Best Cat Treats for Training

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The best cat treats for training are small pieces a cat eats quickly, a listing that states the calories per treat, and a pack size you can count against a daily food plan. Treats help with training when they are part of a reward routine that moves in small steps. The sources we opened describe reward-based methods, and they do not rank treats. This guide compares six cat treats on what their listings state about calories, texture, training wording and pack size, and it notes where a listing is silent or inconsistent.

Quick answer

• Count the calories first. Only three of the six listings state calories per treat: Meow Mix gives two, Greenies gives less than two, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness gives 15 each.
• Treat the training word as a listing claim. Blue Buffalo Bursts says “Great for Training” in its title, Fieldcrest says “Perfect for training and rewards” in a bullet, and Meow Mix says “For training & everyday treating” in a bullet. None of these is a training method.
• Reward the step you want, with the same small treat each time. The sources describe reward-based methods, and the ICatCare page says to “always reward relaxed behaviour with praise and food treats.”
• Check the pack count before you buy. Meow Mix’s title says “Pack of 10,” but its first bullet says “five three-oz. pouches.”

What the sources say about treats in training

The sources we opened do not rank cat treats, and none of them names a product in this set. They do describe how treats fit into training. The SPCA New Zealand page, which covers harness training, recommends “introducing” a new step “using reward-based methods.” That is the core idea: a treat is a reward for a step the cat has already done, given at once, and not a bribe that comes before the step.

The ICatCare page covers grooming, but its rule applies to any calm training session. It says owners should “always reward relaxed behaviour with praise and food treats throughout the grooming sessions.” The RSPCA’s grooming page makes a similar point with a shorter line: “use praise and treats to help your cat associate grooming with nice things.” Praise belongs in the same routine as the treat, so a cat learns the praise as well as the food.

Treats also add calories, and the sources we opened do not give a percentage rule for how many calories a treat can make up. The Cornell page on obese cats makes a point about activity instead: “those that live strictly indoors expend fewer calories than those that go out and about.” An indoor cat that gets many treats has a smaller energy budget to spend them in than a cat that is outdoors more. If you train often, the treat count matters more than the treat brand. Ask a vet for a daily calorie target if you are unsure.

Table 1: calories, texture and pack facts as stated

Listing	Calories per treat (listing)	Pack as stated	Training wording	Texture as described
Fieldcrest Farms, tuna collagen	Not stated	8 oz tub	“Perfect for training and rewards” (bullet)	Crunchy outside, creamy inside
Blue Buffalo Bursts, chicken	Not stated	12-oz tub, pack of 4 (title)	“Great for Training” (title)	Crunchy outside, creamy inside
Whole Paws, salmon and avocado	Not stated	3 oz package (title)	None in the bullets	Not described
Meow Mix Irresistibles, salmon	Two calories per treat (bullet)	Five 3-oz pouches (bullet); “Pack of 10” (title)	“For training & everyday treating” (bullet)	Soft and moist
Greenies Feline Smartbites, chicken	Less than 2 calories per treat (bullet)	4.6 oz, pack of 2 (title)	None in the bullets	Crunchy outside, soft inside
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Soft-Moist, chicken and salmon	15 calories each (bullet)	2-oz bag, pack of 2 (title)	None in the bullets	Soft-moist

Two rows need a second look. The Meow Mix title and bullet disagree on the count, and the bullet is the one that states the pack contents. Greenies is listed as a “Healthy Recipe” in the title, which is the listing’s own description and not a training claim.

Table 2: a daily example, and pack totals (planning estimates)

The example below uses 10 training treats in one day, which is a counting exercise and not a feeding rule. It multiplies the calories stated on each listing by 10.

Listing	Calculation	Result (planning estimate)
Meow Mix, two calories per treat	10 x 2 = 20	20 calories
Blue Buffalo Wilderness, 15 calories each	10 x 15 = 150	150 calories
Gap between the two	150 – 20 = 130	130 calories more for the Blue Buffalo treat
Greenies, less than two calories each	10 x less than 2	Under 20 calories

The gap is the useful number. Ten treats of the Blue Buffalo product carry 130 more calories than ten Meow Mix treats, on the listings’ own figures. Greenies is listed as “less than 2 calories per treat,” so ten of them come to under 20. The three listings that give no figure cannot be counted this way, and we did not estimate them.

Pack totals are simple arithmetic on the listing titles and bullets. Blue Buffalo Bursts is four tubs of 12 oz, which is 4 x 12 = 48 oz. Meow Mix’s five pouches of 3 oz are 5 x 3 = 15 oz. Greenies is 2 x 4.6 = 9.2 oz, which matches the 9.2 ounce package weight in its detail table. The totals show how much each pack holds, but they say nothing about how many treats a cat will use before the pack is finished.

