Your feline has different dietary needs than other animals, even other common household pets like dogs. They also have various dental needs and unless you want to purchase a cat toothbrush and specially made toothpaste to brush their teeth for them each day, you need a crunchy treat developed for cleaning their teeth. The best cat treats for your young adult cat will change as they age. Our guide helps you find the right ones.
Best Cat Treats Buyer’s Guide
You need cat treats designed for your cat’s specific nutritional needs and age. You’ll notice in reviewing the list of feline food treats none say they are created for kittens. You should not feed any of these treats to kittens since they require a specialized formula of food, marked as such. Most companies don’t make kitten treats.
On the other hand, once a cat moves out of kittenhood and into the adult world, you can treat them to a snack or reward. Some humans want to feed their cats human food, but that makes a bad idea. Cats need a nutritional supplement called taurine. Cat foods and treats include this in their recipe. Regular food like chicken you’d cook for yourself has no taurine and felines fall ill without it.
At 12 months of age, your kitten begins to move into adulthood and reaches the equivalent of a 15-year-old teenage in human years. They age quite quickly and by 18 months, your kitten becomes an adult. In human years, an 18-month-old cat is 21 years old. At age ten years, your cat becomes a senior citizen. In human years, they’re 56 years old. If you meet a 21-year-old cat, stand in awe, as it has reached the age of 100 in human years. At every stage in a cat’s life, the animal needs different feeds and in different amounts.
You need to forego treats until your kitten becomes an adult at about a year and a half. Until the kitty reaches the age of ten, you should feed him or her adult treats. Start feeding your feline senior treats as a tenth birthday treat.
Many companies, such as Hartz and Greenies, make formulas for adults and seniors, so try to find a treat your cat likes from a company that makes both formulas. The recipes will taste the same and only the consistency varies. Adult treats usually consist of a chewy bite-sized morsel or a crunchy on the outside, but chewy on the inside treat. Senior treats consist of wet food types, including bisque, stew, or puree.
Best Cat Treats Product Reviews
TEMPTATIONS Classic Crunchy and Soft Cat Treats
Amazon’s top seller amongst cat treats, even finicky felines seem to love the taste of most flavors of Temptations, but this flavor sells the best. These treats appear crunchy, like dry food on the outside. On the inside, your cat will find a soft, chewy center. It’s essentially a Tootsie roll pop concept for cats. This product consists of 30 ounces of Temptations Classic Cat Treats Tasty Chicken Flavor in a re-closable tub to ensure the freshness of the food.
Because the cat treats only have two calories each, you can still feed these as a reward or treat to a cat that the vet has placed on a diet. While you’d typically see a small pouch of these in retail or grocery stores, you can get large tubs to buy in bulk on Amazon. The Temptations Cat Treats provide a 100 percent nutritionally balanced, complete snack for an adult feline. You can use these treats as a single treat or feed them to your pet and can feed them these Temptations as a meal or meal topper.
- Cats Lose Their Cool: Your cat can’t wait to get their paws on these irresistible cat treats that are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, so shake the pack, and they’ll come running.
- Under 2 Calories Per Treat: Feel good about rewarding your cat every day because each crunchy cat treat is under 2 calories and can be used as a cat snack, meal, or cat food topper.
TEMPTATIONS MixUps Crunchy and Soft Cat Treats, 16 oz., Pouches and Tubs
The second best seller in cat treats earns a near puff-fect rating from frisky felines – a 4.8 out of 5. While not quite as massive as the 32-ounce tub, this 16-ounce tub will still provide treats for weeks. While the biggest seller in the Temptations line is the above all-chicken tub, this smaller tub provides three flavors for your kitty to munch – chicken, catnip, cheddar. These nutritionally balanced snacks include chicken, corn, and animal fat as their top three ingredients.
They also contain catnip powder which may explain why cats take to them so quickly. They’re essentially edibles for your cat. Cats love that these treats contain no artificial flavors. Like other Temptations, the treats have a crunchy outside and chewy interior. The shell includes a tartar controlling ingredient to support good dental hygiene. With only two calories per treat, you can feel good about feeding these to your feline as a snack or meal.
