Looking For The Best Treats For Kittens? Then Look No Further!
We’ve Got Reviews Of The Top Kitten Treats For Your Tiny New Friend.
You love your kitten, so of course you want to give him the best of everything.
But when you are learning how to treat a kitten to some special treat foods, you just want to be sure the treats you offer are healthy, nourishing and – most importantly – kitten safe!
In a hurry? Then check out our top picks of the best treats for kittens here:
Don’t fancy any of them, or want to find out more? No worries! There is plenty of information on these and lots of other choices in the article below.
Keeping Kittens Healthy
Feeding kittens treats is different from feeding adult cats treats.
Kittens need more of some nutrients, and a more controlled diet overall than adult cats.
For new kitten owners in particular, this can make choose kitten treats pretty stressful!
You may be wondering “what treats can I give my kitten?” or even “can kittens have treats?”
These are actually great, wise questions all kitten owners should be asking themselves!
This article will give you all the information you need to know about the best treats for kittens.
Including homemade kitten treats, the best cat treats for kittens, good kitten treats for training and much more!
Kitten teeth
Did you know that your precious kitten was born without any teeth at all? For her first two weeks of life, she was toothless and completely dependent on her mom for nutrients!
But around day 14, your kitten got a big surprise when her little front teeth starting to grow in.
After about six weeks, your petite fur ball had all of her baby teeth in place.
But then, probably right around the time you brought her home, your kitten got another big surprise as her baby teeth began to fall out to make room for her full set of adult teeth.
This likely made you both hyper-aware of your kitten’s dental health, and has probably brought up some big questions for you about how to make sure her teeth are as healthy as possible, including what kitten dental treats are best for her.
That is exactly what we will be talking about in this article, particularly in the section here on kitten dental treats!
Can kittens have treats?
When answering the question “can kittens eat treats?” the short answer to this question is “yes.”
But there is a caveat – kittens need to follow a very specific diet in order to get all of the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and nutrients their yong bodies need to grow up healthy and strong as adult cats.
So even the best healthy kitten treats should only be offered as an occasional supplement to your kitten’s regular daily diet.
Once or twice per week in larger portions or in very small daily portions.
Veterinarians generally recommend that 90 percent of a kitten’s daily nutrients come in the form of kitten food, with 10 percent coming from kitten treat foods.
Best treats for kittens for training
Like any baby, your tiny kitten is already on the fast track to grow up into a big, strong, healthy and confident adult cat.
Like any kitten owner, you also want to be sure your kitten grows up into an adult cat that is well behaved and doesn’t scratch the furniture or spray-mark your carpets.
This makes the topic of the best kitten treats for training one that every kitten owner is naturally very interested in!
When choosing kitten treats for training, it is important to keep portion sizes quite small to avoid over-feeding your kitten treats at the expense of his daily kitten food diet.
Also, you can give your kitten other non-food treats, such as pets and cuddles or extra play time, to cut down on the amount of treat-based foods you offer.
Your goal when offering kitten treats for training should be to offer tiny morsels of the very tastiest treats and to offer them the instant your kitten does what you want him to do. You may already know which treats your kitten likes most, or you may need to do a bit of experimenting to find out.
Best Training Treats For Kittens
Most kitten owners quickly find out that you can’t go wrong with cooked diced chicken or tuna, if you happen to have some on hand.
You can also try these two popular and highly rated kitten training treats.
Wildside Salmon Cat Treats
The Wildside Salmon Cat Treats are great.
A single-source protein treat, they are a great option for your kitten training sessions.
They are packed full of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids and they are made for both cats and kittens to enjoy in moderation.
Good treats for kittens
Finding good treats for kittens can be as simple as just paying attention.
Checking the kitten or cat food ingredients list and choosing pure, whole food treats.
Those that are free from additives or fillers, and that have plenty of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
For instance, these two treat options are both very good treats for kittens that you can offer your kitten!
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Temptations Classic Treats for Cats
If you like Temptations Classic Kitten Treats, you can choose from dairy, salmon, seafood, tuna, chicken or catnip flavors.
These treats can be pre-moistened to help your kitten chew them more easily.
Wellness Natural Pet Food Kittles Crunchy Natural Grain Free Cat Treats
Wellness Natural Kittles Kitten Treats are a great choice for conscientious kitty owners.
You can choose from duck, turkey, salmon, tuna, chicken and whitefish.
Each has cranberries and blueberries for antioxidants as well as whole veggies.
These can be moistened as an occasional kitten treat.
Get Naked Kitten Health Semi-Moist Treats
The Get Naked kitten healthy treats are made without any sugars, sweeteners or salt and contain extra DHAs.
The softness of these treats also make them easy for teething kittens to chew.
Healthy kitten treats
These healthy kitten treats are specifically formulated with a kitten’s unique nutritional needs in mind.
Cats are obligate carnivores, which means naturally they would only eat meat.
A good way to get closer to this is through grain free or 100% protein cat treats.
Cloud Star Grain Free Cat Treats
The Cloud Star brand has some great grain free cat treats.
Made with top quality meat, some vegetables and no corn, wheat or soy.
Purina Beyond Grain Free
These Purina Beyond Grain Free cat treats are a healthy, natural way to treat your kitten.
