7 Best Cat Treats in 2024 (Reviews and Guides)

Who doesn’t like a little treat now and again? For a cat, whose prime directives are usually eat, sleep, and sit on your keyboard, cat treats are high on the list. Soft cat treats, crunchy cat treats, chicken cat treats, tuna cat treats, even healthy cat treats–cats aren’t usually that picky. But, if you landed on this buying guide, you probably are!

So, we’ll share our top 7 picks for the best cat treats, and tell you which ones are best for what uses. And as always, we’ll answer some common questions when thinking about cat treats. So, treat yourself to some review and question-answering goodness.

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7 Best Cat Treats 

All seven of these options were chosen for their high rating on Amazon, as well as favorable reviews. So, if you’re just looking for a tasty treat, any of these will be a good choice for you and your kitty friends. Beyond that, there are all different types of cat treats. There are moist treats, crunchy treats, and even some with a cream center. If you’re not picky, you can get basic treats that may have lower-quality ingredients in them. You can also find treats with low or no grain and meat as the first ingredient.

In addition, several of these treats work really well for specific needs, like sensitive stomachs, fiber needs, kitten options, or dental chews for cats. We’ll also be talking nutrition–see our guide later on in the article if you need more help with cat nutritional needs. So, no matter what types of cat treats you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered! Now, here’s what’s good about each of our 7 best cat treats picks!

Pounce Cat Treats

To me, Pounce Cat Treats are the quintessential cat treats. I remember the “shake it up” slogan growing up, and sales copy about how cats couldn’t resist the signature sound of shaking the Pounce cat treat container. This particular listing is a four-pack, two each of Caribbean Catch Tuna, and Seafood Medley. They’re made with real seafood and tuna and have a nice moist texture. Coming in at around $23 at the time of this writing, you’re looking at $6.75 a canister.

This is a fine choice from a nutritional standpoint. Meat products make the middle of the list, which are good but not great. They have a medium protein content, low fiber content, and high moisture (yum!). Customers have suggested that if you use treats slowly, consider putting them in a plastic bag to avoid them drying out.

Manufacturers Specs

• Size: 4 6.5 oz containers
• Flavors: Tuna, Seafood
• Texture: Moist
• Nutrition Facts: Crude Protein (Min.) 15%, Crude Fat (Min.) 7%, Crude Fiber (Max.) 1.50%, Moisture (Max.) 35%

What We Like

• Classic treat brand
• Nice and soft!
• Made with (some) real tuna and seafood 

What We Don’t Like

• Lots of corn
• Nutritional is just fine

Summary

If you’re looking for a tried and true option, Pounce is some of the best cat treats out there. The signature shake makes them some of the best cat treats for training, as well.

Temptation Cat Treats

Temptation is another classic cat treat brand, this time of the crunchy treat variety. Well, sort of. These cat treats have a crunchy outer layer, and a creamy center (kind of like a Gusher, or maybe Cadbury egg, but for cats). This listing is Temptation’s “Super Value Size”, coming in at 30 oz. The flavors available are chicken, salmon, seafood, and tuna. (If you’re going to buy from Amazon, keep an eye on it. It appears that different flavors are different prices, and not all of them are eligible for Prime.) These are a bit more affordable than Pounce as well.

We’re also doing a little better in the nutrition category. Our first ingredient is meat, though it is followed closely by corn meal. Temptations Cat Treats have, however, some of the highest protein content on our list. This makes them a viable option for kittens that have weaned. They are also high in fat and low in fiber. There are very few negative reviews for Temptation cat treats, and customers who have purchased them report that their cats love them! Some customers have also reported that these are some of the best cat treats for sensitive stomachs.

Manufacturers Specs

• Size: 30 oz tub
• Flavors: Chicken, Salmon, Seafood, Tuna
• Texture: Crunchy (with cream filling)
• Nutrition Facts: Crude Protein (Min.) 28%, Crude Fat (Min.) 25%, Crude Fiber (Max.) 4.1%, Moisture (Max.) 10%

What We Like

• Cat Gusher concept is interesting!
• Meat is first ingredient
• Large container

What We Don’t Like

• Corn is second ingredient
• Filling means paying attention to the expiration date

Summary

If you’re looking for a treat that’s interesting and that cats love, Temptation Cat Treats are a great option. These are also high in protein, so they’re some of the best cat treats for kittens, too.

