Kitty candy? Healthy Treats for Cats & Kittens

“Candy and snack food are an everyday occurrence for human children, but what about allowing kittens to have treats? It is a fact that people use food to express affection, and they enjoy showing affection to their pets by offering especially tasty treats. This practice can be harmful, or health, depending on what kinds of treats are involved and how often you treat your pet,” says veterinarian Elizabeth Hodgkins in her book, Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life.

Lovely Lilly (photo right)>>>

She acknowledges that pet stores and pet aisles in supermarkets are filled with products that will make your cat sit up and bag and that most of these treats are poor choices for your kitten or cat because they contain ingredients that a cat’s digestive system is not designed to process. As an obligatory carnivore, a cat is designed by nature to eat a high protein, low carb diet with moderate amounts of animal fat.

Elizabeth M. Hodgkins, D.V.M., esq., and author of Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life seconds the motion explaining that, “Today’s dry cat foods [and snacks] have high levels of processed carbohydrate, low levels of fat, and modest levels of often low-quality animal protein, much of which may come from vegetable matter like gluten and soy. The damage caused by such an upside down diet for such a specialized animal cannot be overstated.”

Although we humans indulge in foods that we know aren’t good for us now and then, this is a poor justification for offering our kittens and cats food they would not eat if they were able to choose healthier options when there are better options.

So what are the alternatives? What can you give your cat or kitten as a reward during training or as a treat that won’t set him or her up for health problems?

Kitty crack?
Hodgkins’ recommends freeze-dried meat snacks to all of her clients and says that her own cats are crazy about them. These treats, made from pure cooked or dried meat are free of artificial flavorings, colorings, salt, and carbohydrate, are crunchy because they’re freeze-dried. They are so palatable that some of her clients refer to them as “kitty crack” because their cats enjoy them so much. But don’t just take her word for it.

What do the cats think?
I conducted an informal survey on the topic using a product I saw advertised in a catalog and also found on line. I won’t tell you that four our of five veterinarians recommend freeze dried salmon treats for their patients who eat snacks. Most vets recommend grain-based food and snacks to their patients. Like many modern physicians, they’ve been trained to promote these products by the processed food industry.

What I can tell you is that in an informal survey of my three closest feline friends, three out three cats who eat snacks, gave these treats a high paw. The sold-out status of their favorite paleo perfect pets snacks on some websites further attests to the popularity and great taste of these grain-free, high protein, zero carb pet snacks.

Sophie
Ten months ago, when she was about 4 months old, Sophie discovered these freeze dried salmon treats when her person (that’s me!) read about them in holistic pet care books and saw them advertised in the Best Friends Animal Shelter Catalog and ordered them and she’s been enjoying them ever since.

Sophie liked them so much she asked for more when her supply ran out. She knows the sound of the package opening and will do almost anything, even withstand several minutes of brushing her long hair, for a tasty salmon treat.

After adopting a low-grain, mostly meat and fat-based diet with small amounts of rice (in her food), she lost her taste for cereal-based dry food and snacks. On her first visit to the vet, when she was 5 months old, Sophie turned down the cereal-based snacks offered by the vet tech. She’s a meat loving, low-carb girl. Her favorite flavor of cat food, which comes in a can, Whole Foods Beef & Liver, contains no grain whatsoever.

Angie (the girl with the slippers)>>>
Angie’s person, Don, heard about Wild Side Salmon Treats from Rachel and Sophie. So when he adopted Angie he ordered a few packages of WSSTs for her, which she immediately took a liking to. When offered a tasty freeze-dried salmon morsel held over her sisal scratching post, Angie will gladly stop scratching the carpet.

Lilly
Lilly (barely 2 months old) discovered Wild Side Salmon Treats almost three weeks ago when she moved in with Rachel and Sophie. She loved them from the very first sniff. The treats helped her bond with her new friend, Sophie, who was less likely to growl, hiss, and chase her off the bed when the two girls received peace offerings of Wildside Salmon Treats before bed and first thing in the morning.

The verdict?
So there you have it. Three out of three cats surveyed prefer Wild Side Salmon Treats to any other snacks. On a scale of 1 to 10, they all gave it at least a 12. I myself haven’t tried them. However, they have such pure ingredients that if I was stranded on a dessert island with my kitties and a pallet of these salmon treats (how likely is that??) I would eat them, but for now, I’m not stranded and I have plenty of my own meat to eat, so I’ll let the girls enjoy them.

Wild Side Salmon Treats are gluten free, grain free, and contain only one quality ingredient: 100% raw, freeze dried wild Alaskan salmon. Note: They do not contain any ingredients from China (good to know!) If you want to order Wild Side Salmon Treats for your cat, check out the following web sites.

Kitty Snacks
This site offers you one low shipping price for up to 12 packages of salmon treats.

Wild Side Salmon
This company also makes Wild Side Salmon Treats for dogs too! You can buy them on this sidte and others over the internet.

Best Friends Store

Catnip Toys
For a list of other freeze dried goodies consisting of pure animal protein for cats and/or dogs, consult The Cat Bible by Tracie Hotchner.

You get what you pay for
“These pure, unadulterated snacks may seem expensive compared to the usual kibble-type treats, but these products are very concentrated nutrition, and pets  need less of them to be satisfied,” says Hodgins. I concur! These freeze-dried bits can be used for training purposes, as rewards for good behavior or during travel when it may be difficult to feed the kitten his/her usual wet food.

The company that makes these purely carnivorous cat treats also makes the same goodies for dogs, called Wild Side Salmon Dog Treats. Same ingredients, slightly different packaging—puppies on the outside of the bag. I’m assuming the dog treats come in larger morsels. They also make Wild Side Lamb n' Fuji Apple Treats for Dogs and they sell Salmon OIl for dogs and cats.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Rachel, I found those at a little place that sells produce a mile from my house. I bought them for our one cat, he LOVES them. The other one didn't really like them. I bought some for my parent's cat, and she loves them too.
--Elizabeth

[Debi]

I, and my kitties, are confused. "Training" is something you do for dogs and for your humans;)

[Chef Rachel]

Hi Debi,

Actually, you can train cats! I started with my two kitties and find it a fun way to interact with them. You can train them to come when called, sit, stay, lie down, roll over, fetch, stay off the counter, stop scratchign furniture, and more.

Check out this book: Cat Training in 10 Minutes a day.
http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Training-Minutes-Miriam-Fields-Babineau/dp/0793805309/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246308402&sr=1-1

The author of this book as 22 years of experience teaching thousands of animal owners how to train and communicate with their pets. She has successfully trained cats who have appeared on television programs and in movies. Informative color photographs accompany the guidelines to clarify and enhance instructions. Training provides a great way for you to spend quality time withyour cat as well as a positive outlet for your cat's energy preventing boredom and destructive habits.

[Kirsten f honts]

i think cats should be aloud to have a little bit of candy once in a while.like.....
candy corn,twizzlers and gummy bears.but only one or two pices every two or three months.

[Chef Rachel]

Hi Kirsten

The only "candy" I would ever give my cats is something made from meat, fish, or poultry, a special freeze dried treat that for them might be the equivalent of "candy" for people. My cats absolutely LOVE WildSide Salmon Treats. No grains, fillers, additives, colorings, or anything artifical or unfit for their carnivorous digestive tracts!