Homemade cat treats?

Meg142!

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
152
Purraise
154
My kitty has a really sensitive stomach and even a single small, kibble sized treat can throw her digestion off and stink up my entire house. I've tried looking online but all the recipes I find have flour which definitely isn't good for my cat (or any cat, really). Right now I use a small spoonful of tuna or chicken but I want something that I can store outside of the fridge and can travel with. I don't want to drag a cooler around so I can store an open can of tuna in my car on a hot summer day :barfgreen: can I maybe dehydrate chunks of chicken? Or does anyone have a flour-free recipe? Thanks in advance!

PS. I treat her every night because she gets put in a dog crate overnight. She has a bad habit of pooping outside the litter box when left alone and keeping her in the dog crate has really helped with any issues while I'm at work or gone for the night. I like hiding a few treats around the crate to keep her busy for a few minutes but this has been really making her poop soft and stinky.
 

susanm9006

Willow
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
13,151
Purraise
30,216
Location
Minnesota
They do sell packages of pure dried chicken, turkey or fish. These might travel better and definitely take less effort than home made treats.
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
Can your cat eat freeze dried 100% meat treats such as PureBites? They're shelf stable.
 

She's a witch

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 21, 2018
Messages
1,780
Purraise
2,371
Location
Europe/WA, USA
My cats absolutely love 100% freeze dried chicken treats from American Journey. Not sure if that would cause your cat any problems, but it’s breast meat only, no other ingredients.

100% Chicken Freeze-Dried Grain-Free Cat Treat, 5-oz bag:
https://app.chewy.com/APOvxfufn2
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

Meg142!

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
152
Purraise
154
I've never given her freeze dried, they are hard to come by in stores in my area and I find the ones online to be pretty pricey! But if they are just pure freeze dried meat they shouldn't give her any issues. I'll have to see if I can find some on sale and stock up :lol:
 

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
Pet stores usually have a few brands. Look in the dog treat aisle if you don't see any in the cat section. Just make sure it is 100% freeze dried meat and aren't too tough or jerky-like for a cat. Some brands make the exact same treat for dogs and cats, just bigger pieces and a bigger bag for dogs. One dog bag is like a few small cat bags for not much more money so it lasts quite awhile
 

MoonstoneWolf

Cat Food Bowl Referee
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 15, 2019
Messages
4,590
Purraise
4,140
Location
St. Louis MO
What about this? I never heard of this brand before?


or this? Costly but as a treat to reward for good behaviour?

 

lisahe

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
6,149
Purraise
4,968
Location
Maine
Pet stores usually have a few brands. Look in the dog treat aisle if you don't see any in the cat section. Just make sure it is 100% freeze dried meat and aren't too tough or jerky-like for a cat. Some brands make the exact same treat for dogs and cats, just bigger pieces and a bigger bag for dogs. One dog bag is like a few small cat bags for not much more money so it lasts quite awhile
Exactly! The dog-sized bags are much cheaper per ounce. We buy large bags of Pure Bites and even at the vet's, where the prices are much higher than on Chewy, they're still way, way cheaper than buying little bags labeled for cats at Petco. That said, I bought a small bag at Petco first to see if the cats would even like the treats. They love them.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

Meg142!

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
152
Purraise
154
Buying from the dog aisle is a great suggestion, I never thought to look there before and I'm almost positive I could find them in my Walmart. Thanks everyone!
 

Storm Shadow

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 13, 2020
Messages
27
Purraise
36
Our three cats were addicted to Friskies Party Mix and we spent a small fortune getting it for them. They'd be begging for treats several times a day and you'd get no peace till you gave them some.
Then the older cat started being ill and refusing its food. I suspected the treats and kibble he ate were to blame and I immediately stopped feeding both kibble and the Friskies Party Mix treats. We had a few tantrums for awhile but gradually they learned they were not going to get them again.
I tempted the older cat back to health with pots of Applaws minimum ingredient cat food. It worked very well in the past when we almost lost him due to what the vet thought was kidney failure. He ate then just kibble. Since that time he ate mainly wet food with kibble as a side if he wanted it, but after this last illness, all the cats are only fed wet food.
Treats are now currently turkey bacon (we get the non salted kind if we can) and/or Canadian bacon (non salted or smoked)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

Meg142!

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
152
Purraise
154
Our three cats were addicted to Friskies Party Mix and we spent a small fortune getting it for them. They'd be begging for treats several times a day and you'd get no peace till you gave them some.
Then the older cat started being ill and refusing its food. I suspected the treats and kibble he ate were to blame and I immediately stopped feeding both kibble and the Friskies Party Mix treats. We had a few tantrums for awhile but gradually they learned they were not going to get them again.
I tempted the older cat back to health with pots of Applaws minimum ingredient cat food. It worked very well in the past when we almost lost him due to what the vet thought was kidney failure. He ate then just kibble. Since that time he ate mainly wet food with kibble as a side if he wanted it, but after this last illness, all the cats are only fed wet food.
Treats are now currently turkey bacon (we get the non salted kind if we can) and/or Canadian bacon (non salted or smoked)
That party mix must have something addicting in them! My cat would go nuts and every time she heard a bag rustle she would appear out if no where begging for a treat! I'll also have to look into that food as well. I'm still trying to find one that my cat and I both like ( good for her tummy and good for my wallet :lol:)
 

Willow's Mom

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Aug 28, 2019
Messages
601
Purraise
17
Location
inside of your imagination and/or smartphone app
Willow is completely unimpressed with the Ziwi New Zealand lamb treats that I got for the dogs, so I tossed some Pure Bites chicken from the dog aisle into my cart without noticing the price tag:

Twenty five bucks! I can't afford that!

I do have a home dehydrator if there aren't any other alternatives, but I cannot stand the smell of cooked meat. Does anyone have any other suggestions for inexpensive high value training treats? My (dog) trainer uses small pieces of cheese, hot dogs, and grocery store cat kibble, but my smaller furbabies don't need all that junk.

I was thinking about picking up some single-ingredient chicken or turkey baby food and putting it into medicine syringes. I could fit several of them into a small ziplock bag and put it in the external pocket of a treat bag.

Any other ideas?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14

Meg142!

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
152
Purraise
154
Willow is completely unimpressed with the Ziwi New Zealand lamb treats that I got for the dogs, so I tossed some Pure Bites chicken from the dog aisle into my cart without noticing the price tag:

Twenty five bucks! I can't afford that!

I do have a home dehydrator if there aren't any other alternatives, but I cannot stand the smell of cooked meat. Does anyone have any other suggestions for inexpensive high value training treats? My (dog) trainer uses small pieces of cheese, hot dogs, and grocery store cat kibble, but my smaller furbabies don't need all that junk.

I was thinking about picking up some single-ingredient chicken or turkey baby food and putting it into medicine syringes. I could fit several of them into a small ziplock bag and put it in the external pocket of a treat bag.

Any other ideas?
I was also thinking about dehydrating meat and using it as treats. And I agree, the dehydrated treats in stores are so expensive! My cat would be eating better than I do at that price! Mine loves wet food but a whole can causes her stomach to do nasty things so I will usually only give her a few spoonfuls a day as a treat. The baby food is also a good idea!
 
Top