To treat or not to treat

[p3 and the king]

I admit, I give mine treats every so often and as a "reward" when something is done good or right.  I don't do so in excess.  But, I know many frown on the concept of treats anyway.  I look at it like candy to a kid.  It's nice to have once in awhile and they enjoy it.  It doesn't hurt them as long as you don't overdo it.  Mine even know the word "treat" so I can't say it out loud without them running to me crazed and ready!

What treats do I give?  They love Temptations.  They adore homemade treats. 

Do you or do you not treat your cat... No ugliness please.  We are all entitled to our way of doing things. 

 

[Willowy]

If I want to count everyone, I'll throw a bag of Friskies Party Mix on the floor. . .my mom says it's like feeding koi :lol3:. The ingredients are junk but they must put something delicious in them. And I do eat cheetos sometimes, the kitties can have junk food too. . .:tongue2:. But if I'm trying to bribe a kitty to hold still or let me comb him or whatever, most of the time I use bits of cheese.

 

[tammyp]

Yes, although I struggle with finding a 'good' treat as I don't want to feed what may be poison, or problematic - and with a raw diet, putting in a carb laden treat mucks up the PH adaptations of the digestive system.  If I could get freeze dried meat, I'd do that (can't import as Australia is very strict).  So far, have found one type of dried human grade meat (chicken meat only) and just tried it today while I clipped claws!

And that's the main reason I treat ('bribe').  It makes unpleasant experiences really tolerable for Kato, and easy to do for me!

Of course, aside from rewards/bribes, we also like to spoil...while keeping nutrition in mind.  Our 'treat' of the week, done once a week, is some lovely fish (non-deep sea so as to reduce mercury/heavy metal incidence) like whiting.  My husband pan-fries it in a little butter while Kato supervises with non-concealed delight and impatience!  THEN it is hand fed with love. Such a love ritual!! If we miss the hand feeding bit, Kato lets us know it is part of the love and has to happen.

 

[smitten4kittens]

I like to give my little honey bunnies a treat before bed. I usually give them freeze dried chicken treats or Castor Pollux organix treats. Just 2 so they don't gain weight.

 

[cat lover12]

I have found that giving cats treats makes them rrrrrreally happy, kinda like, thats their definition of love it was like Snowflake (my kitty) was rejecting me! She wouldn't come when I called, and she even ! haha! However, it does spoil them. I had a cat that I gave treats to every day for the firstfew months since she was a kitten, and she loved them! I ran out one day (which hadn't happened ever before) andbit me a couple of times. So I started giving her a lot of attention, petting her and sweet talkin' her, and I stopped giving her treats, and she got all sweet again! I don't know if ALL cats are like my SNowflake was, but anyhow, my point is, some treats are good for them! Good for teeth, coat, digestive system etc., I don't think there's any harm in giving your kitty treats, just so long as you give them a lot of attention as well as treats so you don't spoil them to only treats! So it's pretty much your call whether or not to treat or not to!!

 

[chrisso]

I feed our kitten unsalted ham as a treat and she loves it. It's also a great way to get her inside if she's escaped, or to use as a reward...as soon as she hears the plastic wrapping she comes running. Will probably look into some proper cat treats eventually.

 

[just mike]

I admit, I give mine treats every so often and as a "reward" when something is done good or right.  I don't do so in excess.  But, I know many frown on the concept of treats anyway.  I look at it like candy to a kid.  It's nice to have once in awhile and they enjoy it.  It doesn't hurt them as long as you don't overdo it.  Mine even know the word "treat" so I can't say it out loud without them running to me crazed and ready!

What treats do I give?  They love Temptations.  They adore homemade treats. 

Do you or do you not treat your cat... No ugliness please.  We are all entitled to our way of doing things. 

Mine get treats every evening and at training times. Every evening we have a hide and seek game played with feline Greenies and Greenies SmartBites. At training times they love Friskies Party Mix - all flavors. They all know how to "sit pretty", come when called and play fetch. Except Hoot refuses to do any of the training but demands the treats anyway LOL! At her age I comply

 

[GoldyCat]

I had hoped I would be able to use treats for training, but none of my cats seem to be highly driven by treats. Even greenies don't get more than a sniff and a lick. :dk: If I leave the treats out Hercules will eventually finish them off, but he doesn't come begging for them, and he does the same thing if I scatter his regular food around. Merlin goes crazy over Petrodex dental treats, but since he doesn't have teeth any more he doesn't need them, and they're too expensive to buy just for regular treats.

 

[angels mommy]

I do give treats. I found Pure Bites (in the dog section at Pet Supermarket). They are great! They are freeze dried meats. I buy the duck & the turkey. 

I found them because so many cat treats were bad, or had an ingredient that Angel can't have. (allergies)

They crumble so easily (well, not the beef) that I have used them to coat a piece of pill pocket, to get him to eat it.

I give him a few pieces at night before bed w/ his pills ("his night,night treat") , and I will leave a few for him when I leave for work in the morning. (a couple of hrs. after he has had his breakfast).

Sense he is having to get fluids every other day right now, (cystitis) I also give him one after having to go through that. Sense it is just freeze dried meat, I don't worry about it.