- Contains one (1) 16 oz. tub of TEMPTATIONS MixUps Treats for Cats CATNIP FEVER Flavor
- TEMPTATIONS Cat Treats are 100% nutritionally complete and balanced for adult cat maintenance
TEMPTATIONS Classic Crunchy and Soft Cat Treats, 16 oz., Pouches and Tubs
Sometimes your kitty only wants chicken. You can nab this 16-ounce resealable pouch chock full of chicken treats to provide a yummy treat that crunches on the outside and provides a chewy, moist center.
Like the other flavors of Temptations, the chicken flavor is made only for adult cats and has only two calories per treat in a nutritionally balanced 100 percent complete recipe. The large pouch can fit in snug areas in a cabinet. You can re-seal it to ensure freshness.
FELINE GREENIES Natural Dental Care Cat Treats, Chicken Flavor, All Bag Sizes
While some treats for your cat add tartar control substances as an afterthought, the cat food brand Greenies developed its cat treat line specifically to help cat owners care for their cats’ teeth. Greenies’ dental care treats taste like the opposite of medicine and cats rated them 4.8 out of 5 stars, or so their owners entered for them. Nearly five paws of approval mean these taste good, but you’ll need to purchase a few packages because the larger ones often sell out.
Unlike Temptations, they only come in a 2.1-ounce size, 2.5 ounces, 4.6 ounces, 9.75 ounces, 11 ounces, and 21 ounces. The flavor in these isn’t just chicken, it is oven-roasted chicken. Eating these crunchies cleans the cat’s teeth, reduces tartar, and freshens your feline’s breath. Veterinarians recommend this feline dental treat, which includes all-natural ingredients with minerals and vitamins added. Like the other treats discussed so far, they are only for adult cats and have only.
- This convenient pouch contains 2.1 oz. of FELINE GREENIES Crunchy Dental Treats in Oven Roasted Chicken Flavor
- Crunchy texture helps clean teeth, reduce tartar buildup, and freshen breath
Hartz Delectables Squeeze Up Interactive Lickable Wet Cat Treats for Adult & Senior Cats, Multiple Flavors
Here’s a new take on kitty treats that you might have seen at your vet’s, but you can now buy online. It’s squeezable treats. You squeeze the tube and outflows chicken cat treats that resemble a pâté. Each Delectables Squeeze Ups contains 32 tubes containing 0.5 ounces of cat treats. That adds up to a 16-ounce package. You can use this squeezable cat treat as a topping for their dry food or wet food.
They can also dine on it alone as a snack. The puree of chicken and fish is thick enough that you can squeeze it onto your finger and feed your cat by hand if you want to bond. While not in this collection of tubes, you can find other textures of Hartz Delectables Lickable Cat Treats, including bisque, chowder, stew, soft pâté, savory broths, and squeeze ups.
- CONTAINS: This pack of Delectables Squeeze Ups contains 32 (0.5 ounce eaches) squeezable cat treat tubes.
- INTERACTIVE TREATING: Squeeze Ups provide the purrfect bonding experience between you and your cat – this playful & interactive lickable cat treat gives treating a whole new meaning.
Temptations MixUps Crunchy and Soft Cat Treats, 30 oz.
Most felines love fish, and it shows in the 4.9 stars out of 5 this delicious treat earned. These crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside cat treats contain three flavors – tuna, shrimp, and salmon. You can purchase other flavor combinations, too, including beef, chicken, and liver.
The actual animal tops the list of ingredients so chicken flavor starts with chicken and a fish flavor starts with that fish. Shrimp contains shrimp. You’ll get plenty of treats for your feline in this 30-ounce tub of TEMPTATIONS MixUps Treats for Cats Backyard Cookout Flavor. You can also order the seafood option. Like the other cat treats, they have two calories per treat. Use the resealable tub to keep the product fresh.
- Cats Lose Their Cool: Just shake the pack, and your favorite feline will come running for their favorite cat treats.
- Purr-fect Texture: Cat treats are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, making it the cat snack that keeps them coming back.
Hartz Delectables Stew Lickable Wet Cat Treats for Adult & Senior Cats, Multiple Flavors
Finally, senior cats, those felines aged ten and older, get their own yummy treats. Because older cats may have lost some teeth, Hartz offers these nutritionally complete lickable wet treats. As mentioned in the above review, Hartz provides these treats in multiple textures. This one comes as a stew. You can add it to the top of your cats’ food as a topping or to make a gravy.
