Crunchy vs Soft Cat Treats

The difference is water: a crunchy treat is dry and snaps, a soft treat holds moisture and bends, and each fails in the opposite way. Everything else about the two follows from that.

What makes a cat treat crunchy

A crunchy treat is one that has been dried, baked or freeze dried until almost no water is left. With the water gone, the piece goes hard and brittle, and it snaps instead of bending. That is what you hear in the bag.

Dry treats last. A sealed bag of crunchy pieces can sit for a long time, and the pieces do not go off in a day. The trade off is that a dry piece can be too hard for a cat that chews slowly, and some cats will bat one across the floor and leave it.

There are three common ways to get a dry treat: baking it, air drying it or freeze drying it. Each leaves a different texture, from the dense snap of a baked biscuit to the airy crunch of freeze dried. The supplier's listing usually names the method, and the texture follows.

Crunchy also means loud. A cat that likes the snap will come running at the sound of the bag, and a cat that dislikes it will leave the room. Listen to which one you have.

Soft treats and what keeps them soft

A soft treat is one where the water was kept, or put back. The piece gives under a thumbnail, and it can be torn. Cats that chew slowly or take small bites often manage a soft piece more easily than a hard one, and that is the main reason owners reach for it.

Read the ingredient list in order. FDA describes the list as running from the most by weight to the least, so a treat that starts with water or with an ingredient that holds water is soft because of that. The label is the place where the maker says what the softness is made of.

The cost of softness is time. Soft treats dry out. Leave the bag open and the pieces harden at the edges, and then they are neither one thing nor the other. Reseal after every use, and use the bag in good time.

Squeeze a soft treat between two fingers before you offer it. If it gives and springs back, it is in good order. If it is stiff or has crusted at the edges, it has dried out, and the cat will often tell you before you notice.

Freeze dried: crunchy that melts

Freeze dried treats are crunchy until they touch saliva. Put a piece on a cat's tongue and it softens in seconds, because the dry piece takes up water quickly and gives way. The crunch lasts as long as the piece stays dry, and no longer.

That is why they suit cats that do not like to chew. A freeze dried piece is a snap and then a soft mouthful, with no hard stage in the middle. It is also why an open bag has to be sealed well, since a piece that has taken water from the room has lost the crunch.

Sniff and Shift freeze dries sardine heads in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and the bag is labeled for dogs and cats; the seafood is imported. It is the crunchy house option, and a way to hear the snap for yourself.

Pick up a piece in each hand, one freeze dried and one soft, and feel the weight. The freeze dried piece weighs almost nothing, because the water is gone, and the soft piece feels heavy for its size, because it is not.

Choosing by cat

The way to find out is to offer both. Put one crunchy piece and one soft piece on a saucer, and watch which goes first. Do it three times on three days, since a cat's first choice on a Monday can be different on a Thursday.

Kittens and older cats are the usual reasons for choosing soft. A kitten has small mouthfuls to manage, and an older cat may chew more slowly. In both cases the answer is about the cat's mouth and habits, and the first thing to do is watch her eat.

A cat that takes the soft piece and leaves the crunchy one is telling you about its mouth. A cat that crunches the dry piece and ignores the soft one is telling you about its habits. Neither is wrong. For a cat that wants a puree instead of either, lickable cat treats is the page to read.

For a comparison of what is on the shelf, read best freeze dried cat treats, and browse the cat treats collection.

Common questions

Why did my soft cat treats go hard?

Soft treats lose moisture when a bag stays open. Press the air out and seal the bag fully after every use.

Are freeze dried cat treats crunchy or soft?

Both, in order. They crunch while dry and soften as soon as they meet saliva.

How do I know if a soft treat is soft because of water?

Read the ingredient list from the top. If water or a moisture holding ingredient comes first, that is what keeps the piece soft.

Should I give my cat both textures?

It is a fair test. Put one crunchy and one soft piece on a saucer on three different days, and see which one goes first.