Mallory Crusta / Cats.com
The best cat treats are absolutely delicious. Here’s why the irresistibility factor is essential.
Cats are highly food motivated. When you offer them an irresistible treat, they’ll be willing to work to get it. If you’re interested in clicker training and dream of a day when your cat will jump through hoops and shake paws on command, it’s essential to choose a scrumptious treat your cat is willing to work for.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Best Cat Treats
Want a quick look at the products reviewed in this article? In the comparison table below, we’ve highlighted some of the most important features of each product. You’ll find more detailed information about each product later in the article.
Cat-Man-Doo Bonito Flakes
- Cats go wild over these fish flakes
- Just one ingredient - perfect for sensitive cats
- Low-carbohydrate
Orijen Tundra Freeze-Dried Cat Treats
- Freeze-dried to preserve nutrition
- Made with novel proteins, may be good for cats with allergies
- Limited number of ingredients
American Journey Chicken Recipe Soft & Chewy Cat Treats
- Soft texture is easy for senior cats to chew
- Two sources of animal-based protein
- Easily digestible with short ingredients list
Purina DentaLife Dental Cat Treats
- Unique porous texture helps reduce tartar buildup
- Tasty salmon and chicken flavors cats love
- Fortified with added calcium and taurine
Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Minnows Cat Treats
- Made with a single natural ingredient
- Free from added carbohydrates
- No added colors, flavors, or preservatives
PureBites Chicken Breast
- Made with 100% pure human-grade chicken
- Simple recipe, easy to digest
- Packed with nutrition and protein
Shameless Catnip N Chill Cat Treats
- Meat is always the first ingredient
- Sustainably made with upcycled produce
- Rich in flavor but low in calories
KittyUp Functional Puree Treat
- Smooth puree texture easy for cats to eat
- Supplemented with taurine
- Supports functional nutrition
VetriScience Composure Chicken Liver Flavor Soft Chews
- Made with three calming active ingredients
- Affordably priced
- Chewy treats can be broken into pieces
Meowijuana Crunchie Munchie Salmon Cat Treats
- Crunchy shell with creamy catnip center
- Supplemented with taurine
- Several sources of animal-based protein
Top Picks Explained
Even if training isn’t your goal, delicious treats make your cat’s life more exciting – and who wants a treat that doesn’t make their cat’s pupils dilate?
The Best Cat Treats Are Also Healthy
Some people dismiss the low nutritional value of certain treats by saying, “It’s a treat. It’s not supposed to be healthy. Don’t worry about it.”
But why shouldn’t cat treats be just as nutritious as they are delicious? Cats love eating the things that are best for their health. As natural carnivores, fresh meat, organs, and bones are some of their favorite things to eat.
If your cat is currently obsessed with a less-than-nutritious treat like Temptations, remember that they’re probably not thrilled by the unsavory parts of the ingredient list. They don’t want corn. They don’t want rice. They don’t want Yellow 5 or Blue 2.
The thing making your cat meow and claw at the bag is a vaguely labeled additive called “natural flavor”.
In cat food, natural flavor typically refers to hydrolyzed animal tissue. This is a highly concentrated animal flavor additive. It’s intensely flavorful and most cats absolutely love it. Other crazy-delicious treats contain animal liver, which is also a concentrated source of the rich, meaty flavor cats long for.
So, knowing that your cat craves meat, skip the sugars, artificial colors, and carbohydrates.
Look for treats that are made from high-quality, simple ingredients like chicken liver, beef meat, and perhaps a little salmon. Avoid treats that contain corn, wheat, soy, added sugar, and other unnecessary additives like artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.
In small quantities, treats made from 100% meat are appropriate for most cats, including those with health conditions such as , diabetes, and sensitive stomachs.
What About Cat Treats for Dental Health?
Most treats marketed for dental health capitalize on the premise that crunchy food can scrape plaque off your cat’s teeth, preventing continued dental decay. Current veterinary knowledge suggests, however, that dry food and wet cat food are equally incapable of cleaning your cat’s teeth, so most of these special treats are useless.
Also Read: Best Dental Cat Treats
If you’re passionate about promoting good dental health, you may offer treats infused with bacteria-consuming enzymatic cleaners or even train your cat to let you brush its teeth.
Top 10 Best Cat Treats on the Market
To help you pick the best treats for your cat, we tested dozens of different brands and recipes to bring you our top picks. Read on to see what we think are the best cat treats on the market.
Making Homemade Cat Treats
Many commercial cat treats are packed with carbohydrates and unhealthy additives. They might taste good, but they probably aren’t doing your feline friend any favors in terms of nutrition.
If you want to indulge in your cat’s cravings without taking away from his everyday diet, you might consider making your own cat treats at home.
