Temptations treats are not the best that you can give to your cat, and there are several reasons for that.
They should only be looked at as an occasional treat rather than a snack that you give your pet every single day or even once every two days.
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The Pros Of Temptations Treats:
1. Most cats love them
This is perhaps the main reason why so many cat parents across the world choose this type of treat instead of others.
However, there is no way of telling whether your cat will love Temptations or might prefer something different until you give them a very small amount.
Generally, most cats are interested in the taste of Temptations treats — some will refuse certain flavours and be crazy about others, of course.
2. They are not expensive
If you don’t tend to give your cat treats every single day, you are not going to spend a fortune on Temptations snacks.
Naturally, the price of these treats can differ depending on where you purchase them from, but in most cases, a pack of several hundred of them can set you back less than £13 (which would be around $16).
Smaller packets are also available, in case you want to test several different flavours and find out which one your cat prefers the most.
3. They’re readily available
If your pet loves Temptations, one of the best things about the snacks is that they can be found almost anywhere across the world.
Pet shops carry them, but so do online retailers, and the latter often sell them for lower prices (especially the variety bundles).
The Cons Of Temptations Treats
1. They don’t have the best ingredients
While Temptations do have some nutrients that cats need to thrive, there are some ingredients that can be more or less concerning.
For example, these snacks have vitamin B12, vitamin E, and vitamin B6 in them, along with D-calcium pantothenate, all of which can positively influence your pet’s health.
On the other hand, we couldn’t help noticing that some ingredients shouldn’t really be present. An example is the artificial colour Red40, which has been linked to cases of cancer in the past.
Temptations treats also contain salt, but not to a dangerous amount. However, what’s quite troubling about them is that they also have wheat flour.
While this type of flour might indeed have been used to maintain the shape and shelf stability of the product, the fact is that it is not going to do any cats any good.
2. Your cat can become addicted to them
It is not uncommon for pet parents to experience this issue, in general, but whether or not it is the direct result of them feeding their cats specifically Temptations treats or others remains debatable.
The truth is that, like other cat snacks, Temptations do contain artificial flavours that aren’t exactly healthy, but that can get a cat to become somewhat addicted to the taste.
Probably the best way of preventing this from happening would be for you not to make a habit out of giving your cat Temptations every single day.
3. They can cause some health concerns
While these snacks come in different flavours, they pretty much all contain the wheat flour that we previously mentioned.
Cats aren’t supposed to have grains because they are obligate carnivores, so most of their diet should consist of meat and healthy fibres coming from vegetables such as pumpkin.
Wheat flour can cause some digestive imbalances in cats, and the fact that some Temptations treats also contain dried cheese can lead to pets experiencing the same digestive distress.
How Often Should I Feed My Cat Temptations?
If you were to base your behaviour as a pet parent on any claims made by pet food manufacturing companies, you’d feed your cat a wide range of potentially unhealthy options.
The fact that the brand claims that you can replace one of your cat’s main meals with snacks should be a little concerning.
These days, many cats exclusively live indoors, which means that they do not get to have enough exercise, potentially causing them to put on too much weight.
Given their ingredients, you shouldn’t give your cat Temptations treats every day.
Once or twice a week should be more than enough, especially considering the likely carcinogenic ingredients that these snacks come with.
How Much Should I Give My Cat?
Based on the information that we came across on the manufacturer’s website (this data is also listed on the label), the best amount to give your cat would be 15 treats per 10 pounds of body weight.
However, this quantity is based on a daily schedule where you give your cat treats every single day.
The manufacturing company claims that Temptations treats can also be given as a replacement for your pet’s main food.
If you feed your cat Whiskas (which is not the best cat food, by the way), you can replace the amount you give your cat for a meal with the equivalent of a quarter of a cup per meal.
Do consider that Temptations treats are rather dense in calories, so if your pet is overweight or obese, you will have to give them a smaller number of treats.
Are Temptations Treats Good For Diabetic Cats?
While they aren’t bad per se, you will have to do your best at calculating the number of calories that your cat is likely to receive based on the number of snacks you give them.
