TEMPTATIONS MixUps Cat Treats — Crunchy Outside, Soft Inside, Under 2 kcal Each

Our verdict

The default answer to "good treats for cats"

There is a reason TEMPTATIONS is the planet's best-selling cat treat: it solved the two problems that matter. First, texture — a crunchy shell that cracks into a soft middle satisfies both the crucher and the licker in the same household. Second, calories — at under 2 kcal a piece, the label allows up to 15 treats a day for a 10 lb cat, which makes them the only mainstream treat you can use for real training sessions without breaking the 10%-of-calories rule vets recommend.

Where it fits in a healthy rotation

Temptations is the everyday, treat-jar, pill-disguising workhorse — the affordable option for cats who get rewarded daily. It is not a minimal-ingredient choice: the MixUps squares carry flavor coatings and added vitamins, which is exactly why nearly every cat adores them and why cats on allergy trials should sit them out. For the "clean label" counterpart, pair the jar with a single-ingredient freeze-dried option like PureBites chicken — one for joy, one for purity.

How to use them without creating a monster

The famous complaint about Temptations is that cats become connoisseurs — hold out for the good stuff and snub dinner. The fix is scheduling, not abstinence: treat after meals rather than before, keep the tub out of sight (the sound of the lid is a dinner bell), and use a portion of the daily count for training or hide-and-seek games so the cat works for them. Rotate flavors across tubs — MixUps exists partly so the novelty never wears off.

The price math

Per treat, Temptations costs a fraction of premium freeze-dried brands — and since acceptance is near-universal, it is the rational default for multi-cat homes and budget feeding. In our best cat treats guide it takes the budget slot while single-ingredient and lickable formats fill the premium and hydration slots.

Bottom Line

TEMPTATIONS MixUps is the treat almost every cat eats and almost every household can afford — crunchy-soft, under 2 kcal, and available in tubs that last months. It is a treat with a label, not a single ingredient, so keep it out of elimination diets; for everyone else it is the cheapest way to a cat who comes when the tub rattles.