My kitties LOVE treats and they are no exception. But what I’ve noticed is that unlike people they get quite picky about their favorite obsession. When it comes to people, once a chocolate lover, always a chocolate lover. I’ve never met a chocoholic who has given up Lindt in favor of licorice all of a sudden.
But cats, being cats will do cartwheels one day for chicken and the next day it’s all about turkey. And then suddenly it’s about fish.
Admittedly Fudge and Ziggy are very spoilt and get to taste test a lot of treats. But what I have discovered is that often it’s not only about flavor but also about the shape of the treats that keeps them coming back for more.
I have yet to speak to veterinary nutritional scientists to learn more about what type of food shapes appeal to cats, but from my own observations one thing is clear; treats may come and go in terms of popularity in our household, but the two that are firm favorites have very distinct shapes and never loose their popularity.
The chicken favorite in our household is the Castor & Pollux Organix Cat treats made from organic chicken as the number one ingredient with a chorus of organic veggies oats and barley. The treats are shaped like teeny tiny fish. It’s my belief that while they are drawn to the flavors, they also find them very easy to pick up.
www.castorpolluxpet.com/product/organix-organic-cat-treats
The other firm favorite in our household is freeze-fried fish. I have noticed that the products in chunk form are difficult for them to enjoy. It’s a matter of breaking it up into smaller pieces – and then it crumbles. That’s why the winner in this category is Smittens from The Honest Kitchen. Their product is pure dehydrated Icelandic haddock. And they are teeny tiny heart shapes. www.thehonestkitchen.com/smittens
From this, I have deduced that it’s the shape — the “indentation” in the product – the “top” of the heart-shape, and, where the fish “body” meets the “tail” in the Organix that makes their favorite tasting treats just that more enjoyable.
On their website page designated to Organix treats, Castor & Pollux say “Ideal for rewarding good behavior, or foolishly optimistic attempts to train your cat.”
Well, cats will jump through hoops for a good treat!
To train your cat to sit for a treat is really quite simple. Simply hold the treat above her head, slight back so that she has to sit in order to reach it. Keep saying the word “sit” as you hold it in position and give praise when she finally sits and is able to reach her treat. Cats are really smart. It won’t take long before she will simply sit when you say the word with a treat in hand.
Voilà !
