Fussy Abyssinian won't eat treats? What actually works

Four brands tried and rejected — that's an Abyssinian doing exactly what Abyssinians do. Cats are notoriously fussy about treats, and that fussiness gets even sharper with high-energy, scent-driven breeds like yours. They tend to go hard for strongly-scented, meat-based options and walk away from anything sweet, starchy, or full of additives — which describes most mainstream treat brands. The best cat treats are high-protein and low in extras. Before I point you in a direction: is this for training, enrichment, or just rewarding your cat? And does your Abyssinian have any dietary restrictions I should know about?

Enzo has good taste — and bad luck with his owner's shopping choices so far, though that's not your fault. The brands you listed all share something: they're cereal-heavy, coated in flavour sprays rather than made from real meat, and the actual protein content is pretty low. Abyssinians in particular have a strong prey drive and tend to be highly nose-led, so a treat that smells like chicken flavouring rather than actual chicken doesn't fool them for long. Can I ask — does Enzo show any interest in human food? Chicken, fish, that kind of thing? That'll help me confirm whether it's the format or the ingredients that's the real problem.

That tells us everything. Enzo isn't treat-averse — he's ingredient-averse. He knows what real meat smells and tastes like, and he's not interested in anything that doesn't meet that bar. My clear recommendation is Thrive Premium Freeze-Dried Chicken Cat Treats. They're 100% chicken breast, nothing else — no binders, no flavourings, no grain. Freeze-drying locks in the smell and texture of real meat, so they smell and taste much closer to actual cooked chicken than anything compressed into a pellet. They're also very lightweight, which makes them easy to break into smaller pieces for rewarding. Cats who reject every other treat on the market very often take to these immediately. Available on Amazon UK and worth every penny given what you've already spent on brands that didn't work.

Good instinct to ask. Freeze-dried treats have a slightly different texture to standard crunchy biscuit-style ones — they're lighter and more crumbly, almost like dried meat rather than a hard pellet. Most cats who dislike the dense crunch of mainstream treats do fine with them. If Enzo is really texture-sensitive, you can also lightly crumble one between your fingers before offering it, which releases more scent and softens the bite. Given that he responds to real chicken, I'd be surprised if he walked away from these — but if he does, at least you'll know it's a texture thing rather than an ingredient thing, which narrows it down further.

Ha — Enzo has already voted on Dreamies. Thrive should be a very different experience. If for any reason he's still not keen, come back and we can look at a few other single-ingredient options — there are freeze-dried fish alternatives that some cats prefer. But I'd start with the chicken and give him a couple of days to get used to a new smell before deciding. Good luck with him.