The good thing about these cat snacks is that they are low-calorie.
This means that if you really try to give your pet a limited amount of treats, you will not risk increasing their blood sugar to dangerous levels.
However, diabetic cats need to have strict diets and might even have to be administered insulin, so we recommend asking your vet if you are allowed to give your pet Temptations treats (or any other, for that matter) in this case.
Why Do Cats Like Temptations So Much?
You might have noticed that cats tend to have very specific tastes depending on their personal preferences.
But when it comes to these cat snacks, the truth is that they are loaded with artificial flavourings, and that is the main reason why cats love them.
Are Temptations Cat Treats Addictive?
They can be, but the truth is that getting a cat addicted to a certain type of snack also depends on how often you give them to your pet.
Treats are considered as such because they are not the main source of food your cat is getting their essential nutrients out of.
If you make the mistake of giving your pet any type of snack every single day, they will grow used to that happening.
And let’s face it, cats can convince you to give them treats even when you do not want to.
They can meow, whine, or try to open the kitchen cabinets where they know for sure you keep their snacks, and they can also generally be agitated and irritated and use any form of vocalisation.
How To Wean Your Cat Off Temptations
Probably the best way to do this would be for you to gradually decrease the number of Temptations treats you give your cat.
Do this until it becomes a rare occurrence and opt for a different, healthier snack for cats.
Anything can become a treat if your cat truly loves it, and there are healthier options out there, such as baked or grilled chicken breast, if you are lucky enough to have a pet that also wants to eat such foods.
We’d also like to note that bored cats have a much higher likelihood of using food as a way of coping with the fact that they aren’t engaged in any sort of activity.
Play with your cat every day for at least 30 minutes and switch up their toys every now and then to make sure that they are entertained.
Temptation Cat Treats Ingredients
While there aren’t any ingredients in Temptations snacks that can lead to a cat being poisoned and dying, for example, they are definitely not made of the healthiest ingredients.
For this section, we picked the ‘Savoury Salmon Flavour’ variant and looked at the ingredients.
The manufacturing company’s page for this product actually notes that the first ingredient is chicken by-product meal, not fish, as one might have expected. Here are other ingredients:
- Dried meat by-products — this can mean any animal part, so it is a vague statement
- Wheat flour – not a good option for cats as they are obligate carnivores
- DL-methionine – a nutrient that all cats need
- Dried cheese – might cause digestive upsets as a result of some cats being lactose-intolerant
- Red #40 – a potentially carcinogenic artificial colour
- Vitamin A acetate – good for your cat’s eyes
- Vitamin B12 supplement – essential for your pet’s immune system
- Natural flavours – taste enhancers, but we don’t know which the brand uses
- Salt – the amount is not clearly disclosed
- Taurine – a nutrient that all cats need to be healthy
- DL-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate – great for your cat’s skin
- D-calcium pantothenate – great for your cat’s osteo-skeletal system
- Vitamin D3 supplement – ensures your cat grows strong bones
- Biotin – excellent for cats that have skin conditions
- Folic acid – helps your cat synthesise DNA and produce red blood cells
As you might have noticed, Temptations cat snacks contain both bad and good ingredients.
They are somewhat nutritionally complete when compared to other types of treats, but there are also much healthier options out there.
Can Humans Eat Temptations Cat Treats?
While these snacks are not going to put any human’s health in danger whatsoever, especially if they don’t eat several pounds, they are not fit for human consumption.
On the upside, they are sterilised, which means that they are not going to be contaminated with bacteria or any other potentially harmful microorganisms that might cause food poisoning.
On the downside, they are essentially made from meat by-products, so any type of leftover meat or organs, including eyes, skin, hooves, ears, lungs, and more.
For people, Temptations treats cannot replace a healthy and wholesome diet composed of protein sources and healthy carbs and fats coming from vegetables and fruit, along with seeds and nuts.
In the end, the truth is that Temptations cat treats aren’t great even for your pet, so the logical conclusion would be that they aren’t the best for humans, either.
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