One of the biggest challenges to training a cat is finding the right treat. It’s not enough the bag screams CAT TREAT…what matters is that your cat thinks it is!

We try commercial cat treats here at Happy Cats, but the ones that most cats and kittens really go for are simple meat in some form. Cats are carnivores. Meat is the main part of their diets (or should be), so using meat as a treat is using their natural needs and instincts.

At Happy Cats, we use small spoonfuls of pure meat baby food like chicken or turkey. We also use bits of cooked chicken.

Tuna (in small amounts because of the salt) is another option. To make it easier to handle, we dry it in the microwave, making Tuna Jerky.

Tuna Jerky

1 can tuna, water packed

• Drain the water from the tuna.

• Spread it on a plate or cookie sheet, breaking up the flakes but not too small.

• Cover with a paper towel.

• Microwave on half power for 3-5 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. You want the tuna bits to be somewhat dried out but still flexible.

• Stored in baggies or containers, this will keep in the fridge up to a week or so, longer in the freezer.

You can break it up further as you use it. Remember, use only enough treat for the cat to have a tiny taste so you can move on to the next trick!