Last updated Apr 17, 2023
Our Review Process
Our reviews are based on extensive research and, when possible, hands-on testing. Each time you make a purchase through one of our independently-chosen links, we’ll receive a percentage of the proceeds. Read more about how we’re supported here.The Cats.com Standard – Rating Smalls On What Matters
We’ve analyzed Smalls and graded it according to the Cats.com standard, evaluating the brand on species-appropriateness, ingredient quality, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. Here’s how it rates in each of these six key areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 9/10
- Ingredient Quality – 10/10
- Product Variety – 9/10
- Price – 5/10
- Customer Experience – 6/10
- Recall History – 6/10
Overall Score: 8/10
We give Smalls fresh cat food a 45 out of 60 rating or a B grade.
In addition to reviewing Smalls according to the Cats.com Standard, we’ve shared our hands-on experience with this brand based on multiple orders over several years. Our team has tried Smalls numerous times since the brand’s launch in 2017, with multiple reviewers and multiple cats giving their impressions of the product.
Read on to find out what we think of the ordering process, how our test cats reacted, how easy it is to cancel, and more.
In addition to performing our own qualitative analysis of the brands reviewed here, we submitted samples for analysis at an ISO 17025 certified food testing and analysis lab.
Also Read: Why We Lab Test Cat Food and How to Interpret the Reports
We bought the products at full retail price, and the entire testing process was funded by Cats.com without direct input or influence from the companies involved.
Analytical testing in a food chemistry lab gives us the exact macronutrient and micronutrient content of each recipe. The tests also look at microbial content, yeast, mold, and heavy metals, helping you ensure that you’re only putting the best in your cat’s bowl.
To access the lab reports for each food reviewed here, click the “view lab report” link in the product review.
About Smalls
Founded by two New York entrepreneurs in 2017, Smalls offers human-grade cat food in fresh (homemade-style) and freeze-dried varieties shipped to your door according to custom meal plans.
Instead of shopping in their store for the recipe you like, you’ll fill out a questionnaire about your cat to receive custom meal plan suggestions and start your subscription. Each month, the recipes in your meal plan are shipped ice-cold to your doorstep.
While there’s a lot to like about the idea of custom cat food meal plans, top-notch ingredients, and food that honors your cat’s needs as a carnivore, Smalls’ subscription model isn’t going to be for everyone.
In this review, we’ll go over the details to help you decide if this brand is the right choice for you and your cat.
Sourcing And Manufacturing
Smalls cat food is developed with the guidance of pet nutrition consultant Dr. Susan Lauten, Ph.D. Whether you choose fresh or freeze-dried raw recipes, all of them are nutritionally complete and balanced according to AAFCO guidelines.
All of Smalls’ recipes are human-grade, which means they are made in a human food facility from USDA-certified ingredients fit for human consumption. These ingredients are sustainably sourced from the United States and Canada.
Their wet food formulas are prepared in Chicago, Illinois, while their freeze-dried foods are prepared in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Smalls’ kibble is produced in Brainerd, Minnesota. Every batch is thoroughly tested for foodborne pathogens. The company also performs regular spot checks to make sure the nutritional content of their recipes is up to snuff.
Has Smalls Ever Been Recalled?
Yes. Smalls cat food products have been voluntarily recalled twice in the brand’s short lifetime.
The first recall was announced in 2019 and affected Smalls’ chicken liver powder—a product the company called Diamond Dust. According to a statement from the company, the recall was prompted by a customer complaint that the powder smelled like cocoa powder.
Following testing, Smalls found that the product had, indeed, been adulterated and was not 100% chicken liver powder. We’ve not yet seen a statement confirming whether or not the adulterant was cocoa powder.
Concerningly, the recall applied to batches of Diamond Dust sent out to customers between October 9th, 2018, and March 25th, 2019. That means that for over 5 months, customers were potentially exposing their cats to an adulterated product, and Smalls seemed to have no knowledge of it. Furthermore, Smalls’ statement indicated that they weren’t changing to a new supplier. Instead, they would “require that our supplier upgrade safety measures for the manufacturing of all our enticements.”
In June 2021, the founder of Smalls posted a statement on the company’s website explaining that several recipes had been voluntarily recalled. This recall affected select Fresh Chicken and Fresh Turkey products labeled as:
- Ground Bird, Chicken Recipe
- Smooth Bird, Chicken Recipe
- Ground Other Bird, Turkey Recipe
- Smooth Other Bird, Turkey Recipe
The recall was issued after Smalls received feedback from several customers who received products that looked spoiled and had an unusual odor.
The company has thoroughly investigated its inventory and sent out samples to an independent lab for testing. As of June 2021, we don’t have specific details on what happened or why—Smalls is still investigating.
As of yet, Smalls hasn’t received any reports of illness related to the products affected by this recall.
What Kind of Food Does Smalls Offer?
Each of Smalls’ cat foods comes in several flavors.
Though Smalls started only a few years ago, the company has gone through a number of significant changes in terms of its product lineup. In the beginning, Smalls was primarily a fresh cat food company (and still is), but now they offer freeze-dried food and kibble.