They have a minimum of 30% protein, which is excellently high for a cat treat.
There is also a no corn wheat or soy guarantee. With the main ingredient being chicken.
Cloud Star Grain Free Buddy Biscuits
Another great Cloud Star choice are these Grain Free Buddy Biscuits.
Made with premium meat and veg, they are guaranteed grain and gluten free.
Natural Balance Perfect Bites
Another well received options for grain free kitten treats is Natural Balance Perfect Bites.
They are made with chicken, rabbit or salmon included, and are made without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
You can order yours from Amazon here.
Best Treats For Kittens Health
Grain free treats are great, but 100% meaty treats are fantastic.
Thrive 100% Fish Cat Treats
A great choice is the Thrive 100% Fish Cat Treats.
This tube lasts a long time, as the small pieces are divided up well.
It contains only white fish, and is therefore a very healthy treat for any kitten or cat. Completely grain free too, of course!
Check them out on Amazon here.
Whole Life Single Ingredient
The Whole Life Single Ingredient Cat Treats contain just chicken.
Cooked, freeze dried and carefully sealed, these cat treats will appeal to even the pickiest kitty.
And they’re super healthy too.
Adult cat treat for kittens
Could the best treats for kittens be adult cat treats?
We’ve just seen the many of the healthiest options are indeed aimed at adult cats.
If you already have one or more adult cats in your family and you have cat treats on hand, you may be wondering, “can kittens eat cat treats?”
Kittens can eat cat treats, but as with all treats offered during the first 12 months of your kitten’s life, they should only be given sparingly.
Any cat treats you do offer your kitten should also be moistened if dry.
They should also be broken up into smaller pieces to reduce the risk of tooth and gum pain or choking.
It is also a good idea to choose only a cat treat for kittens that is as free from fillers, additives, sugars, salt, grain or artificial ingredients as possible. To help safeguard your kitten’s still-developing digestive system.
Here are a couple more yummy chocies.
Temptations Natural Cat Treats
The Temptations brand states that it is safe to give Temptations Natural Cat Treats to kittens, as a supplement to a regular kitten diet.
Temptations kitten treats are free from artificial preservatives, fillers or flavors and come packed with extra taurine to help your kitten’s heart and muscles develop fully.
You can choose from chicken, salmon or tuna flavors.
Blue Buffalo BLUE Kitty Yums Healthy Soft-Moist Cat Treats
Blue Buffalo Kitty Yums are healthy soft cat treats. They also make great occasional kitten treats.
You can offer different flavors as a supplemental treat to get your kitten used to eating a variety of foods from an early age.
They are healthy, soft and moist too.
Kitten dental treats
Cats and kittens can be very prone to developing dental problems. Including tartar and plaque build-up.
This can lead to gingivitis, periodontal disease or stomatitis, which is a form of plaque allergy that can be quite serious and painful.
Also, cats hate to go to the dentist just as much as most people do!
So the more you can do to help your kitten maintain healthy teeth and gums at home, the happier you both will be.
Best Treats For Kittens Dental Health
Kitten dental treats like these two popular food options can definitely help you both with this goal.
Using cat kibble as kitten treats is totally safe as long as you feed in moderation, in addition to their regular diet.
Hill’s Science Diet Adult Oral Care
The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) specifically recommends Hill’s Science Diet Oral Care dry cat food as a good treat to control tartar and plaque build-up.
For kittens, this food should be moistened before offering it as an occasional treat.
Purina Veterinary Diet Feline Dental Health
The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) also recommends Purina Vet Diet dry cat food to control plaque and tartar build-up.
This food should also be moistened before offering it as a kitten treat.
Homemade kitten treats
Here is a lovely kitten treats recipe courtesy of Joy the Baker.
Joy is very conscientious in choosing the ingredients for her cat treats recipes.
These treats are also nice and chewy, which is vet-recommended for cleaning a kitten’s teeth and ease of chewing during teething.
Catnip and cat grass can also be added to any homemade kitten treats recipe as a safe ingredient.
Catnip can be an especially fun base for kitten Christmas treats, since it is already quite festively green!
Best kitten treats
We hope you have enjoyed learning more about the kinds of foods kittens can enjoy as special treats!
This is a very special and precious time in your life with your kitten – after all, she won’t be a kitten for very long!
By offering the best kitten treats that are nutritious, healthy, good for growing teeth and bodies, and tasty too, you can make sure your sweet little fur baby grows up to enjoy a long, wonderful life with you!
Resources and Further Reading
- Feeding Your Kitten
- Best Dry Kitten Food
- Organic Kitten Food
- Best Wet Cat Food For Urinary Health
- Best Canned Cat Food
- Bellows, J., DVM, Dipl. AVDC, ABVP, “Dental Disease in Cats,” VCA Hospitals, 2008.
- Feinman, J., DVM, “Kittens: Dr. Jeff’s Recommendations for New Owners,” Home Vet, 2017.
- Lindell, E.M., VMD, DACVB, “Top 5 Kitten Behavior Tips,” Veterinary Behavior Consultations: Clinician’s Brief, 2016.
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Thank you for great information regarding treats for kittens! I honestly never gave treats to my kittens, but now I will…in moderation, of course!!
My kitties just love the Temptations treats that you do suggest. Every time I shake the bag of treats, they come running!