We’ve just stopped feeding our cats treats because they had become whiny and insistent for them. Sometimes, in clear signs of addictive behavior, they would slap or scratch us if treats were not forthcoming. As it turns out, cat treats are sprayed with a substance cats cannot resist. It’s heroin to them. So, it’s cold turkey in our house now for kitty treats.
From a vet:
The companies also spray the surface of the kibble with “animal digest” which is similar to MSG and has a taste cats can’t resist. I liken this to Doritos. I personally do not care much for plain old corn chips. However, when those same chips are sprayed with that Doritos coating, I can’t resist. Similarly, the cat’s natural proclivity to eat a healthy diet is hijacked by the technology of flavor enhancers.
Sometimes you got to be cruel to be kind. From the comments:
My cat is hooked on Temptation treats & will meow at me all the time until I give him these treats. He is fat and getting fatter, but when I tried getting him off these treats, he grabbed my leg & drew blood. After being abused , I gave in & fed him his treats. My question is -How do I get him off these treats? How do I help him lose weight?
The vet replies
DO NOT let your cat terrorize you. Every time you give into his demands you reinforce the obnoxious behavior. If my cat scratched me the last thing I would do is reward him with a treat. I would have a squirt gun handy and let him have it right in the face. As long as your cat is in charge there is no hope. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. It is for his own good.
Animal digest sounds so healthy too. Thanks pet food industry for deliberately foisting addictive crap food on our pets.
Animal digest is produced by the chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean animal tissue that has not undergone decomposition. These animal tissues may not include hair, horns, teeth, hooves, and feathers, with the exclusion of trace amounts that are unavoidable even after acceptable processing methods.