Healthy Cat Treat That Isn't Insanely Expensive?

[terestrife]

I used to buy my cats freeze dried chicken. Until it occurred to me to ask if the chicken is hormone free. When the seller didn't know. I looked around and found freeze dried chicken that is hormone free. But it costs so much. =( I can't afford $15 of treats weekly.

Is there anything I can make that is healthy and they'll like? They love having the chicken powder on top of their food. =(

 

[duckpond]

Bravo is the one i am using now. I was getting the bag for cats, but then i found they have it for dogs in a bigger bag, so its cheaper. this size bag should last a while, unless you have a LOT of cats

Bravo! Bonus Bites Chicken Breast Freeze-Dried Dog Treats, 3-oz bag

 

[Columbine]

I don't know if you could make something similar at home or not. My first instinct would be to look for cat or dog freeze dried treats made from a different protein. I'd have thought that something like duck or rabbit would be less likely to have hormones in it. Bonito flakes would be another (hopefully cheaper) option.

Having said that, you're feeding such small amounts of these treats that I wouldn't be too concerned about the hormone issue. It's not as though they make up the bulk of their food intake, after all

Treats you could make at home would be things like:-

• very finely shredded cooked chicken (or other meat), which you then either dry out in a low temp oven (effectively air-drying them) or leave as it is. Freeze it in serving sized amounts to keep it fresh.
• Poach (or bake covered in water) chicken until well cooked. Keep the chicken for human or kitty consumption, and freeze the cooking water in ice cube trays (just be sure to label well so there aren't any drinks mishaps ), and defrost as needed to make a gravy/topper for their food.
• Finely grate parmesan (or other strong tasting) cheese. Use as is for toppings, or portion and freeze to save time later.

Those are just off the top of my head. Hopefully some other members will be along with more suggestions for you

 

[orange&white]

Two out of my three cats like cracklins'. You can take the fat trimmed from beef or pork or chicken skin, chop it up and melt the fat off over medium low heat. The crunchy solid bits remaining after the liquid fat melts off are crispy cracklins'. Store in the fridge for a week.

 

[abyeb]

I know it’s not freeze dried, so not quite the same, but my Charlie likes these: Wellness Kittles Grain-Free Chicken & Cranberries Recipe Crunchy Cat Treats, 2-oz bag

 

[Gizmobius]

There's plenty of cheaper freeze dried options out there. PureBites is a favorite of mine and Vital Essentials is another one.

 

[laura mae]

Are you talking about the Life Essentials Cat Man Doo freeze dried chicken? I buy the larger bag for dogs. It's the same food product but 2 times as much as the bag packaged for cats. It's twenty bucks but lasts me about 3 weeks. I crumble up some as topper for one kitty.

 

[Ardina]

Saipha and Mishka love Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw chicken. It's too bone-heavy for everyday feeding, but I occasionally crush and sprinkle it over their food if I'm introducing a new food or they're being picky. It's actually a complete meal when rehydrated, so it's fairly cheap to use as a treat when bought in meal-size quantity (20+ oz).

 

[lisahe]

Bravo is the one i am using now. I was getting the bag for cats, but then i found they have it for dogs in a bigger bag, so its cheaper. this size bag should last a while, unless you have a LOT of cats

Bravo! Bonus Bites Chicken Breast Freeze-Dried Dog Treats, 3-oz bag

Yes, I buy Pure Bite freeze-dried chicken treats in bags labeled for dogs. That's what our cat-only vet's office sells because the pricing is so much better than the bags labelled for cats. I can't go check the bag size because I have a cat on my lap but even the smaller dog-labelled bag lasts for at least two or three months, if I remember correctly, and we use the treats as a topper quite a bit.