Innovative Ideas For Cat Treats

If you have as many cats as I do; I have four and one who adopted us as his owners, plus a variety of dairy cats that drop in from day to day... Then having a trick or two up your cat treat cupboard isn't a bad idea. 

I started out buying the little packages of Temptations, Purina Luvs and Friskies Party Mix. 

Unfortunately while my cats love them and look forward to their treat time with them, its a very small amount of treat when compared with the price so I don't buy them in the department stores and I certainly don't shop pet stores. Dollarama and other Dollar Stores that stock them is my place to shop for treats. When I started adding up my pennies, I was none too impressed with what I was spending -  

over $2 for a 60 gram pack of Luvs or Party Mix

and well over $2 for Temptations!!!   I don't think so anymore.

It was time to take action and make some innovative changes to their treats and my pocketbook!

So, what do you do?

In the past I have experimented with making my own feed for them but frankly, to do it right will cost you more than buying these treat packs. Cats are meat eaters, not vegetarians; after the research I did searching out professional vets and other people who are into the whole 'natural food' thing for cats and dogs, like catching rabbits and using them as a base food for cats because they are closest to their usual prey... Well, I found the pricing of the ingredients I would need to purchase (off island, no less), was just too expensive to even contemplate, not to mention the storage I'd have to maintain. Nor was I in the mood to set tiny traps around the house in a vain attempt to catch, then do I don't know what with, the mice and other critters that might be trapped. Besides, it would be very time consuming and if they weren't deceased I'd have to get my husband to do the deed and it would just get far to messy in the long run.

I point this out because I've reviewed many a video on Utube of people who are doing this at home and feeding their animals the most unsuitable concoctions and calling it 'homemade cat food'. Like humans, they need a certain diet that cannot and should not be 'played around' with. Its a good thing cats digestive systems are highly adaptable, otherwise they'd likely become extinct!

And yes, I do have some recipes for homemade cat treats though I have yet to discover an ingredient combination that my furry friends won't turn their pert little noses up at. So far, I've had little success in this area as well. I quickly decided against the homemade cat food and cat treat ideas in favor of re-inventing the wheel a little bit here and came up with a workable solution. 

And --- Here it is... simple, straightforward and friendly to both my feline friends and my wallet! Heck, it even works with Bluejays in a pinch.

 Look familiar?   Is you're cat like this?  Mine too.

And thus, it gave me an idea - (LIGHT BULB anybody)! I figured out the cost between the pack of treats and a bag of a little higher quality cat food and worked out that it would cost me far less to purchase a bag of the stuff than splurge on tiny packs. What an idea! If great minds think alike... I've tried several different varieties of cat foods to see which are the preferred favorites.

A 500 gram bag of Whiskas Meaty Selections works but they tire of the same old, same old. So off I went with the different varieties of Friskies Sensations, to everyone's happiness. Today I decided on something a little out of the way and purchased a 3.5 pound bag of Special Kitty Cuisine; 2 actually... worked like a charm when I got home. 

All I can say is that its worked better for us and them and if you are caught between the cat bowl and the treat dilemma, give this a try and see how it works for you. 

Catspaw 

(How To) ~ Save On Kitty Treats ~

If you're anything like me, cat food is an expense in itself and its hard to replace with something that is healthy enough to be adapted as an alternative or a replacement for bagged or canned cat food. 

I've tried several recipes from online sites and so far have found little to nothing that is suitable. What I have found to be suitable is not within my price range to buy and prepare. Course the other consideration is the cats themselves, it may be the healthiest alternative since sliced bread but if the animals won't eat it, it becomes a huge deficit to the budget that most of us simply cannot afford.

That doesn't mean you give up altogether.  In testing to see what my cats will eat, I found they like chunks rather than the puree most people make and they like meat above everything else. Well, cats are meat eaters! So I'm looking at different ways to alternate, which is pretty tough when meat is on my list for us and its so expensive to buy (and share). 

I decided to start with their kitty treats. Usually I buy Whiskas Temptations and Purina Luv brands from Dollarama; stores charge wayyyy too much for these pet products and I'm not interested in spending a 1/4 of a paycheck on cat treats!! 

$2.99 In some stores!

Up to $2.50 in stores!

To compensate for buying these products only once in a while now; I purchase a 500 g bag of Meow Mix Cat Food or whatever other brand I can find on the shelf at my local Dollar Stores and use it as Cat Treats for my cats. It doesn't taste the same and they know it, but its a higher end cat food that they don't get because I can't afford to pay $25 for a large, 8 kg bag of the high end stuff. Frankly, with 4 cats to feed...

Also ridiculously priced for a mere 500 g bag

Although my cats tend to disagree with my brilliant plan to save money the expense of their more refined taste buds and flatly refused this offering, at first; I cleverly concealed a few morsels of Temptations and Luvs in, gradually weaning them off these addictive treats. 

Now its a once-in-a-while thing for them to be served their absolute favorites and they've have to adapt to getting a tiny bit less of it. Ok, a lot less of it!

But what I save on these tiny 85 g Temptations and the 60 g Luvs bags, I can use else where. Its easy to think it doesn't make a difference in the long run but just start adding it all up every time your shop and you will see what a hemorrhage it has become to your budget. Just a suggestion. Cats are highly adaptable, they'll learn or they will go without.

Catspaw