In the world of cat food, Temptations treats are one of the most popular options you can get for your pet. Apart from being extremely tasty, these treats are also pretty affordable, which makes them a favorite for many cat parents.
But are Temptations treats good for cats? And is it safe to feed them to your cat regularly? Keep reading, because you’ll find the answers to both of these questions, as well as all other info on these treats, below.
What Are Temptations Treats?
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Temptations is one of the most popular cat food brands on the market. Its treats are crunchy on the outside, but their insides are soft and gooey, which cats enjoy. The treats are available in a variety of flavors, from beef to fish.
Since this type of food is labeled as a treat, you should not give it to your cat in large quantities. Rather, just a few at a time is the best measure. However, that is where the problem begins.
Many cat owners have reported that it was impossible to just give their cats a few of the treats only. They said the cats would become addicted and have extreme behavioral changes and violent reactions when denied the treats.
If they gave them more treats, the cats would get sick. That is a normal reaction, as the treats are not meant to be consumed as actual food. But what is the truth? Are these treats addictive and bad for your cat’s health? Or should you simply learn to control your cat better? Let’s try to answer these questions by diving into what exactly the company puts in the treats in the first place.
What Are Temptations Treats Made Of?
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Before you buy any treats for your cat (or any food in general), you should always check the ingredient list. Doing so is especially important if your cat has any types of allergies.
Here is a list of some of the ingredients present in one box or bag of the Temptations cat treats:
• Chicken by-product meal
• Choline chloride
• Natural flavors (source of Liver Flavor)
• Dried meat by-products
• Ground corn
• Animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols)
• Caramel color
• Salt
• DL-Alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E)
• Vitamin B12 supplement
• Dried cheese
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
• Manganese sulfate
• D-Calcium pantothenate
• Biotin
• Red 40
• Folic acid
• Wheat flour
Interpretation and Description of Ingredients
The first thing that you should take notice of are the corn, synthetic colorings, and the meat by-products. The corn is GMO, the colorings are artificial, while the meat by-products are everything that companies cannot legally put in foods for humans.
To start with corn, it is no secret that it is genetically modified. Though the FDA says it is safe for consumption, you can never know how your cat could react to it, especially after prolonged use.
Then, synthetic colors are present in the treats to a worrying extent. While they do make the treats look better, they can also cause adverse side effects. For example, some of the colorings present in these treats (mainly Red 40) have been proven to cause allergic reactions and hypersensitivity in different animals.
Even the FDA has advised that companies should not use such colorings until studies can prove that they are truly safe. However, Temptations (and many others, for that matter) has not taken this advice seriously.
Finally, the food by-products are perhaps the worst ingredients on the list. Another name for these products is waste materials. They can include anything from heads, livers, and undeveloped eggs to spleens, intestines, and kidneys. All of them come from different animals.
While such products would not be so bad for pets in general, companies use them after they have gone bad and haven’t been refrigerated in days. In addition, a lot of those by-products come from roadkill or otherwise deceased animals. In some cases, they can even come from euthanized pets from shelters. As such, they are pretty much the worst thing you could put in foods, be it for pets or for humans.
But That’s Not All…
Apart from the three ingredients above, these treats also contain artificial vitamin supplements and animal fat. Both of these are harmful to different extents and can cause a severe reaction in cats.
Generally speaking, vitamins need to come from whole foods and plants to be healthy and safe. If they are artificial in any way, they are not safe for consumption for animals and humans alike.
In fact, apart from not satisfying the necessary amount of vitamins your cat needs to consume, they will actually create a vitamin deficiency. That could be lethal for your cat, especially if it is old.
It is important that you don’t let labels fool you. As you have seen, Temptations calls these supplements natural. However, the word natural means little and is misleading in this context. If a company does not state exactly which plant the supplements come from, you can assume that they are artificial. That should be your cue to look for another cat food company.
Finally, the animal fat present in the treats is also worrying. For one, there is no information available on it. Which animal does it come from? Is it safe? The fact that there are no answers probably means that the fat comes from dying or diseased animals, as it is easy to come by and affordable.
This type of fat is, unsurprisingly, rancid. As such, it is dangerous for your cat. To mask its smell and taste, companies add even more artificial flavors, which makes the situation even worse. Again, you should never buy products that have ingredients whose origin is unknown. In that sense, Temptations fails every safety test.
Why Do Cats Like These Treats So Much?