Healthy Cat Treats – Fruitables

Fruitables are the first of our two “healthy cat treats” options. If you would describe yourself as “crunchy” or a “granola mom”, these treats are aimed at you and your cats. Fruitables Cat Treats come in three different meat/fruit combinations. Fruitables tout that they use limited ingredients. This means no animal by-products, corn, wheat, soy, or artificial flavors or colors. Instead, meat is the first ingredient, and a rice/barley combo is the main grain. While this isn’t the same as a no-grain option, rice and barley have more protein and nutritional content than the usual fillers. 

Seeming to be true to its claims, the ingredients are meat, fruit, flaxseed, pea fiber, rice flour, barley, and other recognizable flavors. The treats are also under 2 calories per serving, so great for that dieting kitty in your family. Customers say that their cats love these treats, so clearly the fact that they’re health treats isn’t a deterrent. Others report that these worked well for the sensitive stomachs in their family, so these are some of the best cat treats for sensitive stomachs on our list.

Additionally, these are pretty high in fiber. While that’s not necessary for all cats, they’re some of the best treats for cats who need fiber on our list as well.

Manufacturers Specs

• Size: 2.5 oz pouch
• Flavors: Tuna/Pumpkin, Chicken/Blueberry, Salmon/Cranberry
• Texture: Crunchy
• Nutrition Facts: Crude Protein (Min.) 28%, Crude Fat (Min.) 12%, Crude Fiber (Max.) 8%, Moisture (Max.) 10%

What We Like

• No corn
• Recognizable ingredients
• Healthy and not gross

What We Don’t Like

• Might be pandering to “crunchy” people
• Kind of expensive

Summary

If you want your cat to live that whole foods life like you, Fruitables Cat Treats are right up your alley. High in protein, high in fiber, low in calories, and low in corn: a great combination.

Healthy Cat Treats – Friskies Party Mix

Second of our two healthy cat treats, Friskies is decidedly less “granola”, but still less than two calories “for guilt-free snacking”. (Yes, the marketing team at Purina wanted to let us know that Friskies Party Mix is good for “guilt-free” snacking, as if a cat is going to feel guilt about not keeping their diet. In fact, calling cat treats “Party Mix”, like you’d set out a bowl of these bad boys right next to the Chex Mix and Cheetos, is also kind of an interesting choice. Next level marketing happening over there at Purina. (I digress.) The flavor is called Beachside Crunch, and it’s made up of whitefish, shrimp, crab, and tuna. 

In a somewhat surprising similarity to Fruitables, Friskies Party Mix uses barley and pea starch to round out the corn. Whitefish is also the top ingredient, and “meal” of all the other components is used as natural flavoring. Like many of the entries on this list, customers’ cats love this stuff! A few report that it bothered their cats’ stomachs, so keep an eye on that.

Manufacturers Specs

• Size: 20 oz or 30 oz tub
• Flavors: Beachside Crunch (whitefish, shrimp, crab, tuna)
• Texture: Crunchy
• Nutrition Facts: Crude Protein (Min.) 29%, Crude Fat (Min.) 15%, Crude Fiber (Max.) 4%, Moisture (Max.) 8%

What We Like

• Cheap!
• Fairly healthy big-brand option
• Real flavoring

What We Don’t Like

• Can be hard for sensitive stomachs.

Summary

If you need a cheaper healthy option that’s still delicious, check out Friskies Party Mix. (But don’t set it out next to the Chex Mix.)

Greenies for Cats

Greenies for Cats are our best dental chews for cats. Many crunchy cat treats claim some added dental benefit by being crunchy. Greenies are formulated to clean cats’ teeth and improve their breath. It’s actually one of only four cat treats accepted by the Veterinary Oral Health Council. I was interested to know how these treats work. It turns out that cats need crunching to keep their teeth clean, remove plaque, and keep their breath fresh. Most dry food is small enough that cats can swallow it whole! Greenies are both harder and larger than average cat food, encouraging cats to chew them and get those teeth-cleaning benefits.

