Safe Cat Treats: A Buyer's Guide
Most 'cat treats' on shop shelves are mostly cereal and flavor. The genuinely good ones are simpler, healthier, and not much more expensive. Here's what to look for and what to avoid.
Why this guide exists
If you're reading this site, you probably want to share something with your cat without poisoning them. The good news: there's a whole category of cat-formulated treats that are genuinely safe, complete, and even nutritionally useful. The bad news: a lot of grocery store cat treats are nutritionally junk food — high in cereals, salt, and sugar, low in actual protein.
Treat types, ranked by usefulness
1. Single-ingredient freeze-dried meat (best)
Just protein. No fillers, no salt, no preservatives. Mostly chicken, turkey, salmon, or whitefish. These are functionally a topper as much as a treat — you can crumble them on food.
2. Lickable / creamy treats
Like Churu — meat puree in a tube. Cats love these for the licking action, they're low-calorie, and good for syringe-feeding water (squeeze a small amount in water for cats reluctant to drink). Excellent for medication-distraction.
3. Dental treats (VOHC-approved)
The Veterinary Oral Health Council approves dental treats whose abrasive texture genuinely helps with plaque. Most "dental" treats don't have this approval — look for the VOHC seal.
4. Calming treats (occasional use)
L-theanine or alpha-casozepine based. Useful for vet visits, fireworks (July 4th), or moves. Not a daily supplement.
Treats to avoid
- Anything with onion or garlic powder — surprisingly common in flavored treats
- Anything with xylitol — rarer in cat products than dog products, but check labels
- Treats with artificial colors — your cat doesn't care what color the treat is
- "Tuna in spring water" canned tuna as a treat — too salty, lacks taurine, can cause overconsumption issues
How much treat per day?
Treats should be ≤10% of your cat's daily calorie intake. For an average 9–11 lb adult cat eating ~250 kcal/day, that's only ~25 kcal of treats — about 5–8 small freeze-dried pieces, or one Churu tube. Overdoing treats is the most common cause of feline obesity in indoor cats.
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Last reviewed: · By the Cat Ate It editorial team