Delight Your Maine Coon: Explore Our Top 6 Cat Treats

Treats are our ultimate trump card against cats – just give them a few delicious ones and they’ll let you do just about anything. Well, almost anything. Nevertheless, they’re an essential part of cat-human bonding, so having some delectable ones on hand can come in super handy.

As responsible cat parents, though, we need to be careful and selective about our choices in cat treats. Otherwise, they can end up doing more harm than good.

If your Maine Coon is one of those cats that constantly bug you for treats (and let’s be honest: all cats are that way), finding the perfect balance of deliciousness and nutrition is vital to satisfy their mammoth-sized appetites while nourishing their bodies.

In this article, we review and thoroughly analyze the ingredients of 6 of the best cat treats your kitties can get their toe beans on. Additionally, we will discuss the appropriate times and ways to offer treats to your beloved cat, so get ready for some paw-licking goodness!

A Quick Overview: The 6 Best Cat Treats

Discovering The Best Cat Treats in 2024 for Maine Coons

Keeping nutrition in mind, here are seven of the best cat treats your kitty can enjoy:

1. Best Overall: Pure Bites Freeze Dried Chicken Breasts

For the conscious cat parents who want nothing to do with preservatives and artificial flavorings, the Pure Bites Freeze Dried treats are the real MVPs of nutrition and flavor.

Made with just one ingredient –  fresh, local chicken breasts – these treats are as healthy and natural as they get while being tasty and absolutely irresistible for cats. If you want to offer another protein to your cat for a change, Pure Bites have other varieties too – turkey, salmon, shrimp, tuna – you name it.

After getting ‘freeze-dried’, these treats preserve their nutrition and freshness without the need for any additives, making them the ultimate all-natural option out there.

Plus, they only have about two kcal per treat, so it’s a really good option for cats who struggle with their weight. Since they’re so yummy to cats, most gobble them down in the blink of an eye, which is why it’s a great thing they’re so low in calories.

Because they contain just one wholesome ingredient, they’re deemed safe for diabetic cats or those that have other dietary restrictions. On top of that, they aren’t pricey either, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone.

The only downside is that these treats often get smashed down into a powder inside their packaging. This leaves them as more like a food topper rather than a bite-sized treat.

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2. Best Soft Treats: Sheba Treats Meaty Tender Sticks

For cats who prefer more of a soft texture rather than crunchy, dried, or paste-like, the Sheba Meaty Tender Sticks are something they will surely go crazy over.

Available in three flavors, the chicken variation has the healthiest ingredient list, with chicken, pork, pork liver, and turkey listed as the first four ingredients. As a result, it’s one of the few treats that have a pretty high protein content, so you’re not just treating your cat, but also supplementing its diet.

It doesn’t contain any grains either, and instead, has a bunch of supplements such as taurine, Vitamin A, and E. They come as sticks that can be broken down into little pieces (the sticks have dents marked on them as a guide) or you can hand over the entire thing at a time.

Cats, however, have an easier time with smaller pieces than trying to handle the long sticks with their mouths. For freshness, each stick is packed separately.

Some cats might not like the soft, chewy texture, but you can experiment with other flavors if that’s the case. They’re also a tad bit more expensive per piece, but keep in mind you’ll be feeding healthy treats that aren’t just junk.

The calorie count of each stick isn’t the lowest – 13 kcal per stick, to be precise – but it’s not too bad when you compare it with some other treats.

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3. Best for Dental Health: Purina Dentalife

Studies have proven that along with brushing, dental chews can certainly help cats accumulate lesser plaque, and the Purina Dentalife is cut out perfectly for the job.

These morsels come in two flavors – chicken and salmon – and are crunchy and quite porous. This texture helps clean the teeth as they bite into it, clearing up plaque buildup over time. So if your cat doesn’t let you clean its teeth too often, incorporating these in their daily diet can help.

Nutrition-wise, these treats contain a good amount of protein derived from chicken meal (for both flavors), alongside vitamin E and taurine. The addition of a probiotic – dried bacillus coagulans – is a bonus that can help with digestion.

The treat does contain grains such as ground corn, which may not sit well with cats with food sensitivities. Despite that, these treats are low calorie, accounting for less than 2 kcal per treat.

They may be a bit too large for some cats who aren’t used to big kibbles, although large Maine Coons will probably do fine with them.

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4. Best Budget: Blue Buffalo Bursts with Savory Seafood

Being on a budget doesn’t have to restrict you from feeding quality treats to your beloved kitty, and these delectable salmon-flavored chews by Blue Buffalo offer the best of both worlds.

