Good treats on a budget?

laralove

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So I bought Oliver some Vitakitty Tilapia treats. Actually bought them a day or so before I adopted him. They're jerky and he doesn't really seem to like them that much, though he does eat them. Then tonight, I was at the store and decided to pick up some Temptations. I really wish I'd read the ingredients list first. I gave him one when I got home and he really seemed to like it. Then I read the ingredients list. Meh.

I read through some older posts here and see a lot of people give Temptations. Maybe no big deal as a treat, but I'd rather give him something more like the Vitakitty (just meat and supplements), but that's a better texture. I think it's that it's a little dried slice that he doesn't really like it. It falls out of his mouth, sticks to the floor. It's sort of a burden. Are there any affordable treats with a good ingredient list?

I looked on Amazon and saw Feline Greenies Dental Treats Oven Roasted Chicken for a really good price. That seemed great until I read some reviews that included warnings, then did some research. So not sure about those. Freeze dried seems good but expensive. However, freeze drying decreases weight, so I guess I'm wondering are there a similar number of treats per bag in the 3 oz freeze dried compared to the 5+ oz Temptations, for example?

TL;DR: What treats do you feed your pet?
 
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ritz

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I feed Ritz raw, so her treats are always freeze dried treats. She is also prone to UTIs, so I avoid any fish-based treats, like Bonito flakes.

You're right. they are expensive.  Note that I have bought freeze dried treats marketed to dogs--if they are 100% meat/protein, then f.d. treats for dogs are fine.  They usually come in bigger sizes, so perhaps are a little less expensive on a per once basis.

Sometimes Amazon has 'add on' sales, which are a good bargain (wish I'd seen this before I placed my order!):  
If you're handy in the kitchen and adventurous (I'm neither), you might try making your own dehydrated treats or other types of treats.  Google for recipes.  If you do decide to do a f.d. treat, I'd be interested in the recipe. 
 

tammyp

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Someone suggested other things that cats like (not of the texture of 'treats', but enjoyable and hence a 'treat').  Eg: sardines, cheese, cream (note neither hard yellow cheese or cream have lactose, so these are fine), and if you are not a raw feeder then human grade meat can be a treat.

I tried some of the dog marketed dried meat as treats like Ritz (carefully checked for ingreds - think it was on your recommendation too Ritz!), but I found over here in Australia, there isn't a lot of choice, and the two suitable ones I found didn't work. One was too chunky for my cats - probably made for a dog's mouth, the other, for whatever reason, just was not liked.  I eventually found the exact same thing done by a private farm - lo and behold they liked that, so it may be a process of trial and error.

I also use ziwipeak daily cuisine and their liver treats, whichhave great ingreds, loved by one cat,but they are expensive.
 

jcat

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You're right. they are expensive.  Note that I have bought freeze dried treats marketed to dogs--if they are 100% meat/protein, then f.d. treats for dogs are fine.  They usually come in bigger sizes, so perhaps are a little less expensive on a per once basis.
:yeah: I buy freeze-dried dog treats, generally because there's more of a variety and bigger bags, and cut them up into smaller pieces.
 
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laralove

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I'm going to be transitioning to a raw diet in a week or so. So I'll keep an eye out for the fd for dogs. Thanks for the info!
 
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