Kitten Treats

Crushed to crumbs on a saucer, an ordinary cat treat becomes a kitten treat, provided the age line on its label allows it. The work is in the label and the crushing, not in finding a special bag.

What the label says about age

When you read the label, read the front and the back. The front names the animal, and the back carries the feeding directions and any age statement. Check both before the bag is open, because a bag that is open is a bag you have already decided to use.

Some treat labels carry an age line, such as a minimum age in weeks or months. If the label has one, follow it. If it has none, the label does not say, and the person to ask is a licensed professional who cares for the kitten. A treat that is fine for an adult cat has said nothing about a kitten unless the bag says it.

VCA Hospitals advises feeding a kitten a food formulated for growth until it is done growing, typically around 12 months, which puts the treat in a supporting role. The bowl comes first. The treat is for handling, for learning a name, for a good moment.

Read the age line again whenever you buy a new bag. A different bag is a different label, and the line can differ from one treat to the next.

Tiny pieces for small mouths

Put the treat on a saucer, or in a folded paper towel, and press with the back of a spoon until it is crumbs. Aim for pieces about the size of a grain of rice. A freeze dried piece breaks easily, so this takes a few seconds, and the crumbs scatter less on a saucer than on the counter.

Sniff and Shift freeze dries minnows in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and the bag is labeled for dogs and cats; the seafood is imported. Crushed, it turns to crumbs, and the age line on its label is the one to check before a kitten gets any.

Use a flat saucer and not a bowl, so the crumbs are in plain sight. Wash it after each use, because crumbs that dry on it smell like old fish by the next day. Offer the first crumb from a fingertip, too. A kitten that takes food from your hand is a kitten that will let you touch it later. Hold the saucer low. A kitten will not reach for a high one, and it learns what the saucer means by the third try.

How many treats a kitten gets

Count crumbs, not pieces. A kitten's treat is a few crumbs, offered one or two at a time, and a kitten fills up fast on a very small amount. That is the trade off with a young cat: it learns quickly from a treat, and it also stops being hungry for dinner quickly.

For the arithmetic of how much of a day a treat takes up, read how many treats a day. It works with a kitten's smaller bowl in the same way it does with an adult's.

Give the treat after a meal when you can, or well before the next one. A kitten that has had treats all afternoon will leave its bowl alone at dinner, and that is a poor trade.

A good habit is to count out the crumbs before the session and put the rest away. Six crumbs in a saucer is a session. When the saucer is empty, the session is over, and the bag goes back in the cupboard without a discussion.

Treats as part of handling and grooming

A treat is a good way to teach a kitten that being touched is pleasant. Touch a paw, give a crumb. Lift a lip, give a crumb. Run a soft brush down the back once, give a crumb. Keep it short, stop while the kitten still wants more, and finish before it squirms away.

Do the same with the carrier: leave it open on the floor with a crumb or two inside, so the carrier is a place where good things appear. The how to train a cat with treats page lays out a first session in detail.

Hands matter as much as the treat. A kitten that is picked up only for the carrier or the clippers learns to dislike being picked up. A kitten that is picked up, given a crumb and set down learns that being held ends well. Mix the two, and do the pleasant ones more often.

Everything on the cat treats shelf is sorted by protein and form. Check the age line on each before you buy.

Common questions

How old does a kitten need to be for treats?

The age line on the treat's label decides. If the label has no age line, ask a licensed professional who cares for the kitten.

How do I crush a freeze dried treat for a kitten?

Put the piece in a folded paper towel and press it with the back of a spoon. Aim for crumbs about the size of a grain of rice.

How many crumbs can a kitten have at a time?

One or two crumbs at a time, a few times a day. Count crumbs, not pieces.

Can I use treats to handle a kitten?

Yes. Give a crumb after each touch of a paw or a brush stroke, and stop while the kitten still wants more.