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As a cat owner, you probably know that they are flavor chasers. As such, they will eat just about anything that tastes great to them or reminds them of something they really like eating. In most cases, that is any type of raw meat.
Cat food companies know this, which is why they try to make their treats as appealing to cats as possible. Unfortunately, that mostly means loading them up with artificial flavorings. Doing so is the least expensive route they can take.
These artificial flavorings are what makes treats so irresistible to cats. They crave more, and they become fidgety and rude when they don’t get it. They might begin clawing at the cabinet where they know you keep the treats or meowing so loudly you can’t take it anymore, and you have to give in.
Cats are extremely intelligent, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they know exactly what to do to make you give them more treats.
You could compare their cravings with the way many people feel about snacks or sweets. Everyone knows that they aren’t healthy and don’t contribute any vitamins, but they taste delicious, and it’s hard to give them up. That is exactly how cats feel about their treats. They can’t control their urges, and they demand more every chance they get.
So, Are Temptations Treats Good for Cats?
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From everything above, it is easy to conclude that Temptations treats are not good for cats. They contain ingredients that are not only of low quality but are also dangerous for cats.
Artificial colorings, animal by-products, and synthetic vitamins can cause a wide range of issues for kittens. The most common ones are allergic reactions, and they can be both mild and severe. Then, your kitten could also have digestion problems and suffer from constipation due to the treats.
In rare cases, prolonged consumption of the treats can also cause serious diseases such as tumors or even cancer. Of course, these cases aren’t common, but you should still bear in mind that the danger of the ingredients is indeed something to be concerned about.
What If There Are No Side Effects At All?
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As with most products out there, there are people who swear by these traits and pets who haven’t had a single adverse side effect from eating them. If that is the case with your cat, you can continue giving it the treats like you have been doing so far.
As long as you are sure that your pet is healthy and is not addicted to the treats, it should be fine. Not all cats are equally sensitive, and not all of them react to treats in the same way.
One thing that you should be aware of, though, is that there are much better choices on the market. Even if your cat isn’t sick, it would benefit from eating foods with natural ingredients. It would get enough nutrients and vitamins to live a long and healthy life.
The bottom line is, you can give these treats to your cat if they like them and have had no problems. However, do so only if you are fully aware of what the treats contain.
How Many Treats Should You Give to Your Cat?
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If you take a look at what a healthy and balanced diet consists of for humans, you will get an idea of how to handle your cat’s intake of treats. For example, chocolate and ice cream are treats humans love, but they should never take up more than 10% of their daily caloric intake.
The very same applies to cat treats. You should not use them as a replacement for actual food but rather as a supplement. And whichever treats you go for, they should take up between 5% and 10% of your feline’s caloric intake every day.
So, a few treats between each meal is the best choice. That way, your cat will develop a healthy routine and will not get addicted. In addition, it will not become a picky eater that loves only the treats. Your cat will get all the nutrients it needs, while you will still be able to show that you appreciate it with some treats from time to time.
If you are not sure how many calories your cat should consume every day, it is best that you contact your vet. They will be able to give you an accurate estimate based on your pet’s weight, age, and level of daily activity.
By listening to the vet, you will ensure that your cat does not become overweight or develop any diseases caused by incorrect feeding practices. That way, your kitten will live a long and happy life and have the energy necessary to enjoy it to the fullest.
What to Do If Your Cat Is Addicted to Temptations Treats?
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If you know that your cat is addicted to the treats, there are a few things you can do. For one, you could try cooking some meat or fish and chopping it up for your cat. Alternatively, you could also give the meat/fish to your cat raw. Both make excellent replacements for the treats.
Most cats will gobble that up instantly and would slowly forget about the treats. You will just have to keep cooking or giving the raw meat to your cat instead of the treats. Still, you will know that it is eating healthy foods and that it won’t have any allergic reactions.
However, not all cats are as easy to fool. You could cook the meat, just for your cat to take a sniff and demand its treats. In such cases, it might be best to mix some Temptations treats with the meat at first. With time, you will be able to ditch the treats fully, and your cat won’t even notice.
Are There Any Healthier Alternatives to the Treats?
Of course! In fact, there are many cat food brands out there that use only premium products to make their treats. With such treats, you do not have to worry about artificial vitamins and animal fat from roadkill. Moreover, you can rest assured that no animal by-products are in the treats.
Apart from being safe for your cat, these natural treats will also be much more delicious to your pet. With them, you will truly get the best of both worlds as great brands do everything they can to combine healthy ingredients with amazing flavors.
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