Fieldcrest Farms: collagen tuna treats for training

Fieldcrest Farms makes a tuna-flavored treat with a crunchy outside and a creamy inside, sold as an 8 oz tub. Its bullets say the bite-sized pieces are “easy to portion for training sessions, enrichment puzzles, or everyday bonding.” That makes it one of the few listings whose bullets name a training use in the body and not only in the title.

The bullets also make health-adjacent claims: that the treats contain collagen from beef gelatin “to help support healthy skin, a soft, shiny coat, and flexible joints.” We did not check those claims, and the sources we opened do not cover them. The listing does not state calories per treat, so the calorie count cannot be made from this listing. A cat with a joint or skin concern should be checked by a vet before the treat becomes a regular part of the diet.

Blue Buffalo Bursts: four tubs, great for training

Blue Buffalo’s title says “Crunchy & Creamy Cat Treats, Great for Training,” with a Paw-Lickin’ Chicken flavor and a pack of four 12-oz tubs. The bullets say real chicken is the first ingredient and that the treats have a crunchy outside and a creamy inside. They also say the treats contain no chicken or poultry by-product meals and are free from corn, wheat and soy.

This is the largest pack in the set, at 48 oz across four tubs, which suits an owner who trains often and wants a long supply. The listing does not state calories per treat, and the title’s training claim is the listing’s own. If you want a calorie count for planning, check the full product page or ask the manufacturer, because the bullets we read do not give one.

Whole Paws: salmon and avocado in a small package

Whole Paws makes a salmon and avocado cat treat in a 3-ounce package. Its bullets are short: a 3 oz package, real salmon and avocado, “perfect bite-size portions,” natural ingredients, and a claim that the treats “support healthy coat and skin.” The bullets say nothing about training, which makes this listing a poor match for the keyword unless you only want a small, simple treat.

The listing gives no calories per treat and no training method. Its detail table names the manufacturer as Whole Paws and gives a package weight of 3.36 ounces, which matches the title’s 3 oz. The “supports healthy coat and skin” line is a listing claim, and we did not check it.

Meow Mix Irresistibles: soft salmon treats with a calorie line

Meow Mix sells soft salmon treats as “Irresistibles.” The bullets say the treats are “deliciously moist,” and they include a line for training and everyday treating: “two calories per treat.” That line is the only calorie figure for a soft treat in this set, and it makes the Meow Mix listing easy to count.

The pack count is the problem. The title says “3 Oz. Pouch, (Pack of 10),” but the first bullet says the package “contains five three-oz. pouches.” Those two statements cannot both describe the same pack, and the listing does not explain the difference. Check the product page for the number of pouches before you buy, because a pack of five and a pack of ten have different totals. The detail table gives the manufacturer as The J.M. Smucker Co.

Greenies Feline Smartbites: crunchy and soft chicken treats

Greenies’ title is “Feline Smartbites, Cat Treats Healthy Recipe, Indoor Cat Treats, Chicken Flavor, 4.6 oz, Pack of 2.” Its bullets say the treats have “less than 2 calories per treat,” a crunchy outside and soft inside, and a Fiberblend formula that the bullets say helps “support healthy digestion.” The bullets also call the product “Veterinarian Recommended” and say it is “nutritionally complete and balanced.”

The calorie figure is useful, but the health and nutrition claims go past what we checked. The sources we opened do not cover these claims, and the bullets do not say which veterinarian recommended the product. The listing makes no training claim, so it fits an owner who wants a low-calorie chicken treat for everyday rewards and is willing to use it for training as well. The detail table gives a product weight of 9.2 ounces, which matches the 4.6 oz pack of two.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness: grain-free soft-moist treats with 15 calories each

Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness Soft-Moist treats are chicken and salmon, grain free, sold as a pack of two 2-oz bags. The bullets say “at only 15 calories each” and describe them as “the perfect reward for felines of all ages.” The bullets also say the treats contain no chicken or poultry by-product meals and no corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors or preservatives.

The 15 calories per treat is the highest figure in this set, and it means a training session of ten treats adds 150 calories on the listing’s own figure. That is not a reason to avoid the product, but it is a reason to use a smaller number of pieces per session, or to pick a lower-calorie option for frequent training. The bullets do not mention training, so the listing does not claim it. The detail table gives the department as cat-treats and a product weight of 4.16 ounces.

How to choose a training treat

Start with the calories. If the listing states a number, count it against the daily total you plan with a vet. If the listing does not state a number, you cannot count the treat, so either check the product page or choose a listing that gives one.

Then pick the size and texture your cat takes quickly. The sources we opened do not compare textures for training, but the listings describe crunchy, soft and dual-texture pieces. Choose the one your cat finishes without a long pause, because a training reward has to be eaten at once to link it to the step. The Fieldcrest and Blue Buffalo Bursts listings both describe dual textures, and the Meow Mix and Blue Buffalo Wilderness listings describe soft pieces.

