Because my cat Thumper is a bit overweight, a Maine Coon – a larger type of a cat – and 11 years old, our vet recommended I give her glucosamine treats to help her joints so she can be more active and comfortable. Obstacle #1 – It’s hard to find Glucosamine treats for cats in many pet stores. Obstacle #2 – It turns out Thumper is an even pickier eater than I ever realized.
Here are my – well, really Thumpers’ – reviews of the Glucosamine treats we’ve tried. I hope it helps some other “fluffy” kitties get what they need to feel better, and help you not waste money on ones your cat may not eat.
First, we tried Zuke’s “Hip Action” treats for cats. They contain 50mg Glucosamine and 15mg Chondroitin Sulfate, and they are about the size of a big Tic Tac and very chewy.- The verdict: Ultimately, Thumper usually didn’t like them, although my other cats (who didn’t need them) did. She would get them in her mouth and spit them out – either because she decided they didn’t taste good, or because they were too hard for her to chew. I could sometimes trick her into eating them if I hid one in wet food, but that’s entirely too much work.
Next, we moved on to PetNaturals Hip + Joint treats for cats. Each treats contains 100mg of Glucosamine, 50mg of Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and Chondroitin, and other ingredients like DHA, Vitamin C and Omega 3 fatty acids. These treats are bigger – about the size of a very thick goldfish cracker – and very chewy.- The verdict: Thumper was finicky about these treats, eating them sometimes (when she’s pretty hungry, I think) and turning up here nose sometimes. Because of their larger size it didn’t work to hide them in her wet food. My other less picky cats ate them just fine, though.
Then I found Catswell Happy Hips treats, which looked promising because they weren’t shaped liked normal treats. They’re thin and stringy, and about 1-2 inches long. They contain Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Vitamin E, and Omega 3s (no MSM though).- The verdict: Thumper likes these treats (look – she even poses with them!) and they’re easy for her to eat because they’re small. My other cats like them as well, but they’re not picky.
I don’t even need to hide them in her food ;-)
If you’re in the market for Glucosamine treats for your cat, you will want to buy them online, or better yet, from your local, non-big box pet store. (You won’t find anything but dog Glucosamine treats at the national pet stores or most grocery stores.) In my area, I buy them at Bark Market or Holistic Pet.
Have you tried other kitty Glucosamine treats that you’d recommend? Share your review in a comment.
Our Miri is pretty old – 16 this August. Our vet told us to start feeding her Feline Renal Supplement, a little pill that apparently helps older kitties with their kidney functions.
Miri loves the supplement, but only if we feed it to her before her breakfast. Whoever gets up first just puts one pill on the palm of the hand, and Miri eats it like candy.
Considering that our other cats died of probable kidney failure at 12 years and 14 years of age, this supplement seems to be helping a lot. Miri’s fur is glossy, her eyes are bright and she smells sweet. We think these are signs of good kitty health.
I have an 18 yr old cat who doesn’t like gloucosamine products at all. I’ve tried all the above mentioned but so far no luck. And this is a cat who will eat anything else! I did find he loves the senior treats by GNC (no gloucosamine in them.) They are made with liver. But GNC also has a Hip & Health treat that I am getting ready to order. Hopefully he will eat them, if not, I may try putting them in liver myself (yuck!).
Happy Hips works GREAT but unfortunately, are no longer sold :( I have been using Zukes, which seems to help a lot. I usually crumble it over her food and she goes to town on it :)
My cat will be 18 in November and I have been giving him GNC ULTRA MEGA HIP & joint health for over 2-3 yes. If comes in a capsule which I twist open and mix the powder in his wet food. I saw a significant improvement in his walking and endurance within one a few weeks. Once I forgot to get a new bottle and Sam, .my cat, declined in his walking and appeared more stiff. I got another bottle at Petsmart and he was able to use his stairs to get up into our bed again!