Greenies come in four flavors: chicken, salmon, catnip (!!!), and tuna. They also come in a variety of different sizes. Like some of the later entries on the list, these treats list meat (chicken meal) as the first item, however, followed closely by wheat and corn meal. Also prominent is that these treats are enriched with vitamins and minerals. Greenies for Cats are high in fiber, so they are some of the best treats for cats who need fiber. (Greenies also makes a “Fiberblend” version of their treats to help with hairball issues.)

Manufacturers Specs

• Size: 2.1 or 4.6 oz pouch, 9.75 or 21 oz tub
• Flavors: chicken, salmon, catnip, tuna
• Texture: Crunchy
• Nutrition Facts: Crude Protein (Min.) 27%, Crude Fat (Min.) 12%, Crude Fiber (Max.) 10%, Moisture (Max.) 10%

What We Like

• Recommended by vets
• Interesting flavors (like catnip!)
• High in fiber, if your cat needs that

What We Don’t Like

• On the pricier side.
• High in fiber, if your cat doesn’t need that

Summary

If you’re looking for the best dental treats for cats out there, look no further than Feline Greenies. (And tell me how your cat likes the catnip ones!)

Blue Buffalo Bursts Cat Treats

Blue Buffalo is known for their raw approach to pet foods. They pride themselves on using real and quality ingredients and take into account the actual dietary needs of pets. So, you can imagine that a cat treat from Blue Buffalo is going to be something you’re comfortable giving your feline friend. Similar to Temptations, Bursts have a crunchy outer shell and a softer filling.

Many of the treats on this list are hip to the “meat as the first ingredient game”. However, most of them are some kind of meat meal, and it’s hard to know what might actually be in it. Blue Buffalo’s first three ingredients (for the chicken variety) are chicken: deboned chicken, chicken meal, chicken fat. Then, as with other healthy options on the list, rice and barley are favored over wheat or corn.

As an added bonus, if your cat is allergic to poultry, Blue Buffalo’s salmon flavor has no chicken or poultry products in it at all. However, Bursts’ back label is a bit confusing. It claims that there are no poultry by-product meals in all three of its varieties, including chicken. This is dealing with the seedy underground of food label terms and what they actually mean–“chicken by-product” means something different than “chicken”. So, there are still chicken ingredients in each of the varieties except salmon, just not by-products.

Manufacturers Specs

• Size: 2 oz, 2 oz 6-pack, 5 oz, 12 oz
• Flavors: chicken, liver & beef, salmon
• Texture: Crunchy/Moist
• Nutrition Facts: Crude Protein (Min.) 23%, Crude Fat (Min.) 21%, Crude Fiber (Max.) 2%, Moisture (Max.) 10%

What We Like

• Quality ingredients
• Meal not the first ingredient
• Affordable for what it is

What We Don’t Like

• Still an expensive treat
• Weird ‘by-product’ thing

Summary

Blue Buffalo Bursts comes from a company with a reputation for raw ingredients and high standards. If you want to bring that game into your cat treats, give these treats a try.

Wellness Kittles Cat Treats

A lot of the cat treats we’ve covered on this list have dealt with the “evils” of corn and wheat in cat treats and cat foods. While we are not vets, and this isn’t an article on feline nutrition specifically, cats are carnivores and are meant to eat primarily meat. (Here is a great resource on the subject, from National Academies Press

Wellness Kittles are a completely grain-free treat option. Similar to the Fruitables cat treats, Kittles has several meat and fruit combos. They seem like they might go in and out of stock if you’re shopping Amazon, and each flavor may not be available in every size. Your flavor options are chicken, duck, salmon, tuna, and turkey, all paired with cranberry. You can also get a variety pack with tuna, salmon, and chicken.

Looking at the ingredients, tuna itself is the top ingredient, which is notable. Even treats that use natural flavors will often be made primarily with chicken, using tuna meat to get the “tuna flavor”. True to their word, no grain is present, even rice or barley. Chickpea, peas, and potatoes are used as the meal in these treats. These are, in our opinion, some of the best cat treats for kittens as well. That’s because kittens have higher protein needs in their diets.

