Cats
Cat snacks: what are the best snacks and their benefits?
admin • 16 Jun 2023
Who doesn't enjoy treating their cat to make them happy? They adore it, you can be sure of that. There are currently many options to offer your four-legged friends and make them very happy. One of them is cat snacks. But many first-time pet parents may be apprehensive and have some doubts about this type of food.
After all, what are cat snacks? Can they be offered quietly? What benefits do they provide? And the options we have on the market, which are the best? Some of the most common questions are listed below.
With that in mind, in today's post, we're going to clarify the main doubts about cat snacks. Check out!
What are cat treats?
Snacks for cats are wet or dry foods, offered non-continuously to animals, serving as complements to regular food in everyday life. Some can be given as a treatment, while others have therapeutic functions, indicated in some health conditions.
Are cat snacks bad for you?
This is a very common question, mainly due to concern about possible long-term health damage. But when they are offered in a balanced way, they can bring a lot of gains to the health of animals. An example of this is the sachet, a great way to increase water intake, serving as a stimulus for cats that have some difficulty in this regard.
What are the benefits of cat snacks?
Many snacks have therapeutic functions, such as helping with kidney health, preventing dental problems, minimizing bad breath, and helping to prevent hairballs from forming, among others. Other benefits are:
greater proximity to the animal;
reward in obedience training or in special situations (when they manage to eliminate in the litter box );
assists in recovery from surgical procedures;
helps to better deal with cases of depression, stress, and adaptation to new environments;
complements the treatment of some conditions (gastrointestinal and renal);
provides more comfort to elderly animals that have difficulty eating dry feed.
What are the best cat snacks?
There are several snacks available in the market. The best are those that meet the needs of the animal, made with quality. Below are the main types and their benefits:
pates — moist foods that aid in water intake and can replace a meal (check for this indication on the packaging);
fruits - they are healthy and a way to contribute to a greater intake of fibers, vitamins, and nutrients, but it is important to talk to the veterinarian to find out which ones can be offered;
sachets — wet foods that help supplement nutrition without causing harm to health;
snacks — in addition to complementing the diet, some are functional and can be focused on reducing hairballs, and oral hygiene, among others.
When to offer cat treats?
Snacks can be offered in different situations, as we comment below:
show your affection for the pet;
teach behaviors and encourage obedience to commands;
assist in the reduction of hairballs (with specific snacks for this);
ensure a balanced diet ;
serve as complementary food after surgical procedures;
provide greater comfort, becoming food for the elderly cat that has lost some teeth;
How to offer cat snacks?
To ensure the benefits of snacks, it is important to observe some essential precautions when offering them, such as:
put the snack inside a ball that releases it, to stimulate and reward;
check the recommended amounts to avoid excess;
place in a sanitized container ;
discard the treat if the cat does not eat (mainly sachets and pâtés) to prevent the food from turning sour, which can cause nausea, vomiting, and intoxication, in addition to being exposed to the action of insects;
reinforce the reward by also offering affection and adopting an affectionate language.
As you can see in this post, the best cat treats are those that meet your pet's needs and do their job. They can be a way to supplement food, create a bond between you, a strategy to calm him down or help with obedience training. The important thing is that you choose the best quality ones to protect your pet's health.