For most cats, yes. Flavour is the first gate, because a chew the cat refuses does nothing at all whatever its formulation. Ark Naturals offers Kiss Me-Ow Cleaning Dental Chews in chicken and tuna for exactly that reason, and the $4.00 snack size makes testing both an inexpensive experiment.
Flavour outranks formulation, for a cat
In dogs, formulation is usually the interesting variable, because most dogs will eat most things and the question is what the product does. Cats invert that.
A cat's compliance is not assumed. It is earned, item by item, and a substantial proportion of cats will simply decline a new food object on first presentation. Which means the most sophisticated dental chew on the market delivers exactly zero benefit to a cat who sniffs it and leaves.
That reframes the shopping decision. Instead of asking which chew is best, ask which chew your cat will eat every day for a year. Those questions have different answers surprisingly often, and only the second one produces a result.
It also explains why flavour choice is not a trivial marketing feature in the feline category. Offering two flavours doubles the chance of landing on something an individual cat accepts, and for a species this particular, that is a functional advantage rather than a shelf presence one.
How cats form preferences
Some background, because it makes the behaviour less baffling.
Cats form food preferences early and hold them firmly. Exposure during kittenhood shapes what a cat considers food for the rest of its life, which is why a cat raised exclusively on one texture and one protein can be so resistant to anything else at seven years old.
Smell does most of the work. A cat evaluates a potential food by scent before it ever tastes it, and a cat with a blocked nose or a diminished sense of smell may refuse things it would otherwise accept. Warmth increases aroma, which is why cats often prefer food at room temperature or slightly above to something straight from the fridge.
Cats also show something called neophobia, a wariness of the unfamiliar, and confusingly they also show occasional neophilia, a sudden preference for novelty. Both can appear in the same animal. This is why a cat who adored a treat for six months can abruptly stop eating it, and why a cat who rejected something twice may accept it on the fifth attempt.
Texture is a separate axis from flavour and it is routinely underestimated. A cat may like the smell of a chew and still object to the crunch, or take one bite and abandon the rest because the resistance is not what it expected.
One more factor that catches owners out: where the chew is offered. Cats are situational eaters, and a cat that ignores a chew in a busy kitchen may take it in a quiet room, away from the other pets and the washing machine. Before concluding that a flavour has failed, change the location once.
Chicken or tuna, honestly
Nobody can tell you which your cat will pick. Anyone who claims to is guessing.
What is reasonable is to start from what your cat already eats. A cat whose regular food has been fish based for years is a sensible candidate for tuna. A cat raised on poultry recipes is a sensible candidate for chicken. Familiarity is the best predictor available, and it costs nothing to use it.
Two caveats worth flagging.
Some cats have dietary restrictions, whether from a diagnosed sensitivity or from a therapeutic diet their veterinarian has put them on. In that case the flavour decision is not yours to make on taste grounds, and the ingredient panel on the pack has to be read before anything is offered. If your cat is on a prescription diet, ask the practice before adding any treat at all.
And a flavour name on the front of a pack is not a full ingredient declaration. If you need to know exactly what is in a chew, read the printed panel rather than the flavour label, and contact the manufacturer if the pack does not go far enough.
Running the test properly
Treat it as a small, controlled experiment and you will get a clearer answer.
Buy the smallest pack of each flavour. Ark's snack size is 3oz at $4.00, so testing both costs little, and both flavours sit on the same Kiss Me-Ow Cleaning Dental Chews product page at identical prices, which removes cost from the decision entirely.
Offer one flavour at a time, over several days. Presenting both at once tells you which the cat preferred in that moment, not which it will accept as a routine, and it also muddies the result if the cat rejects both.
Offer at a consistent moment, when the cat is relaxed and mildly hungry rather than full. After a meal is convenient for routine building but a slightly hungry cat is a more willing test subject.
Do not hover, and do not repeat the offer three times in ten minutes. Leave the chew, walk away, come back later.
Give each flavour at least four or five separate attempts before concluding. A single refusal means very little in a species this variable.
Record what happened, even loosely. Owners misremember this sort of thing constantly, and a note on the fridge saves you repeating a failed test in three months.
What to weigh
When flavour is not the problem
Sometimes a cat refuses a chew for reasons that have nothing to do with what it tastes of, and it is worth recognising those before you buy a third flavour.
A cat with a sore mouth will avoid anything crunchy. Cats conceal oral pain extremely well, so a cat who has quietly stopped eating dry food, is chewing on one side, is dropping kibble, or is drooling may be telling you something about its teeth rather than its palate. Periodontal disease and tooth resorption are diagnosed by a veterinarian, often with radiographs under anaesthesia, and neither is something a chew addresses.
A cat with a blocked nose will refuse food it usually likes, because it cannot smell it.
A cat who feels unwell for any reason may go off food generally, and a change in appetite in a cat is always worth a call rather than a wait.
So if refusal is new, or comes with any other change, book an examination rather than shopping. The American Animal Hospital Association publishes an owner facing overview of pet dental care at aaha.org that is worth reading before the appointment. And whatever you settle on, a chew sits alongside brushing and professional veterinary dental care rather than replacing either.
Frequently asked questions
Does flavour really decide whether a cat will use a dental chew?
For most cats it is the first and largest hurdle, because a refused chew provides no benefit regardless of how it is formulated. Texture is a close second, since some cats accept the smell and object to the crunch. Start with a flavour close to what your cat already eats and treat acceptance as the primary criterion.
Should I choose chicken or tuna for my cat?
Start with whichever is closer to your cat's existing diet, since familiarity is the best available predictor. Ark prices both Kiss Me-Ow flavours identically, at $4.00 for the 3oz snack size and $7.00 for the 6oz full size, so testing both is inexpensive. If your cat has a dietary restriction or is on a prescription diet, ask your veterinarian first.
How many times should I offer a new chew before giving up?
At least four or five separate attempts, spread over days, before concluding that a flavour has been rejected. Cats are wary of unfamiliar items and a single refusal means very little. Offer at a calm moment when the cat is mildly hungry, then leave it alone rather than hovering.
My cat used to eat dental chews and has stopped. Why?
A change is worth investigating rather than working around. Oral pain, a blocked nose, or feeling unwell generally can all cause a cat to refuse something it previously enjoyed, and cats hide dental discomfort well. Contact your veterinarian, particularly if there is any other change in eating, grooming or behaviour.
What sizes and flavours does Kiss Me-Ow come in?
Ark Naturals offers Kiss Me-Ow Cleaning Dental Chews in chicken and tuna, in a 3oz snack size at $4.00 and a 6oz full size at $7.00. Ark calls them four in one chews, built around a toothpaste centre with a crunch that is intended to help reduce plaque and tartar. No full ingredient panel appears online, so the printed pack is what you read.
Related reading: Ark Naturals Kiss Me-Ow Cleaning Dental Chews: How Do I Clean My Cat's Teeth?