What human foods are safe and healthy treats for my picky cat?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You can feed your cat canned tuna, chicken, other meats (just cook them as you would for yourself), potatoes, carrots, pumpkin/squash. There are other foods as well. Avoid toxic foods (grapes, onions, garlic, raisins, chocolate) and very fatty foods, but just give a bit of your food. Spicy food should be avoided as well. Best of luck with your kitty!

People food is just that – food for people. Cats are obligate carnivores, and as such, have a delicate balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and vitamins and minerals that must be maintained. Cats should eat a balanced high quality diet in order to meet all of their nutritional needs. Unbalanced diets with vitamin/mineral imbalances risk a variety of health problems. Home cooked diets are not as commonly recommended, but are preferred by some cats and pet owners. If you opt to go down this road, a carefully crafted recipe by a specialist in veterinary nutrition should be used with proper vitamin and mineral supplementation. Even with a commercial diet, occasional treats of boiled white meat chicken, turkey, salmon, or tuna can be perfectly fine in small quantities.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Small bits of cooked chicken can be a good treat for a cat, but I would stay away from the other foods you mentioned. None of those foods are dangerous, but cheese and milk can cause diarrhea and GI upset, and crackers & bread are not very nutritious for cats. Better to stick with little bits of cooked meat. Hope this helps!

I always recommend choosing foods that follow the WSAVA guidelines which would include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina, Iams, and Eukanuba. https://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/Arpita-and-Emma-editorial/Selecting-the-Best-Food-for-your-Pet.pdf

You may try giving him commercial cats treats (there is a brand called Temptations that most cats seem to love). Greenies are treats that are actually good for their teeth and come in many flavors as well. Any type of meat you give Pelly needs to be lean and free of fat and cooked. You may try a small amount (like a pinky finger nail size) of beef or turkey. Remember this should only be in moderation. These foods could upset his tummy if he is sensitive or they are given in excess. I hope this helps.

It is ok to feed human food as long as you make sure the diet is balance and safe. You could use a website called balance-it to devise a recipe that is balance for a cat. After the recipe is picked you have to buy a supplement that they make to balance your recipe. https://secure.balanceit.com/index.php

It is completely fine to feed you cat only dry food if that is all she likes. If you want to give her canned food as an occasional treat any brand should be fine. Some cats just prefer dry over wet food and this should not cause any health issues. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.