Cats tell their owners to give it 4.7 stars out of five. You’ll receive a pack of 12 squeezable tubes of 1.4 ounces. These tubes come in the flavors of chicken and tuna. You’ll get six bisque tubes and six stew tubes all in the same flavor. Since it is a stew, the top ingredient is water, followed by chicken and tuna. It also contains vitamins E and B.
- CATS LICK THE BOWL CLEAN: These lickable cat treats combine tender chicken & succulent fish into a smooth and hearty sauce for a treat so delicious, even the pickiest cats lick the bowl clean!
- SENIOR CAT NUTRITION: Added Vitamin E and B vitamins help support your senior cat’s health, plus the small wet flakes make it easier for your cat to enjoy.
Hartz Delectables Bisque Lickable Wet Cat Treats for Adult & Senior Cats, 12 Pack, Multiple Flavors
More treats for senior cats? Of course, there are. You can purchase these Hartz Lickables in a range of sizes for a tiny 1.4-ounce pack of one to a large 12 pack with 1.4-ounce tubes of cat treats. Your cat gets to dine on bisque in the flavors of chicken, tuna, and shrimp. You can combine these treats with dry food or wet food meal or you can serve it alone as a treat and let your cat lick it up.
- CONTAINS: This pack of Delectables Bisque contains twelve (12) 1.4-ounce lickable cat treats.
- CATS LICKS THE BOWL CLEAN: These bisque cat treats combine tender chicken or succulent fish with a smooth and satisfying sauce for a cat treat so delicious, even the pickiest cats will lick the bowl clean!
Greenies Smartbites Hairball Control Stocking Stuffer
If your furry feline friend has serious issues with hairballs, you can stock up on these hairball control Greenies that do more than clean their teeth. Called Smartbites, these cat treats provide low-calorie nutrition that your feline can enjoy anytime. You can add them to their dry or wet food, or you can feed them to them alone as a treat. Cats give these treats a serious paws up since cat owners rate them 4.8 stars out of 5. Made with real chicken, the 2.1-ounce package might not last long.
You can use the small pouch to try these out to see if your cat agrees with thousands of others. Ingredients in Greenies formula reduce hairball formation by aiding in healthy digestion. To create the best outcome, also feed your cat a hairball control diet. Veterinarians recommend this all-natural cat treat that also includes the necessary nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that many cats lack. They have a chewy center surrounded by a crunchy hard shell.
- Contains one (1) 2.1 oz. pack of FELINE GREENIES SMARTBITES HEALTHY INDOOR Natural Treats for Cats Chicken Flavor
- With GREENIES FIBERBLEND Formula to help support healthy digestion, high quality protein to support muscles and less than 2 calories per treat to help maintain a healthy weight.
FELINE GREENIES Natural Dental Care Cat Treats, Catnip Flavor, All bag sizes
If your feline loves Greenies or you adopted multiple felines, you can choose the size of the package you need. The range begins at a small pouch of 2.1 ounces and extends up to a 21-ounce package. While humans like that these treats provide needed tartar control for their pets, cats just love the flavor which garnered these treats 4.8 stars out of five. The specific sizes include 2.1 ounces, 4.6 ounces, 9.75 ounces, 21 ounces.
With the top ingredients including chicken meal, ground wheat, and brewers rice, in that order, you can feel good about feeding your adult cat these treats. Smaller sizes come in pouches, while larger sizes come in tubs. All containers provide a method of re-sealing. These treats clean your cat’s teeth, remove tartar and reduce its development, and freshen the animal’s breath.
- This convenient pouch contains 2.1 oz. of FELINE GREENIES Crunchy Dental Treats in Catnip Flavor
- Crunchy texture helps clean teeth, reduce tartar buildup, and freshen breath
Conclusion
You can find treats for the finickiest cat by trying out a few flavors and manufacturers of cat food and treats. Choose a treat that suits your cat’s age and nutritional needs. If you have a senior cat, you need a senior formula like those from Greenies, but an adult cat can have Temptations or Greenies. Remember, your kitten should never eat cat treats because they aren’t formulated for their dietary needs.
