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Cat Treats Australia: The Complete Owner's Guide

Posted by The Huds and Toke Team on 22nd Jul 2026

Green lipped mussel cat treats from the Huds and Toke bakery
By The Huds and Toke TeamPublished 22 July 2026Reading time about 8 minutes

What Are the Best Cat Treats in Australia?

The best cat treats in Australia are the simple ones: real meat or fish, a short ingredient list, no mystery fillers, and pieces small enough to suit a cat's little mouth and even smaller daily calorie budget. Feed them in sensible amounts alongside a complete and balanced cat food, and you have covered the essentials. That is the honest answer, and it is the standard we have baked to since 2014.

Huds and Toke is a family owned Australian pet treat bakery. We are the maker, not a middleman, which means we choose every ingredient that goes into our cat treats and stand behind every batch that leaves the bakery. Our cat range is built around proteins cats genuinely respond to: fish, chicken breast, lamb and green lipped mussel.

This guide covers the lot: how to choose a treat your cat will actually eat, how many treats are safe to feed, a walk through our range, how to use treats for bonding and training, and the foods no cat should ever be given. Where we make a health claim, we source it. We lead with Australian authorities such as the RSPCA, and where we lean on an overseas veterinary source, we say so plainly.

How to Choose a Cat Treat Your Cat Will Actually Eat

Cats are not small dogs. A dog will hoover up nearly anything with gusto, while a cat auditions its food and reserves the right to walk away mid performance. After more than a decade of baking for Australian pets, here is what we have found matters most.

Texture

Texture is usually the deal breaker, more than flavour. Some cats adore a firm, crunchy bite. Others will only accept something light and airy that almost dissolves as they chew. If you are starting out, offer one of each style. Our lamb puffs sit at the light and airy end, while our fish and chicken treats give a firmer, meatier chew, so between them you can quickly learn which camp your cat is in.

Size

A cat treat should be tiny. Cats have small mouths and small stomachs, and a treat the size of your little fingernail is plenty for one reward. Larger treats are not a problem, just break them into small pieces first. You get more rewards from the bag and your cat gets more happy moments from the same calories.

Fussiness

Fussy is normal for cats, so plan for it rather than fighting it. Introduce a new treat beside something familiar instead of swapping cold turkey. Serve treats at room temperature, because aroma does a lot of the selling with cats and cold treats smell like nothing. Rotate between two or three proteins, such as fish one week and chicken the next, so your cat does not lock onto a single flavour and refuse all others. And give it time. Plenty of cats ignore a new treat for days and then decide it was their idea all along.

How Many Treats Can a Cat Have? Portioning and Moderation

Treats are the seasoning, never the meal. RSPCA Australia's feeding guidance for cats explains that cats are obligate carnivores, dependent on the nutrients provided by a diet based on consuming prey animals, and that the basis of their diet should be a high quality, complete and balanced cat food. Treat foods should only ever be fed occasionally, never as the main part of the diet.

For a working number, the most widely used rule of thumb comes from VCA Animal Hospitals, a large North American veterinary network, so treat this as overseas guidance: about 90 per cent of your cat's daily calories should come from their complete and balanced food, leaving no more than 10 per cent for treats and snacks. In practice, that means a small handful of tiny pieces per day for most adult cats, not a saucer full.

Small pieces suit cats for another reason. RSPCA Australia notes that adult cats prefer eating several smaller meals through the day and night, and ideally should be offered food four to five times a day. A few tiny treats spread across the day fits that natural grazing rhythm far better than one big biscuit.

Two more cautions from the same VCA guidance, both worth knowing. Treats labelled as light or lower calorie are often not meaningfully lower in calories than regular treats. And if your cat has a medical condition or eats a prescription diet, check before adding any treat at all. If you are not sure how many calories your cat actually needs, your Australian vet can work it out for your cat's age, weight and lifestyle in a single visit.

Our Cat Treat Range: A Walk Through the Bakery

Everything in our cat treats range is made by us, an Australian family bakery, from real meat and seafood. Here is the range as it stands, with the cat dedicated treats first.

Fish Nibble 50g ($8.45). Bite sized pieces of fish with the strong seafood aroma that gets even aloof cats trotting to the kitchen. These are our go to suggestion for first time treat buyers because so few cats say no to fish.

Chicken Chews, Chicken Breast ($7.60). Simply chicken breast, made into a firm, meaty chew. A clean, single protein option for cats who prefer poultry, and easy to snap into smaller rewards.

Lamb Puff, Lamb Lung 50g ($7.55). Light, airy and easy to break into tiny flakes, which makes this the pick of the range for training sessions and for fussy cats who turn their nose up at harder treats.

Green Lipped Mussels 100g ($24.95). A premium, single ingredient seafood treat at the top of our range. If you want the full story on why green lipped mussel has earned such a following among pet owners, our complete green lipped mussel guide covers the science in depth for both dogs and cats, so we will not repeat it here.

For multi pet households. You will also spot some of our single ingredient lamb treats from the dog side of the bakery in the cat range: Lamb Puff, Lamb Lung ($11.95) in the bigger bag, Lamb Liver ($9.95), Lamb Lung Cubes ($10.95) and Little Fish Bites ($7.00). They are there for homes with both a dog and a cat, where one bag of simple, real meat treats does the rounds, broken into cat sized pieces for the feline half of the household. As always, these are occasional treats, never a substitute for a complete cat food.