Think of them as your favorite center-filled Starbursts, except that they’re savory and filled with salmon instead of fruit. To a cat, these crunchy from the outside and soft from the inside treats are absolutely delish. Ingredient-wise, you’ll find salmon as the first ingredient and tuna meal, salmon meal, shrimp, and cod further along the list, making it a protein-filled seafood treat.

With just a little over 2 kcal per treat, these are great for cats of any age, although you’ll have to hold back from offering too many in one day. They also have other flavors available that are offered in bulk quantities and are quite affordable.

The only downside to these is that they do have grains like brown rice and oatmeal in them, alongside canola oil – an unnecessary addition to an otherwise healthy formula.

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5. Best for Administering Pills: Greenies Pill Pockets

While giving pills to your cats is typically a nightmare of a situation to deal with, Greenies makes it an easier and tastier experience with their little Pill Pockets.

These morsels are appropriately sized for pills and have the texture of putty or clay. With a little hole in the center, you can easily slip in a pill and then squeeze shut the top to hide the pill and essentially trick your cat. Plus, they’re made up of chicken, so your cat gets a tasty delight instead of a bitter, awful taste in their mouth.

Keep in mind that the treats/pill pockets do contain gluten. When it comes to their size, some larger pills might not be able to fit into the small pockets, and you may need to use two of these to hide the pill completely. Luckily, they’re pretty affordable, proving very useful for cats who have to take meds on a daily basis.

Oftentimes, the treats melt and get clumped up in the packet, so be sure to store them in a cool, dry place when you get them.

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6. Best Lickables: Tiki Cat Stix Wet Mousse Treats

The one thing all cats have in common is their love for wet, lickable treats, which is why the Tiki Cat Stix is the best you can offer to your treat-frenzied feline.

With a consistency that’s not too thick and not too thin, these mousse-like treats can win over even the pickiest of cats. They’ve got five various flavors that are creamy and irresistible to cats, most of them with a high protein value.

The no-grain blend by Tiki Cat will ensure that your fur babies are receiving a low-calorie and healthy treat that’s also super tasty at the same time. Chicken broth and chicken are the first ingredients listed in the chicken variety, while the seafood options such as salmon, have fish and fish broth as the first ingredients.

No filler ingredients, no sugars, no junk, and only the necessary stuff needed to form a nice mousse are added to it.

Considering the price per tube, you may want to use this as more of a special occasion treat rather than an everyday thing. They’re also much higher in calories than other options. That said, it’s undeniable that they provide a high-quality yet delicious alternative among a plethora of unhealthy options.

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3 Things to Consider When Choosing Cat Treats

From lickable pastes to crunchy little delights, there’s a treat out there to fit every picky eater’s preferences. There is more to consider here than just flavor and texture, though, as many treats are filled with unhealthy ingredients and provide very little nourishment.

High-quality treats will always have real meat in them, such as chicken, beef, or turkey, and not just by-products. Ideally, you should opt for a meat that your cat enjoys in their daily meals or a flavor that they go crazy for, such as salmon.

Steer clear of treats that are high in kcals, especially if your cat is old or gains weight easily. Generally, treats should account for no more than 20-30 kcal per day for an average-weight cat. This means seeking out a formula that doesn’t have rice, corn, unnecessary sugars, and other ingredients that are high in carbs.

Most importantly, it’s essential to analyze the ingredient list to make sure it doesn’t contain anything your cat is allergic to, such as gluten. Certain medical conditions can also put dietary restrictions on your cats, so be sure to consult with a vet before picking out a treat.

Can You Give Your Cats Treats Every Day?

Whether you hand out treats every day or a few times a week completely depends on you. There’s no harm in offering treats every day, but the only thing to consider is – yep, you guessed it – calories.

While it’s tempting to hand out treat after treat to our furry overlords, this can easily lead to them becoming obese over time. This is why it’s important to set a limit on how much you hand out depending on the treat’s calories.

If the treat is a bit high in calories but it’s something your Maine Coon goes crazy for, such as some high-calorie squeeze tube treats, feed it only a few times every week and not every day. If it’s low in calories but still pretty tasty, you can treat your cat every day or even multiple times a day.

Treating your cat every day may be necessary when you’re teaching tricks or good behaviors because it’s the only form of positive reinforcement that’s super effective. If your cat is quick to gain weight, you may want to hold back on treats and only offer them during stressful situations such as nail trimming or after a visit to the vet.

The takeaway? Be very mindful of your cat’s current weight and the calories in the cat treats, and offer them accordingly.