If you are one of the people who never gives your cat a treat because you only consider treats as such and think that they are bad for your cat's health, mistake. If you do give it to them, but you do it at any time of the day randomly, mistake. And if the treats your cat receives are anything, another mistake. When it comes to offering good care to your feline companion, it is important to take care of their diet to keep them healthy. But this is not at odds with offering specific treats for cats, which will provide them with another series of benefits. As well as other types of prizes. You just have to take into account certain considerations such as the one explained by veterinarian Carlos Gutiérrez, on his channel Pets and Happy Families.
The specialist explains that, based on his professional experience, he has been able to identify a series of problems in relation to cat treats. Like the treat itself, that is, what is given to the cat as a reward. But also the moment in which it is provided and when it should not be given. It should be remembered that rewarding a cat will provide positive reinforcement of its behavior and the strengthening of the social and emotional bond between human and pet.
When defining the concept of a reward, veterinarian Carlos Gutiérrez explains that it is some type of object or “thing” or an action that is directed at the feline and whose objective is to reinforce positive behavior in it. Among the different possibilities, three stand out in particular: treats, caresses and toys. Although the one that usually comes to mind for cat owners when they think about treats: candy. With them you have to be careful with the quantity that is offered and with the quality of these, since there are some that are healthy and others that are not so healthy. However, the specialist specifies foods that should be avoided, such as canned tuna, ham and others similar.
A fundamental aspect when rewarding a cat, and one that is often ignored, is the moment in which this reward is offered, since the idea is to achieve positive reinforcement. Therefore, in the moments in which they manifest a desirable behavior or that you want to repeat, that will be when the cat should be rewarded. Not at any time of the day and much less if he is misbehaving, for example if he is biting you. Carlos Gutiérrez explains that, in these cases, what will be reinforced will be precisely that negative behavior, since the cat will associate that behavior with the reward.