And for Christmas. Our Cat and Dog Christmas Stocking ($13.00) in red and green is the easy gift for the pet lover in your life, or for the pet who has been marginally more good than bad this year.

Using Treats for Bonding and Training Your Cat

The idea that cats cannot be trained is a myth that mostly benefits cats. The same VCA guidance mentioned above, again a North American veterinary source, suggests asking your cat to perform a simple trick before a treat, because it teaches new behaviours and strengthens the bond between you. We see the same thing from our customers every week.

A few ways Australian cat owners put our treats to work:

  • Recall. Shake the bag or use a consistent word, reward the moment your cat arrives. Within a fortnight most cats come running on cue, which is genuinely useful when you need to get an outdoor explorer inside before dark.
  • Carrier peace talks. Toss a treat into the carrier every few days between vet visits, so the carrier stops being the box of doom and becomes just another place snacks happen.
  • Simple tricks. Sit, high five and follow the hand target are all achievable with a soft, tiny treat and sessions kept under two minutes. Stop while your cat is still interested.
  • Wind down bonding. A short evening play session finished with one small treat mimics the hunt then eat pattern cats are built for, and it beats free pouring biscuits as a way to say I love you.

Whatever you train, keep the pieces tiny and count them as part of the daily treat allowance from the portioning section above, not as extras.

Foods You Must Never Feed Your Cat

This section is the one to remember. According to RSPCA Australia's guidance on common household dangers for pets, the following foods should be kept securely out of reach of your cat:

  • Chocolate and cocoa products
  • Onions and garlic, including anything containing onion or garlic powder, such as some baby foods
  • Grapes, including sultanas and raisins
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Caffeine, in coffee, tea and energy drinks
  • Alcohol, which can cause disorientation, loss of coordination and depression in pets
  • Xylitol, the sugar substitute found in some sugar free chewing gums and baked goods

RSPCA NSW adds several everyday items to the list of foods that can poison pets: milk and milk based products, because cats are lactose intolerant and milk can cause cramps, diarrhoea and digestive upset; raw yeast dough, which can keep rising inside the stomach; heavily salted foods; and anything mouldy from the bin.

Two more warnings come straight from RSPCA Australia's cat feeding guidance. Never feed your cat cooked bones, as they can splinter and cause potentially fatal internal damage or blockage. And avoid raw meat products sold as pet food, as they can contain sulphite preservatives linked to a thiamine deficiency that can be fatal to cats. If you offer raw meat, it should be human grade.

If you think your cat has eaten any of these, contact your vet immediately. The Australian Animal Poisons Helpline on 1300 869 738, recommended by the RSPCA, is available 24 hours a day for first aid advice and triage for pet owners across Australia.

Frequently asked questions

How many treats can I give my cat each day?

The most common rule of thumb, published by the North American veterinary network VCA Animal Hospitals, is that treats should make up no more than 10 per cent of your cat's daily calories, with the other 90 per cent coming from a complete and balanced cat food. For most adult cats that means a few tiny pieces a day. If your cat is overweight or on a special diet, ask your Australian vet to set the number for you.

Can cats eat dog treats?

A small piece of a simple, single ingredient meat treat from the dog range, such as plain lamb liver or lamb lung, is generally fine as an occasional share in a multi pet home. What cats must never live on is dog food. RSPCA Australia warns that dog food is deficient in taurine, an essential nutrient cats can only obtain through their food, so a cat's actual diet always needs to be a complete and balanced cat food.

Do cat treats help with hairballs?

Treats are not a hairball fix, and we would rather tell you that straight. Cornell University's Feline Health Center in the United States explains that hairballs are a by product of normal grooming, that bringing one up every week or two is usually no cause for concern, and that regular brushing is the main way to reduce them. See your vet promptly if your cat is repeatedly retching without producing anything, or goes off food and seems lethargic.

Do crunchy treats clean my cat's teeth?

Only partly. RSPCA Australia notes that around 70 per cent of cats have some level of dental disease by three years of age, and that while dental chews can help reduce the formation of plaque and tartar, they will not prevent it. Daily tooth brushing is the most effective home care, and your cat should have a dental check as part of an annual vet visit. Enjoy crunchy treats as treats, not as a toothbrush.

My cat turns her nose up at every treat. What should I try?

Start with texture rather than flavour, because that is usually where fussy cats draw the line. Offer one light, airy treat such as a lamb puff and one firmer treat such as a fish nibble, at room temperature so the aroma comes through, and leave a piece near a meal without any fuss. Many cats need several quiet introductions before they commit. If your cat suddenly refuses all food, not just treats, that is a vet visit, not fussiness.

What should I do if my cat eats chocolate or another toxic food?

Act straight away rather than waiting for symptoms. Contact your vet immediately, or call the Australian Animal Poisons Helpline on 1300 869 738, a 24/7 service recommended by the RSPCA that provides rapid first aid advice, risk assessment and triage for pet owners. Have the packaging handy if you can, so you can say exactly what was eaten and roughly how much.

The Huds and Toke Editorial Team

Sunshine Coast, Australia · Pet treats brand since 2014

Researched and written by the Huds and Toke editorial team, the same people who bake the treats. We are bakers, not veterinarians: safety claims are drawn from the cited authorities, and for anything about your own pet, talk to your vet. Read our Editorial Standards.

Sources

About the publisher

Huds and Toke: Proudly Australian, Family Owned

Huds and Toke is a family owned Australian premium pet treats company from Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Naturally made here in Australia and loved by pets and their people right across the country.

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