# Catswell Happy Hips cat treats



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I was looking around the store tonight after we closed, looking for toy and treat ideas for birthday presents for Lily. One of the things that caught my eye were these treats - http://www.catswell.com/happy_hips/chicken_breast_jerky

Here's the nutritional info:

Ingredients: Chicken Breast, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement

Guaranteed Analysis
crude protein	55% (min)
crude fat	2% (min)
crude fat	5% (max)
crude fiber	4.8% (max)
moisture	27% (max)
vitamin E	100i.u./kg (min)
glucosamine hydrochloride*	500mg/kg (min)
chondroitin sulfate*	200mg/kg (min)
omega 3 fatty acids*	0.05% (min) *Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

They look really good to me, and I love that they have glucosamine & condroitin because I was planning to start grinding pills and sprinkling some onto Lily's food soon (since she's turning 3 years old). I just wanted to post them here and get some other opinions on them, whether they'd be safe and if anyone else sees any issues I might have overlooked with them. I was thinking if I buy them, I'd probably only give Lily one little piece a night, or maybe every other night? It's like the treats were made hedgie-sized, they're so small! :lol: One of my concerns was the protein percentage. If it's only one piece of jerky a night, or every other night, would there be any problems with the high protein? And what about the amount of glucosamine and condroitin? Is there any concerns with how much a hedgie should get daily?


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

They look like pretty good treats to me  Hopefully there will be more opinions. The ingredients look really good and I can't think of anything that would be bad.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Thanks Hedgieonboard.  Any other opinions or comments on my few concerns?


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

I don't know if i'd chance it with the high protein,everything else looks great to me,keep in mind i'm no diet expert.


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

While 55% protein is high... you have to think about it from the persepective that if you were to feed a bit of plain chicken breast every night or even pure meat-based baby food, that is even higher protein content.

As a treat, I don't think it would be bad. Maybe not every day if you are worried about her kidneys/liver at all. But even a few times a week, I don't see why not. It's your call really, but other people might chime in  

Glucosamine and chrondrotin does need to be given everyday though to work so if you do only feed this treat once in a while, I would still get a separate supplement to sprinkle on their food. No idea about the amounts sorry!

However... for glucosamine there is actually 2 kinds. One kind is the human kind and the other kind is the kind that animals can metabolize. So I would actually try a "cat" glucosamine supplement from your vet because if you get the human pills it will be the wrong kind. Sorry I can never remember which is which... one is glucosamine sulfate and the other is glucosamine ___ and one dogs and cats can metabolize and one they can't. Also if you follow the "weight dosing" on the cat supplement, you might be able to figure it out for your hedgehog.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Thanks, Snufflepuff! That's a good point about the chicken/baby food. I'm still trying to decide if I want to give these a try or not...I might just not risk it and settle for putting a pinch of glucosamine on her food every night instead. And thanks for the info on that as well! I didn't know that there were two different kinds. I'll check the cat aisle at my work today, I know we have glucosamine tablets for dogs, but not sure about cats.


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