In this century, many people have pets such as cats in their homes, and they enjoy giving them treats once in a while.
Some of these treats are for general use, while some serve a specific purpose, such as training and dental health. However, just like human beings, cats can also increase in weight due to treats.
Pet owners need to read the ingredients of the goodies and be more cautious especially when buying cat treats online and other less known stores. They have to check how many calories they contain. To help you maintain a healthy cat, let us discuss a few treat tips.
- Moderation
Cats are so much like a human. Once they develop a taste for treats, they stop eating their own food. It is recommendable to offer your cats treats moderately. It could be either twice or thrice a week. Moderation also means you control their consumption of calories, thus avoiding an insane increase in weight. Care to reduce the main meal when you offer treats.
- Make your own natural treats.
Instead of purchasing them every time, you can decide to cook for your cat its treats. With self-made treats, you know and understand the ingredients and number of calories in them instead of when you buy them from a store.
Making your own treats means avoiding a lot of fat, sodium, or calories that are not good for a cat’s health. You can cook this by mixing bits of fish, meat, liver, and eggs.
Avoid treating them to raw meat and raw eggs as it can result in food poisoning. It is important to note that the goodies should make up a certain percentage of your cat’s total diet.
- Avoid toxic foods
Not all foods consumed by humans are suitable for our pets. Some of them, including raisins, coffee, tea, onions, raw dough, salt, and alcohol, are toxic to cats.
Ensure to consult with your pet’s veterinarian about the safest common foods that can be used as treats. If possible, make a list of all of these so that you have a reminder with you if you forget.
When cooking, check to ensure your kittens are not in the kitchen to prevent them from having these toxic foods. See here for more insights https://www.petsradar.com/advice/are-cat-treats-healthy.
- Ban begging
As an owner, never fall to your cat’s demand of giving it treats. It will get accustomed to this and make it a routine to constantly scratch and beg for treats avoiding eating its meal.
You can also stop begging by avoiding feeding the feline scraps at the dinner table. If you do, they will always be at the foot of your table any time you sit for a meal. Never use your plates to feed them; instead, always use their food bowl.
Ignoring their begging is also another way to train them, as they will eventually wear out and refrain from begging.
- Give treats for fun and fitness.
It is a more fun way of treats, especially for cats who are always indoors while at work, engaged, or at school.
You can introduce cat treats as part of the training and exercising routine during games and outdoor activities.
Use that opportunity to trick them into exercising their brain and body. It helps improve agility. You can also play a hide and seek game with them as it is entertaining too.
- Apologize with treats
When the cat is on a special diet for medical reasons, you are allowed cheat days where you can give a kibble of its main meal as a reward. Moreover, you can try offering it biscuits after doing something it does not like, such as a bath, tooth brushing, and claw trimming. It is a way of soothing the kitty other than praises and petting.
- Caring for overweight cats
Treats add calories. Since cutting down, dainties will not do much to an already overweight cat, visit a veterinarian. The doctor will help you develop a safe diet that will help the kitty cut weight gradually. It should worry you when your pet quickly loses weight as it risks having liver disease. Seek the immediate help of a vet.
- Go easy with human food.
Food consumed by humans is not necessarily good for pets. Pet foods contain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that are good and healthy for pets. It is therefore essential that you cut down on the amount of human food given to cats. However, you can occasionally offer it a piece of cooked fish, meat, or liver. Human food may sometimes lead to food poisoning.
- Go green
As a pet owner, you can go green by introducing grass treats in your clowder’s diet as it benefits them too.
It is not the typical grass that grows outside but instead produced from cereal grains such as oat and wheat. For you to know your feline’s preference, you can start by introducing a variety to it.
Grass provides roughage that aids in digestion and prevents constipation. You can grow your cat grass or buy dried and fresh greens. Click here to read more.
Conclusion
The tips discussed above should guide you in offering treats to your pets. Other than the treats and main meals, always provide your cat with fresh drinking water daily. You are advised against offering dainties to your kittens even though they are available. It may tamper with their feeding schedules by adding unnecessary calories. Even though expensive, it is safer to buy pet treats from known reputable brands.
