Without a doubt, most cat owners have a tendency to spoil their pets with special treats. As well, treats are on the top of the list when it comes to training. In fact, Reader’s Digest recommends using treats to train your cat to come on command and even use the toilet! However, feeding your cat too many treats could have health consequences, especially if your pet has a tendency to gain weight.

In truth, cat obesity is common when too many treats are given to your pet. This does not mean that your cat should go without treats at all. Instead, here are a few tips for feeding your cat healthy treats:

1. Treat in moderation

There is nothing wrong with treat as long as they are fed to your cat in moderation. Moreover, treats should never be the main source of a cat’s diet. According to an article on WebMD, moderation is key and only 10% of the total calories a cat eats should be from treats.

2. Buy healthy cat treats

Not all cat treats are healthy. In fact, some treats have ingredients that are quite harmful to your cat’s health. For instance, many treats as well as cat foods contain artificial colors, preservatives like BHT or BHA, Ethoxyquin(a toxic chemical to extend the shelf life), meat by-products, wheat or corn gluten and heavy doses of minerals.

3. Focus on natural ingredients

A healthy diet may prevent many conditions like feline arthritis, eye diseases, kidney failure and other diseases. Select natural treats that contain whole ingredients like beef or chicken. Freeze dried high protein cat treats are a good option. High protein cat treats come in a large variety of flavors like turkey, chicken, beef, salmon, shrimp and venison. These treats are pure meat, low in calories and high in protein.

4. Human foods

According to Animal Planet, it is okay to feed your cat human food on occasion. Small treat portions of eggs, cooked fish, and cheese are safe if given in moderation. In addition, some cats also love veggies like steamed broccoli or asparagus, chopped greens, winter squash, green beans or baked carrots. You should never feed your cat garlic, onions, grapes or raisins, kelp, chocolate, food with sugar, caffeinated drinks, coffee or alcohol, not even tiny portions, as these can have toxic effects.

5. Decoding food labels

When it comes to decoding labels, there are two basic rules. First, look at the first five ingredients. The ingredients are listed from most abundant to least abundant. The first five ingredients should also be protein based. Next, look at the protein and carbohydrate ratio. The perfect treat is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Also keep in mind when reading labels, if you see an ingredient that is unfamiliar, it is probably not good for your cat. For example, many cat treats contain Ethoxyquin to preserve the food. Ethoxyquin has many side effects. Rendering to NaturalPedia, side effects include weight loss, kidney damage, liver damage, changes in alimentary duct, and colored urine, skin or fur.

6. Non-food treats

Non-food treats such as catnip are safe and healthy for your cat. According to PetCareRx, catnip is a mild not-toxic hallucinogen that has similar properties of male cat urine. In result, many felines react to the plant when in heat such as rolling, slobbering, and yowling. The effect of catnip generally last from 5 to 15 minutes. In fact, the non-addictive herb from the mint family is perfectly safe for your cat. However, it should only be given to your cat once a week.