Another added benefit, the cranberry and green tea extract make this a great option if your cat has trouble with urinary tract infections. Just make sure to have plenty of water around. (Be sure to grab yourself a great litter box, and maybe some urine remover if they pee anywhere weird.)

Manufacturers Specs

• Size: 2 oz, 4 oz, 6 oz.
• Flavors: chucken, duck, salmon, tuna, turkey (all with cranberry)
• Texture: Crunchy
• Nutrition Facts: Crude Protein (Min.) 32%, Crude Fat (Min.) 10%, Crude Fiber (Max.) 4%, Moisture (Max.) 10%

What We Like

• No grain
• Best cat treats for kittens on this list
• Antioxidants great for UTIs

What We Don’t Like

• Antioxidants might not be good if your cat has kidney issues.
• Customers say prices are prone to fluctuation

Summary

Wellness Kittles have a lot going for them. No grain, meat in the name is the first ingredient, super high protein content, and antioxidants to boot.

What are the best cat treats for training?

Short answer? Whatever they like! This is one of those instances where you’ll just need to get to know your cat. Anything that makes them come running is a good bet. Even plain cat food kibbles or catnip might work. If your cat gets bored of one kind of treat, grab a couple more off of our list to try. One important consideration is a little disclaimer that most cat treat manufacturers put on their treats. I grabbed the one for Feline Greenies as an example:

FELINE GREENIES™ dental treats are formulated for cats 1 year of age or older. … feed treats daily in conjunction with your cat’s regular diet. As with any treat, adjust the amount of the main meal to compensate for calories delivered by treats. Always monitor your pet while feeding a treat. Provide fresh drinking water at all times and see your veterinarian regularly. … feed a 10 lb adult cat 8 treats, two times per day.

So, if you’re training heavily, make sure your treat usage falls within the guidelines of the manufacturer, and that you’re adjusting feeding accordingly. Keep water handy and watch your cat if you’re using a new treat, just to make sure they’re handling it normally.

So, if you’re training your cat, grab a treat they like, make sure you’re not gorging them on it, and go to town!

Can I make homemade cat treats?

Of course! In fact, an advantage to making your own homemade cat treats is that you have way more control over what goes into them. They’re really not very different than making cookies for people. You just need meat and a binding agent, like eggs and flour or pulsed rice.

Here are a few of our favorites:

• Dill’s 3-Ingredient Salmon Cat Treats
• Hills’ Cat Treats from Cat Food
• Sir Percival’s Tasty Tuna Cat Treats

If you enjoy a little time baking, and don’t mind the strange sensation of your cookies smelling like meat, give making homemade cat treats a try!

Can cats have peanut butter?

Our friends over at PetCentral and Innovet helped us weigh in on this issue. The short answer is sometimes.

It’s not toxic to cats, as long as they don’t have an allergy. Yes, cats can have peanut allergies just like humans. Keep an eye out for strange symptoms after eating peanut butter, such as vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, wheezing, or sneezing.

It’s also useful for getting medicine down, just like it is for dogs. It’s thick, rich, creamy, and has a strong taste. Cats will work hard to swallow the thick peanut butter, and by the time they do, they will have probably gotten the pill down without even realizing it.

However, it’s not particularly healthy for cats either, especially cats who are already overweight. While peanut butter is high in protein, which is great for cats, it is also high in fats and carbohydrates. Natural amounts of fats from meats aren’t necessarily a problem for cats. However, the high fat content of peanut butter, and the carbs from sugar are not helpful for them, and may contribute to obesity if used as a consistent treat.

Peanut butter can also present a choking hazard to cats. If a cat gets too much peanut butter at one time, they may choke or experience high stress as they attempt to swallow it.

So, can I take that cute video of my cat trying to eat peanut butter? Can cats have peanut butter at all? Maybe once for the photo op, under supervision. After that, best to stick to regular cat treats (or maybe some homemade cat treats!)

Final Thoughts

Cat treats are a great way to reward your cat, bond with them, and even supplement some of their health needs. We hope our buying guide will help you find the best cat treats for your needs! Whether you’re loving them, training them, or just trying to get them to come when you call for once, the right cat treat will be a great tool in your arsenal.