How many treats are too many?

[TMcats]

I'm just wondering how many cat treats are too many? I don't want to over treat her cause I don't want to make her sick or anything worse on the bag it's says like 10-12 treats a day but I think that's a lot for her any ideas?
Thanks for any ideas!

 

[abyeb]

Treats should, at most, make up 10% of a cat’s caloric intake. Additionally, it’s best to use treats to reward good behavior, when teaching tricks, in puzzle-type toys, or after an “unpleasant” experience, like a vet check-up. Of course, you don’t need to give that much, you can always give her less treats, ideally not more, though.

This article has helpful info about treats (how much to give, when to give them, etc.,), so even if your kitty isn’t “addicted” to treats like the article title suggests, it still has a lot of useful content: Is Your Cat Addicted To Treats? – TheCatSite Articles

 

[TMcats]

Thank you so much I'll look at it right now thank you!!

 

[Kat0121]

I'm just wondering how many cat treats are too many? I don't want to over treat her cause I don't want to make her sick or anything worse on the bag it's says like 10-12 treats a day but I think that's a lot for her any ideas?
Thanks for any ideas!

I stopped buying commercial treats. The only treat they get now is plain cooked meat. Mostly chicken but they also get beef and turkey. They love it. No fillers and no additives. Purrfect for my little carnivores.

 

[TMcats]

Oh okay that's really cool! maybe I'll try to make some for her!

 

[Kat0121]

Oh okay that's really cool! maybe I'll try to make some for her!

I roast chicken, usually a leg quarter or a couple of thighs a couple of times a week. Sometimes a turkey wing or thigh. I pull some of the meat off and cut it into small pieces and they love it. No seasoning or anything. They get their share then I get mine. If there is any leftover, I cut that up and use it as a topper for their next meal. They absolutely adore steak. They will not eat any kind of beef canned cat food but they will tear up some steak.

 

[TMcats]

Okay that's sounds supper great! I'll definitely give it a try! thank you so much!

 

[LTS3]

on the bag it's says like 10-12 treats a day but I think that's a lot for her any ideas?

Ignore the bag. Those are merely suggestions and you do not need to follow them at all. If a bag of cookies says to eat two dozen daily, would you let a child eat that much? Most likely not.

Treats should be limited. One or two treats daily is plenty, IMO. I personally rarely give my cats any treats and when I do it's only a broken up piece of healthy freeze dried meat treats.

Many brands of commerical treats are full of junky ingredients. They're ok once in awhile but stick with healthier freeze dried treats like Pure Bites or just plain cooked meat of your choice. Some cats will eat raw gizzards and chew on small raw bones.

 

[maggiedemi]

I don't like to give more than 5 treats, but the hairball ones say to give 10. I wouldn't give more than 10, for sure.

 

[TMcats]

I don't like to give more than 5 treats, but the hairball ones say to give 10. I wouldn't give more than 10, for sure.

Yeah I give her about 6 thank you so much!

 

[hurricanemix100]

Just think of it in terms of calories. The rule of thumb for an indoor cat is generally agreed up to be 20 calories per pound to maintain weight. So, if you have a 10 pound cat then 200 calories a day to maintain weight.

Treats shouldn't make up more than 10% of their daily caloric intake is also generally agreed upon. So, you can give a 10 lb cat 20 calories of treats and 180 calories of wet/dry food per day.

Treats are generally 1-2 calories per treat. So, assuming on the high side that they are 2 calories a piece you can give at 10 lb cat ~10 a day and not be too concerned about it as long as you adjust their wet/dry food from 200 calories down to 180 calories.

 

[IndyJones]

If you are cooking dinner for your family you can use trimmings (those tough yucky parts of a chicken breast for example) or giblets from meat as treats. Best to cook them in a wok before serving them.

 

[TMcats]

Thank you so much H hurricanemix100 and IndyJones !

 

[MissClouseau]

Some treats also can get dangerous to give too much. For example if I remember correct Greenies dental treats are OK to give 5 a day according to its box, but especially if they are all given at/around the same time, it might lead to blockage.

If possible hairball pastes are much better for hairballs than treats.

 

[zoes]

I give my cats regular cat food as treats. Either kibble, or dehydrated nuggets, or that "dry" food that looks more like pieces of beef jerky than kibble. Because it's regular, balanced cat food, I don't feel bad giving them as much as I want (and because they eat all wet food otherwise, they do think of it as a treat.) However, I typically only give this once a day before bed - or after an unpleasant/stressful experience.

I also give them raw meat, raw chicken wings, raw organ meat etc. But because it's frozen and I can never remember to thaw it, it's not every day, and because it's not nutritionally balanced I don't feel comfortable giving them more than a few bite-sized chunks (except the chicken wing which they get about 1 per week between them, though one eats most of it.)