Would like to introduce my kitten to treats, any recommendations?

[Mr_Kitty]

Hi .

It's been just over two weeks since I got my kitten Leo. He's been eating dry and wet food very well. I feel like he deserves to have treats added to his diet but I want what's best for him.

I heard of a few great brands but the one I keep hearing about is PureBites. They're freeze dried treats without any additives. They also have the non-frozen ones which are supposed to be still good but a bigger treat for the cat.

Can you recommend a brand as well as the flavor? Some options are healthier in terms of flavors so any recommendations will be great.

 

[LTS3]

PureBites isn't frozen. They're freeze dried.

There are lots of freeze dried treat brands out there. Look for 100% meat or fish treats. Any of those are healthy for cats but do limit anything seafood to occasional treats. Just try a few brands to see see what your cat likes Tip: some brands have a dog version of the exact same treat available, such as PureBites. Buy the dog treats instead. The bigger dog bag has bigger pieces and doesn't cost much more than a teeny cat treat bag. Just break the pieces up for your cat. You get at least three times as many treats than what is in one cat treat bag

Some freeze dried treat brands are listed in this thread: Treats and Feed brands

I have fed Vital Essentials and Northwest Naturals treats in pretty much all the different proteins. Only one of my cats eats treats and he'll eat anything, even really novel proteins like kangaroo.

A local pet boutique makes treats with locally caught seafood and locally grown meat, even meat and fish scraps from local businesses (great article here). You can buy directly on the web site and it looks like Chew.com sells the products now. too.

Plain cooked meat also makes a great treat Poached chicken in water is a hit with most cats. Shred the meat up and freeze for later treats or use in your own meals.

 

[Mr_Kitty]

PureBites isn't frozen. They're freeze dried.

Sorry that's what I meant to write.

There are lots of freeze dried treat brands out there. Look for 100% meat or fish treats. Any of those are healthy for cats but do limit anything seafood to occasional treats. Just try a few brands to see see what your cat likes Tip: some brands have a dog version of the exact same treat available, such as PureBites. Buy the dog treats instead. The bigger dog bag has bigger pieces and doesn't cost much more than a teeny cat treat bag. Just break the pieces up for your cat. You get at least three times as many treats than what is in one cat treat bag

Yes I definitely saw a huge selection when I went to PetSmart. There were just so many kinds of flavors and I wasn't sure which flavors are the healthiest. I assumed that any kind of seafood, even fish which is the most normal seafood out there should still be limited due to Mercury levels. I will go back to the store and take a picture of the rest of the natural treats I would suggested by the PetSmart employees and see what you all think about them. is there nothing else added to the dog treats which would harm a cat's health? Is it really just the size of the treat/bag and there's nothing else that the dogs get in it specifically for dogs?

Some freeze dried treat brands are listed in this thread: Treats and Feed brands

Very good share. Thank you, will check out this link for sure.

I have fed Vital Essentials and Northwest Naturals treats in pretty much all the different proteins. Only one of my cats eats treats and he'll eat anything, even really novel proteins like kangaroo.

I haven't seen those brands but I'm going to look into it. Would you recommend them over PureBites? So only one of your cat likes treats and the other one/s doesn't?

A local pet boutique makes treats with locally caught seafood and locally grown meat, even meat and fish scraps from local businesses (great article here). You can buy directly on the web site and it looks like Chew.com sells the products now. too.

This seems like it might get expensive. I already spent so much money on my little kitten but I will look into it for sure. I learned that giving cats chicken or meat which was cooked for human consumption is not nutritious enough because it does not include what the animal would include in nature like what's in the head and the blood as well as everything else which we clean out, which provides them with all the nutrients. Which is why cats who are placed on raw food diet need to get a bunch of supplements with their meat/fish. I'm definitely going to check out those links.

Plain cooked meat also makes a great treat Poached chicken in water is a hit with most cats. Shred the meat up and freeze for later treats or use in your own meals.

Even though I already said that I heard that there isn't much nutrition in meat or fish which was made for human consumption when it comes to cats, I was still interested in giving it to my pet as a special treat just for its flavor. Thank you for confirming this.

