now that I've taken him off of dry food completely, that'll be his only "crunchy".  He only gets up to 6 treats a day.  Usually we use them for praise.  Now with all the talk of grain free, I'm wondering if I need to switch out my treats as well.  Since he doesn't get that many and not on a daily basis, do you think the little grain that's in there will be ok?

Taz Mom
 

vball91

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If Taz doesn't have a grain sensitivity, then a little grain probably isn't going to hurt him. However, I would be cautious about feeding a non-healthy snack every day, even if it's only a little. I haven't reviewed the ingredients of the Greenies, so I'm not sure how unhealthy they are, but a healthier snack that he might like just as much are some of the freeze-dried meat only treats mentioned above. Most cats love the FD chicken. Maybe when you're done with this bag of current treats, you could switch over?
 

ninabey

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You guys are so lucky!! I always wanted to get whole life and pure bite treats but it seems that amazon doesnt ship to the place where I am living in!
 

luvmy4

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My cats go crazy over freeze dried treats. Lately I have been buying the simply nourish ones. Cali loves the shrimp ones and the other cats like the turkey. They are low in calories so I don't have to worry about treating the Lily and Calvin who have a little chunk to lose. 
 

pinkman

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I've become a fan of Fresh is Best's freeze-dried RAW duck hearts. I would suggest to cut them in half though. 
 

pat

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I've become a fan of Fresh is Best's freeze-dried RAW duck hearts. I would suggest to cut them in half though. 
I love the Fresh is Best line..great little company with great products.
 

sivyaleah

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I was picking up my usual freeze dried treats the other day, and the guy that owns the store and I got to talking.  He mentioned that the ones Orijens makes for dogs, are appropriate for cats as well - since they are all protein also, nothing else.  It's just that the company markets them for dogs for some reason.  They come in a myriad of flavors, boar, beef, duck, lamb and bison plus 3 that are mixtures of various proteins some which include fish.

I bought the lamb, because I knew for sure Casper likes that (duck he hates).  They are much larger pieces than a cat treat, so I split one between my two cats.  Big hit.  

Ingredients are boneless lamb, lamb liver and lamb tripe. 45% protein, 55% fat, 0% carbs.

It's expensive, I think it was like $7 or $8 for the bag, but since the pieces are so large, you're getting a lot and it should last at least a couple of months or more for 1 cat.  
 
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pinkman

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 It's just that the company markets them for dogs for some reason.


I don't think I've bought any freeze-dried treats that are actually marketed for cats only ever. I always look for the dog-sized one since the pieces can be larger, and often cheaper. Plus there is more variety. I have no idea Whole Life's raw venison cubes are meant just for dogs, or their lamb. 
 

pat

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I don't think I've bought any freeze-dried treats that are actually marketed for cats only ever. I always look for the dog-sized one since the pieces can be larger, and often cheaper. Plus there is more variety. I have no idea Whole Life's raw venison cubes are meant just for dogs, or their lamb. 
Hi, whole life's venison and lamb is not just for dogs .  It just has to do with how they now do their labeling.  For the lamb - they label the 1 oz. and the 3.3 oz. for dogs, but the 8 oz. size is labeled for "dogs & cats". The venison is the same way.  I am just happy they went back to having a "for cats' label on their 4 oz.chicken - it was confusing for my long time customers when they changed to labeling that size as for dogs, for about a year :)
 

sivyaleah

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I don't think I've bought any freeze-dried treats that are actually marketed for cats only ever. I always look for the dog-sized one since the pieces can be larger, and often cheaper. Plus there is more variety. I have no idea Whole Life's raw venison cubes are meant just for dogs, or their lamb. 
I had NO idea about this before I spoke to the owner of the store.  He and I were having a really good chat about cat nutrition, and when he realized I knew a lot about it, he took the chance of steering me over to that aisle to explain it to me.  I'm happy he did.  I've never owned dogs, so never would have realized it had he not mentioned it.
 

pat

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My point was that these two particular Whole Life treats are the same - whether the label says for dogs or for cats. If someone was saying that because one size said for dogs, that the venison or lamb treats are not for cats, that would not be correct.

  Whole Life Pure Meat and their single ingredient fish treats contain a single protein - and no additives or preservatives..  These are sold and meant to be treats - not the sole diet for a cat or dog, so I don't consider the lack of vitamins etc. an issue. 
 
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pat

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I wonder if it is a legal thing, as dog treats have no taurine?
Please go to: Whole Life Pet Products   It is a superb company with incredible detailed information as to the source of the proteins and fish used in their treats.  Their cat and dog treats are fantastic! I feed them to my cats, and offer them to customers with no hesitations.
 
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