7 Best Healthy Cat Treats: Our Favorite Natural Treats for Cats

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Looking for healthy and natural treats for your cat? Whether your concern is weight management or general nutrition, there’s no reason why the occasional healthy treat can’t be a part of your cat’s life. It’s easy to find treats that are good for your cat—if you know where to look.

First of all, don’t think that you can’t feed your cat people food. We’ve been told for years that pets can’t eat human food—but that’s not true! Cats are not some sort of biological anomaly only capable of consuming scientifically-designed food substitutes. There are actually a lot of options when it comes to healthy cat treats that will brighten your cat’s day.

Here’s a collection of our top seven picks for the best healthy cat treats.

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Raw Chicken Organs as Healthy Cat Treats

While you’re preparing a chicken for the family, don’t throw out the giblets. Not only is organ meat an essential part of a balanced raw diet, if your cat isn’t eating raw, they’ll still appreciate the organ meat as a snack.

If you decide to offer your cat organ meat as a treat, stay away from liver and kidney. It’s fine to offer these organ meats to your cat every once in a while, but too much can throw off your cat’s nutritional balance. The best organ to offer your cat is heart, since it’s a lot tougher to feed too much.

Hearts are also rich in taurine, which is essential for cats. If you’re interested in learning more about feeding organs to your cat, check out this post from the Feline Nutrition Foundation.

If raw chicken organs aren’t up your alley, they’re also available freeze-dried and prepackaged for ease of use.

These freeze-dried chicken hearts from Fresh is Best are make an excellent healthy treat for your cat.

Fresh is Best Freeze-dried Chicken Hearts Amazon link
Fresh is Best Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Hearts on Amazon.com

Sardines as Healthy Cat Treats

While sardines aren’t really a natural part of a cat’s diet, you can give them to your cat as a healthy treat. Sardines are rich in omega-3’s, vitamin D, and vitamin B-12—meaning that they’re great for your cat’s skin, coat, and bone health.

In addition, sardines are rich in protein, which is perfect for your meat-loving cat. Make sure to give your cat the right kind of sardines, though: avoid sardines packed in oil or flavored with seasonings and sauces. Plain sardines packed in water are best for your cat, who doesn’t need hot sauce or mustard. Your cat should enjoy sardines in moderation: don’t serve them more than 1/4 to 1/2 a 3.75 oz can per week.

Try offering your cat Crown Prince sardines in water—there is no salt or seasoning added!

Crown Prince Sardines in Water sardine cat treats
Crown Prince Sardines in Water on Amazon.com

Raw Shrimp as Healthy Cat Treats

Well cleaned raw shrimp, with its strong smell and tender texture, is a delectable healthy cat treat. Like sardines, shrimp is rich in nutrients, omega-3’s, and protein. While not an appropriate meal for your cat, shrimp is a delicious and healthy cat treat.

Freeze-dried shrimp are a more convenient cat treat option if you’d rather not deal with raw shrimp. 

Pure Bites freeze-dried wild caught shrimp are easy-to-serve and yummy to cats.

Pure Bites Shrimp cat treats on Amazon
Pure Bites Freeze-Dried Shrimp Cat Treats on Amazon.com

Feeder Mice as Healthy Cat Treats

Regardless of how squeamish you feel about opening up a bag of baby mice, these rodents are about the closest to biologically correct cat treats you’ll find. A mouse provides the muscle meat, organs, and bones that your cat needs.

You will find frozen feeder mice online or at pet stores catering to reptile owners. Baby mice that haven’t yet grown fur, or pinkies, measure between 0.5 and 1″ in length and are the perfect size for a cat treat. The mice should be thawed under refrigeration before your cat eats them.

UGRodents sells a variety of whole prey animals packaged for pets.

feeder mice for cat food
UGRodents Frozen Pinky Mice on Amazon.com

Extra Small Feeder Chicks as Healthy Cat Treats

In the same category as feeder mice, feeder chicks provide a complete source of nutrition in a small package. Although they’re more difficult to find than feeder mice, you can find feeder chicks online or at pet stores that cater to reptile and predator pet owners. The chicks are slightly challenging to eat and are great for your cat’s dental health, giving them a jaw workout as they chew the raw bones. Nutritionally complete and natural, feeder chicks are absolutely a healthy cat treat.

Hare-today.com sells frozen feeder chicks in their online store. Hare-today is also an excellent resource for other ingredients if you’re interested in preparing raw food for your cat at home.

Freeze Dried Raw Cat Treats

Instead of feeding your cat grain-based treats from the grocery store, consider a healthy alternative with freeze-dried raw treats. These healthy, natural cat treats don’t require any preparation and are easy to feed your cat. Some prepared freeze-dried treats are more than just raw meat: they’ll usually include vegetable fillers like squash or sweet potato. While not a necessary part of your cat’s diet, these fillers are okay in moderation as part of an occasional healthy cat treat.

Nature’s Variety Instinct Mixers aren’t just tasty food toppers, they also make excellent cat treats.

Nature's Variety Raw Boost Mixers for cats
Nature’s Variety Freeze-Dried Rabbit Mixers on Amazon.com

Freeze Dried Cooked Cat Treats

If you prefer to feed your cat cooked treats, check out the variety of freeze-dried 100% meat treats for your cat. These healthy cat treats from Whole Life Pet are made from a variety of meats, are low in calories, and provide an excellent source of protein for your cat. These are easy to serve (no handwashing afterward) and absolutely healthy for your cat.

Whole Life Just One Ingredient Salmon cat treats are made simply and many cats love them. 

Whole Life Salmon Cat Treats on Amazon.com
Whole Life Just One Ingredient Salmon Cat Treats on Amazon.com

Find More Healthy and Natural Cat Treats on Amazon .