 

[mizzely]

As long as the ingredients are just meat, then the dog treats are just fine

My cat loves the quail Wysong Dream Treats. I get them on Chewy but they also send a generous sample pack for $2.49

Wysong Sample Pack | Wysong

 

[di and bob]

I don't give my cats treats anymore because of their weight issues, so really can't contribute, but I just wanted to warn you against giving too many of ANY kind or brand, they are usually too rich and will cause a cat to throw up. I do give them shaved deli turkey and shredded chicken I freeze after cooking until it about falls off the bone. they enjoy that!

 

[Mr_Kitty]

As long as the ingredients are just meat, then the dog treats are just fine

My cat loves the quail Wysong Dream Treats. I get them on Chewy but they also send a generous sample pack for $2.49

Wysong Sample Pack | Wysong

Thank you for confirming that and letting me know what your cat likes as well as providing a link. Much appreciated!

 

[Mr_Kitty]

I don't give my cats treats anymore because of their weight issues, so really can't contribute, but I just wanted to warn you against giving too many of ANY kind or brand, they are usually too rich and will cause a cat to throw up. I do give them shaved deli turkey and shredded chicken I freeze after cooking until it about falls off the bone. they enjoy that!

Makes sense. I wasn't gonna give him more than 3 or 4 treats per week. Only as large praise for something well done and maybe once here and there as a form of affection. Definitely don't want him to get used to it, rather enjoy it when it's available.

I am really liking the idea of giving him chicken/meat/fish which I make for myself to eat as a treat. I just learned that it barely had any nutrients for an animal who usually hunts in the wild and gets the nutrients from the parts we humans consider gross and contaminated. I guess this isn't about the nutrition rather than than flavor. Probably should stick to this rather than store bought treats.

I will most likely get a bag of pure bites freeze dried treats to have around if I need to give him one or two a week especially when I take him to the vet as a nice reward but maybe giving him a tiny bit of chicken here and there or whatever meat or fish I cook when I do, is a better practice.

 

[LTS3]

Yes I definitely saw a huge selection when I went to PetSmart. There were just so many kinds of flavors and I wasn't sure which flavors are the healthiest. Is it really just the size of the treat/bag and there's nothing else that the dogs get in it specifically for dogs?

All meat is healthy Try a few different ones to see what your cat likes and doesn't.

As long as the dog treats are just single ingredient 100% freeze dried meat, then it's fine for cats. Not all brands have the exact same treat for both cats and dogs so read the label. Sometimes the dog ones have a few other ingredients.

PureBites makes the exact same treats for dogs and cats, just different packaging and different treat sizes.

I haven't seen those brands but I'm going to look into it. Would you recommend them over PureBites? So only one of your cat likes treats and the other one/s doesn't?

I've never fed PureBites before. Both Northwest Naturals and Vital Essentials are good treats. The Northwest Naturals treats are for both dogs and cats. The bigger pieces will need to be broken up for a cat. Yes, only one of my cats eats treats.

The Polka Dog treats are great but a little pricey. It's a nice splurge once in awhile and helps support an independently owned business

I learned that giving cats chicken or meat which was cooked for human consumption is not nutritious enough because it does not include what the animal would include in nature like what's in the head and the blood as well as everything else which we clean out, which provides them with all the nutrients. Which is why cats who are placed on raw food diet need to get a bunch of supplements with their meat/fish.

Unsupplemented meat is fine as occasional treats or up to 10% of the diet .Any more than that can cause nutritional deficiencies even if dry or canned cat food is also fed. This is why raw and home cooked diets need to be supplemented properly if they are included with a commercial dry / canned diet or is the sole diet.

 

[Ana74]

Our kitties really love My Zone Blue, chicken treats. They are also Freeze dried, soft and small. I believe their chicken treats only have one ingredient.

 

[Kat0121]

Hi .

It's been just over two weeks since I got my kitten Leo. He's been eating dry and wet food very well. I feel like he deserves to have treats added to his diet but I want what's best for him.

I heard of a few great brands but the one I keep hearing about is PureBites. They're freeze dried treats without any additives. They also have the non-frozen ones which are supposed to be still good but a bigger treat for the cat.

Can you recommend a brand as well as the flavor? Some options are healthier in terms of flavors so any recommendations will be great.

Pure Bites are great. My cats like the chicken and duck liver varieties. Crushed Pure Bites also make a great topper to wet food if you have picky eaters like I do. The treats they get most often though is plain cooked meat. Chicken, turkey and steak. Yes, off my plate. They always know when I have something to share. When we have chicken, I often save some, chop it into small pieces and use them as a topper for their next meal.