Treat Tips for Healthy Cats
Lifestyle

Treat Tips for Healthy Cats

Even though you’ll see rows upon rows of cat treats when you visit your local pet food supplier, that doesn’t mean all of them are healthy for your feline. When used as a training tool or a way to reinforce positive behavior, cat treats can be a wonderful asset. However, before treating your cat whenever he or she meows (and it will be a lot), treat-giving should be offered with your cat’s health top of mind with guidelines established as far as treat quality and frequency. 

Here are a few tips to treat your kitty in moderation:

1. Treating with pets and praise
Treating your kitty can go beyond food items. For instance, your cat, or at least most cats, enjoy verbal praise, play, pets, and other non-food forms of treats. If your kitty is getting a little plump, try treating him or her with a game of chase the mouse, or laser pointer. This will help kitty stay active while shedding a few pounds. You can also try cat grass or catnip as a treat many cats love  

2. Treating overweight cats
You may not want to admit it, yet your kitty may be a little round in the middle. In fact, the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) indicates that 59% of U.S. cats are considered overweight or obese. So instead of killing you kitty with too much food and too many treats. Do them a favor and ask your veterinarian to set a daily recommended caloric limit based on your cat’s age, health, and current weight. Then set firm boundaries around food and treats to help them safety shed a few excess pounds and prevent chronic arthritis, diabetes, heart, and kidney diseases. 

3. People food is not pet food
It’s easy to give into Fluffy’s meows and sad kitty eyes. Suddenly she’s licking your ice cream spoon and taking nibbles of cheese from your lunch plate. Of course, human food is super tasty to kitties, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for them. In fact, many human foods can lead to indigestion, vomiting, and diarrhea in pets. Worse yet, certain foods (i.e., grapes, onions, garlic) can be downright toxic for cats. 

4. Treating in moderation
While treats can be an ideal tool to help establish good behavior in cats (i.e., staying off the counters and being nice to the veterinarian), when fed to many, too often treats can lead to weight issues and chronic health problems such as arthritis, diabetes, and more. Cats need a diet that rich in protein. The same goes for cat treats. Protein should be the first ingredient listed. When knowing how many treats to feed your pet daily, consider that cat food should make up 90% of their daily diet, and cat treats should only be 10% of a feline’s daily diet. 

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