When it comes to making homemade cat food, you want to stick to a veterinarian-approved recipe to ensure your cat’s needs for balanced nutrition are met. Treats are treats, however. They aren’t intended to make up more than 10% of your cat’s daily diet, so they don’t need to be nutritionally balanced.
That being said, it’s a good idea to choose cat treats that are both good for your cat AND tasty.
Homemade cat treats can be made with a variety of ingredients, but we recommend sticking with meat or fish. These ingredients will be the most flavorful and attractive to your cat and your cat could always use a little extra protein in his diet.
Here’s a quick 5-step recipe for baked tuna treats:
- Empty one drained can of tuna (in water) into your blender.
- Beat one large egg white to stiff peaks then add two tablespoons of the beaten egg whites to the tuna.
- Blend into a smooth paste then drop small mounds of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Alternatively, spoon the mixture into a freezer bag and snip off the tip so you can pipe it onto the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350°F until the treats are dry. Let cool before serving.
If you don’t have tuna on hand, you may be able to substitute canned salmon or even canned chicken. Don’t be afraid to add a little dried catnip for flavor as well!
Learn more about homemade diets for cats in our handy guide.
Relevant Content:
- The Complete Guide to Feline Nutrition
- The Best Dental Cat Treats
- The Truth About Grain-Free Diets for Cats
- The 7 Best Cat Treats For Kittens
*Veterinary review of this article includes only the medical information in this article. The veterinarian reviewing this article does not personally endorse, recommend, or vouch for the efficacy or claims of any product mentioned in this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
What foods are irresistible to cats?
When shopping for cat treats, look for ingredients your cat won’t be able to resist. This typically includes meaty ingredients like beef, poultry, or fish. Avoid cat treats full of carbohydrate additives and questionable ingredients like “natural flavor.”
Is it bad to give my cat treats every day?
There are no hard and fast rules for how often you can give your cat treats other than to say that treats should make up no more than 10% of your cat’s daily diet. If you’re training your cat or just like showering him with extra love, stick to small, low-calorie treats so you can feed a few extra.
What human food can I give my cat?
If you don’t have any healthy cat treats handy, there are certain human foods which can be safe for cats. Stick to carnivore-friendly foods like cooked chicken breast or oily fish like tuna and mackerel. Avoid fried or processed foods as well as dairy products, especially if your cat is lactose intolerant.
Mallory is fantastic at her job presenting the facts about kitty cat treats!! She has such a nice mannor about her with excellant confidence and knowledge.
Thanks for the kind words, Charlene. 🙂
Thank you for your reviews. My cat will not eat #6 Vital Cats all of a sudden. She loved the rabbit flavor but I noticed the pieces look bigger and more formed. As if they are less natural and more processed. I saw a comment on Reddit posted two months ago the recipes changed so the company can sell in other countries. Have you heard anything about this? I’m taking the packs back to the store for exchange.
Hi Brian! I’ve contacted Vital Essentials to get an answer and should receive a reply soon. Will let you know when I hear back!
Thank you Mallory. I spoke to the employee at the store and she said she has seen the shapes of the treats differ every so often. She does agree that the treats are more of a pellet shape now versus chunks. I was able to exchange them for a different brand. They had one called Shepherd Boy Farms and it is brand new to them. They are a freeze dried duck liver treat and my cat gets excited for them. I did find one of the Vital Essentials pellets in my cat tree and put it right next to the duck treat. My cat sniffed it and sort of exhaled like she was annoyed. If I see Vital Essentials go back to the chunks version, I will buy them again. I hope to find more novel protein treats for my cat like rabbit, duck, bison.
Very interesting. A rep from Vital Essentials said that the recipe has not changed, so I would assume that the shape is probably the issue deterring your cat, not the formulation. All the best!
Where’s the Fish ??
#6 Best Novelty Treat: Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Minnows Cat Treats Review
Ingredients:
Finely Ground Turkey With Bone, Turkey Heart, Turkey Liver, Turkey Gizzard, Raw Goat’s Milk, Turkey Egg, Water, Egg Shell Membrane, Herring Oil, Mixed Tocopherols, D-Alpha Tocopherol.
Is it all in the Herring?
Michelle, this was a mistake. This product is 100% fish; the ingredients are simply “minnows”. I’ve edited it! Thank you.
I make homemade baked treats for my cats. I buy canned tuna in water with no salt. I also get canned salmon and canned chicken, also in water with no salt. I drain the water and put it aside, then add one egg to the mix, blend it, and put it in my silicon molds that look like little fishies. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. I take the water from the cans, put it in another mold, and freeze it. The cats love their “kitty popsicles,” especially in the summer when it’s hot.
Thanks for sharing, Victoria!