This article will give you some useful tips if you are interested in buying amazing treats and delicious snacks for your cats.
Being a pet owner, you always like to reward your beloved pet with treats and affection. But when you want to lavish your cat with treats, there often comes a problem, and that is obesity.
It is observed that treats increase weight in cats like junk food in humans.
So what do experts say about the healthiness of treats for cats? We will highlight some tips from pet food experts so that they will be informative and interesting.
What are the Healthier Cat Treats?
The experts tell us the first and foremost thing is “moderation.” A feline expert veterinarian, namely Marla J. McGeorge, DVM, says that “it is not a bad idea to feed the cats with treats but only as a smaller portion of their diet.”
The next question is the definition of small, so the small is 10% of the total calories of the cats. The veterinarian McGeorge further added that mostly treats are meant to increase the number of calories in the cats.
The rest of the cat’s diet, that is, the overwhelming portion is to be fulfilled by a healthy and nutritional diet.
Read the Food Labels Carefully
So what is packed inside a wrapper or a tin containing the cat food? It is usually confusing for most people to read the labels.
According to the vet, McGeorge, there should be a lot of improvement in the label information of cat food as no detail of calories is mentioned in most of the packaging.
To get an idea of calorie count, it is better to contact the manufacturer or the nearby veterinarian for assistance.
Some healthy cat treats below-mentioned tips are quite useful when you want to feed your cat.
Tips for Healthy Cat Treats
Moderate Feeding
A regular nutritious diet is important for their growth and well-being. If cats develop their taste in treats, they might not opt for a regular diet. Therefore, it is always recommended to feed cat treats in a novel way by giving two or more weeks gaps.
Toxic Food should be avoided.
We love some foods, but they can be toxic for cats. For Instance, You should not feed Grapes, Onions, Alcohol, and Tea to cats. It is better to consult your vet before giving anything new as a treat to your kitty.
Avoid Dinner Table
The cats require dinner, and it is compulsory for them. Sometimes cats love to beg for dinner, but they start to beg for treats if you provide them treats there.
This behavior should be discouraged since the cats began to insist on the treat, which kills the purpose of rewarding the cat. The treats are meant to reward the cats and not given upon their insistence.
Reward the Fitness of Cats
Cat treats are fun to train the cats for mental stimulation and physical exercise. When the cats complete the tasks, you can reward them with treats. This action will encourage their good behavior and try to maintain it in the future.
Make your cat treats.
The treats available in the market are not properly sourced and cooked, which results in many health issues and obesity. Thus it is better to cook them at home like fish, small pieces of liver, and eggs serve as a fantastic treat for cats. However, the same rule for homemade treats: “serve in moderation.”
Final Words
Wrapping up the discussion above, cat treats are a great way to reward your kitty. But remember to draw a line between the actual diet and the surplus items. The snacks and treats are not a substitute for the cats’ diet. Rather they serve a 10% portion of the whole diet.
Moreover, it is also better to give the cats treats for good work and not make it a routine feeding. Homemade treats are healthier, hygienic, and safer for cats, but they also need to be fed sensibly.
