Why Do Cats Like Snacks?

Chicken is the most popular food item with cats, but there are alternatives, including lean beef, turkey, and even venison. Cat treats can come in all sorts of flavors, too. If your cat likes chicken, you can get chicken fingers (which are actually pretty tasty) that contain no cheese. Turkey and beef are also available in lean cuts; while venison is a lean cut of beef, that cuts the fat and provides excellent protein for your cat. As for chewy treats, although a good rule of thumb is to not give your cat chocolate if they're trying to develop a sweet tooth, you can give them chocolate that's half natural vegetable chocolate, or half kumihi chocolate with no added sugar.

There's an entire market of "diet" cat treats on the market - ranging from whole grain to sugar-free. But the majority of these don't contain any real nutritional value and are filled with unnecessary and often misleading preservatives, such as BHT or BHA. Many vets will tell you to stay away from these foods, especially if your cat has diabetes or any other metabolic disorder.

Even though there are lots of diet aids out there, many people still give their feline pets treats. And why not? The convenience of the dry, pre-measured treats are highly appealing to pet owners. Many cats seem to prefer hard-to-pronounce dried dog food over moist whole foods or prepared meals, and can quickly master a new flavor. Many cats love the taste of cat treats, whether plain or flavored.

To keep your cat healthy, you need to feed it the right nutriments, particularly fresh food that's been freeze-dried or dried and has gone through no processing. Feeding your cat a steady diet of this kind is the only way to keep its weight proportioned to its height, and to keep its digestive system running efficiently. Some cat foods have more fiber and fewer calories than others - and you should choose the one designed for your particular pet. If you don't know how to measure the ingredients on the label (or don't want to look, and some brands have strange numbers on the label), there are handy conversion kits available from veterinary hospitals and other animal doctors' offices. You may also check with your veterinarian about using an internet search engine to find appropriate cat treats per day.

Treats like catnip micelles and biscuit treats work well together, particularly if you combine a catnip micelles with some plain, dry cat milk. A young kitten might be hungry and looking for something to put on her fur before she starts eating solid food, so look for a combination of cat treats that emphasize protein (look for small pieces of chicken or beef jerky). Similarly, an older cat (but usually still healthy) might prefer a mix of dry cat milk and a slice of fresh chicken, so look for a brand that offers both options. Add a little bit of catnip to the dry mix before giving to your feline friend to make sure she gets the best benefits.

Make sure that you are feeding your cat only enough food to satisfy her personal needs, and not simply because you think it's the right thing to do. Some people believe that giving a treat when your cat is engaged in good behaviour encourages good behaviour, but this is actually counter-productive: because cats are instinctively very clean animals, they are only interested in things that are clean. So providing many treats and encouraging good behaviour helps your cat to naturally clean up after itself, without you having to remind her. And it's usually a much bigger fuss to give your cat snacks to eat than it is to try and catch her in the act of eliminating!

Remember that your cat will only learn to eat the treats if she realises that they are there, so look out for small bits of catnip or dried corn. If you spot any of these treats near your cat, offer her one, or two, so she realises that she can eat them. If you see your cat eating them, take her to the dish to eat. You may also like to set aside a little catnip treats, but be sure to only give your cat treats from that one bowl; if you give her catnip from several different bowls, she may associate the smell with something else, or realise that all she can smell on the floor are the dried corn from the last meal, and decide that the catnip treats are bad and she won't want to eat them. Once your cat is happy with her catnip treats, you can gradually increase the number of treats you're giving her.

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