 

[otto]

I use treat time as special bonding time. I have a treat time ritual that we do a couple times a week. They swarm around and I sit on the kitchen floor with them around me. I dole out tiny pieces of treat and they take it from my fingers, mostly.

This is done always if I have roasted a turkey breast or chicken on a Sunday afternoon, since it seems only fair they should have some after they have been smelling it cooking for hours, they have theirs before I have mine.

On other days, if there is time, I will get a freeze dried turkey heart, or PureBites freeze dried chicken for treats.

One of their favorite favorite Games is Chase the Kibble game. I don't feed kibble, and with one exception never have, but I keep a bag of Wysong in the house for this purpose. I play this Game with them only about once a month. I measure out 1/8 cup of the kibble and sit on the floor. I toss the kibbles across the floor and they chase them down. Each cat has a specific territory, and knows to wait her turn, for the most part, so I always know how much each cat is getting. Mazy and Jennie get half pieces and Queen Eva gets whole pieces so by the time the Game is over I know that Queen Eva has had half of a 1/8 cup, and Jennie and Mazy have each had one fourth of a 1/8 cup.

 

[otto]

Here's an example of how things go at Treat Time. This video is from Thanksgiving Day 2011, I cherish it because it was the last day my Tolly actually really ate anything, he had to leave me for the Bridge five days later. Mazy's palate has changed a lot since then since going raw, she now enjoys the occasional cooked human turkey or chicken, too, though as you can see here, she did not want the turkey then (she was still on the Hills c/d then). PS Watch Queen Eva the opportunist steal from the bowl when my attention is diverted!:lol3:

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]




Here's a very old video of the Chase The Kibble Game, I was brand new with a digital camera with video, so it's not very good. Just Mazy and Jennie are playing. Ootay and Tolly were my other two cats then but they weren't interested in kibble.

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[ritz]

I feed 100% freeze dried/dehydrated treats, liver or shrimp (the only time she gets fish except .

I fed raw, and am too afraid to ever give regular treats (e.g., Greenies) to Ritz for fear she'd become addicted to carbs again.

I've rarely given treats as a "reward" for good behavior, not saying it's wrong, I just never got into the habit.

I do drop everything and upon her demand play or cuddle  (she is liking belly rubs these days).

I do give her three or four treats (roughly 10 to 20 calories) a day after dinner.  Use to be more but she has to watch her girlish figure, and she's not liking eating less food.

 

[peaches08]

I let my cats gave raw chicken gizzards as a treat. They also help keep their teeth clean!

 

[just mike]

I had hoped I would be able to use treats for training, but none of my cats seem to be highly driven by treats. Even greenies don't get more than a sniff and a lick. :dk: If I leave the treats out Hercules will eventually finish them off, but he doesn't come begging for them, and he does the same thing if I scatter his regular food around. Merlin goes crazy over Petrodex dental treats, but since he doesn't have teeth any more he doesn't need them, and they're too expensive to buy just for regular treats.

Some cats are just like that! Some have no interest in treats at all. All 4 of mine love treats but Ramsey is the absolute worst treat beggar in the bunch. If he sees me even near the treat cabinet he starts in on me :nod:

 

[laggyducky]

My cats love their treats. 

Popcorn is big on chewing on things so her favorite is N-Bones not the best but I give her one once a week. Minion hates them he will take it and put it in the litter box. He absolutely refused to chew on them. 

Both of them like the PureBites Chicken treats, EVO turkey and chicken, Ziwi Peak lamb liver and the Zuke's chicken treats. I mostly give treats right before I leave to go to work or school or if they have been extra good (aka no tearing apart furniture or torturing the dogs). 

 

[otto]

My cats love their treats. 

Popcorn is big on chewing on things so her favorite is N-Bones not the best but I give her one once a week. Minion hates them he will take it and put it in the litter box.  

:lol3::lol3::lol3::lol3::lol3:

 

[archerbaby]

I use treats for positive reinforcement.  Right now I'm using it as a way to "train" my cat to get down off of the counter.  I tried saying no, which of course never worked, and then I read somewhere on here about how positive reinforcement is the way to go.  I've been working on it for a couple of weeks so far & it actually does seem to be working, though maybe that's just wishful thinking  I also give treats when I have to do something that my kitty doesn't like, such as clipping his nails.  He doesn't really like getting them done, but he's not too bad & he knows he's going to get a "tweet, tweet" at the end, so he tolerates it!

  And yes, as silly as it sounds, I do say "tweet, tweet" though I have no idea how I got started on that one, but he definitely knows what it means!

 

 

[otto]

Doesn't sound a bit silly to me.

 

[kittylover23]

My cats love their treats. 

Popcorn is big on chewing on things so her favorite is N-Bones not the best but I give her one once a week. Minion hates them he will take it and put it in the litter box. He absolutely refused to chew on them. 

Both of them like the PureBites Chicken treats, EVO turkey and chicken, Ziwi Peak lamb liver and the Zuke's chicken treats. I mostly give treats right before I leave to go to work or school or if they have been extra good (aka no tearing apart furniture or torturing the dogs). 

:lol3: about the litterbox!

My cats loooove the PureBites!

 

[laggyducky]

What can I say he says they belong in the litter box with the rest of his business. 

PureBites are a big hit around here even the strays have come to know the sound of the bag opening.