Then decide the reward routine. Use one treat for one step, and give it straight after the step. The SPCA New Zealand advice describes training “gradually,” which means the step gets bigger only after the cat is calm with the smaller one. ICatCare adds praise to the food, so a session can use voice and touch as well as a treat.

Finally, use part of the daily food where it fits. The ASPCA’s DIY enrichment page describes placing “kibble or treats into each roll” of a toilet paper tube, which turns some of the day’s food into a puzzle rather than an extra snack. That is a useful way to keep the calorie count steady while still giving the cat a reward. For more toy ideas, see our types of cat toys guide and our cat and kitten toy guide.

Mistakes to avoid

• Buying by the training word alone. The titles and bullets use the word, but the sources we opened describe methods, not products.
• Ignoring calories. A 15-calorie treat and a two-calorie treat change a session’s total by a large amount.
• Skipping the pack count. The Meow Mix title and first bullet disagree, and the difference changes the pack total.
• Pushing a step when the cat shows stress. The SPCA New Zealand page advises people to “monitor their cat for signs of stress and stop if signs are observed.”
• Using the health claims as a reason to feed more treats. The collagen, digestion and coat claims are the listings’ own words, and we did not check them.
• Treating a joint, skin or digestion concern as a treat problem. Ask a vet first.

How we chose

We searched Amazon.com for “best cat treats for training” in Chrome on 20 October 2026 and read the first results page. The page showed a puzzle toy and a treat dispenser, which are toys rather than treats, and we left them out. We kept six cat treat listings from five brands. Blue Buffalo appears twice, as two different products, which keeps the set at six while the first page offered enough cat treats to do so.

For each listing, we read the title and the first five feature bullets, and we used the detail table where it loaded. Where a bullet was cut off in the extraction, we did not use the cut text. Price, rating, rank and availability were not used.

The picks are chosen for what the listings state about calories, texture, training wording and pack size. They are not a ranking of how well a treat trains a cat, and we did not compare the treats against each other on any measured training result.

What we could not verify

• Whether any of these treats helps a cat learn a behavior. The sources we opened describe reward-based methods, but they do not compare treats.
• Calories per treat for Fieldcrest, Blue Buffalo Bursts and Whole Paws, which the listings do not state.
• The pack count for Meow Mix, because the title and the first bullet disagree.
• The collagen, joint, skin, coat, digestion and “nutritionally complete” claims. We did not check them.
• Whether the Blue Buffalo Bursts “Great for Training” wording means anything beyond the title.
• The full ingredient lists. Our bullets are the first five feature bullets, and some are cut before the end.
• Current availability, prices and the freshness of any pack.

FAQ

How many treats should a cat get in a day?

The sources we opened do not give a number. The Cornell page says indoor cats expend fewer calories than cats that go outside, so the daily count depends on the cat’s activity and the rest of its diet. Ask a vet for a daily calorie target, then count the treats against it.

Is the calorie figure on a label enough to plan with?

It is a start. Three listings in this set give a figure per treat, and the figure says nothing about the rest of the cat’s food. Use the figure to count the treats you give, and ask a vet about the total.

Are soft treats better for training than crunchy ones?

The sources we opened do not compare textures for training. The choice depends on what your cat takes quickly and on how easily you can break the treat into small pieces. Choose the texture the cat eats at once.

Does “great for training” mean the treat trains my cat?

No. The title is the listing’s wording. The sources we opened describe reward-based methods, which means the treat works only when it follows a step the cat has done, and it works best with praise.

What if my cat ignores treats?

The ICatCare page says to reward relaxed cats with praise and food treats, so praise is part of the method and not an extra. If the cat ignores both, stop the session and try again later. The SPCA New Zealand page advises watching for signs of stress and stopping when they appear.

Bottom line

Choose a treat whose calories you can count, reward one step at a time with the same small piece, and add praise. Stop a session when the cat shows stress, and ask a vet for a daily calorie target before you plan a long training routine.

Sources

• SPCA New Zealand, Cats in harnesses and on leashes (opened 2026-10-20): https://www.spca.nz/advocacy/position-statements/article/cats-in-harnesses-and-on-leashes
• International Cat Care, Grooming your cat (opened 2026-10-20): https://icatcare.org/articles/grooming-your-cat
• RSPCA (UK), How & Why To Groom Your Cat (opened 2026-10-20): https://rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/health/grooming
• Cornell Feline Health Center, Ask Elizabeth: Care of Obese Cats (opened 2026-10-20): https://www.vet.cornell.edu/node/4072
• ASPCA, Feline DIY Enrichment (opened 2026-10-20): https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/feline-diy-enrichment