Each of Smalls’ cat foods comes in several flavors. Their fresh, human-grade cat food comes in three proteins and textures. Choose from a smooth, ground, or pulled texture in chicken (Bird), turkey (Other Bird), fish, or beef (Cow).
Smalls’ freeze-dried raw food is a nutritious alternative to traditional extruded kibble. It comes in three protein options: chicken (Bird), turkey (Other Bird), and duck (Water Bird). These foods are freeze-dried to preserve their nutritional integrity and to give the foods a nice crunch.
Additionally, Smalls offers a small selection of kibble food as an add-on to your meal plan.
On top of those main meal plans, Smalls lets you add treats to your order. For a limited time, all new subscribers will receive free chicken giblets for the duration of their subscription.
Smalls Cat Food Reviews
| Product Name | Food Type | Price | Our Grade |
| Smalls Fresh Bird Recipe | Fresh | $0.78 per oz | A- |
| Smalls Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey Recipe | Freeze-Dried | $0.16 per oz | A+ |
| Smalls Pulled Other Bird Recipe | Fresh | $0.78 per oz | A- |
#1 Smalls Fresh Bird Recipe
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This fresh cat food formula features chicken as its primary ingredient and sole source of protein. It contains 80% chicken breast and thigh, 5% chicken liver, and 2% chicken heart.
With chicken as the main ingredient, this formula is packed with animal protein and poultry flavor. Aside from the chicken meat and organs, the food contains green beans, peas, kale, and vegetable oil. Though there are several plant-based ingredients in this formula, they aren’t included in significant amounts. The overall carbohydrate content is under 5%.
Overall, this fresh cat food recipe is a species-appropriate, meat-based recipe with moderate fat and low carbohydrate content.
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken Liver, Green Beans, Peas, Water (Sufficient for Processing), Chicken Hearts, Kale, Tricalcium Phosphate, Canola Oil, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Taurine, Magnesium Sulfate, Niacinamide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Manganese Sulfate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3 Supplement.
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Hearts, Green Beans
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Peas
Common Allergens: Chicken
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Rich in animal protein from chicken
- Very low in carbohydrate content
- Cats love the way this food tastes
- High in moisture, good for digestion
Cons
- Main source of added fat is plant-based
#2 Smalls Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey Recipe
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As an alternative to fresh food, Smalls offers an assortment of freeze-dried foods, including this turkey recipe. This formula features fresh turkey as the main ingredient. In addition to turkey meat, it includes ground bone and a variety of turkey organs, delivering a prey-inspired mix of animal-derived nutrients.
Another interesting ingredient in this formula is goat’s milk. Goat’s milk contains probiotics, which can help support your cat’s digestion. You’ll also see some turkey egg and herring oil in this formula.
One point worth noting about this recipe is that while freeze-dried foods are typically meant to be rehydrated, Smalls freeze-dried cat food is meant to be fed as-is. The food simply doesn’t absorb liquid very well, so it doesn’t provide the moisture your cat needs in his diet.
Overall, this freeze-dried recipe is species-appropriate, high-protein cat food with moderate fat and low carbohydrate content.
Ingredients
Finely Ground Turkey with Bone, Turkey Heart, Turkey Liver, Turkey Gizzard, Goat’s Milk, Turkey Egg, Water, Egg Shell Membrane, Herring Oil, Mixed Tocopherols, D-Alpha Tocopherol
Ingredients We Liked: Turkey, Turkey Heart, Turkey Liver, Turkey Gizzard, Goat’s Milk, Egg, Herring Oil
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None
Common Allergens: None
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Packed with high-quality protein from turkey
- Made with an animal-based source of fat
- No by-products, fillers, or artificial additives
- May be a good option for cats with food sensitivities
Cons
- Low in moisture, doesn’t rehydrate well
- May be too high in phosphorus for cats with kidney disease
#3 Smalls Pulled Other Bird Recipe
ENTER “ALLABOUTCATS” TO GET 30% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER
This fresh cat food is a single-protein recipe featuring turkey. It differs from the other two turkey recipes in that the food has a shredded rather than a minced or pate texture.
With over 50% crude protein on a dry matter basis, this fresh food formula is ideal for carnivores like your cat. Fresh turkey thigh is supplemented with turkey liver as the only sources of animal protein. This makes the recipe a good pick for cats with allergies or sensitivities to other common proteins like chicken or beef.
The downside to this recipe is that it relies on plant-based fat from canola oil rather than a more biologically appropriate source like chicken fat or salmon oil. The food contains a few other plant ingredients as well, but the total carb content remains low under 10% on a dry matter basis.
Overall, this fresh recipe offers a turkey-based source of nutrition with high protein and high fat content but very low carbohydrate content.
Ingredients
Turkey Thigh, Turkey Liver, Water, Green Beans, Peas, Nutritional Yeast, Kale, Tricalcium Phosphate, Canola Oil, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Taurine, Magnesium Sulfate, Niacinamide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Manganese Sulfate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D13 Supplement.
Ingredients We Liked: Turkey Thigh, Turkey Liver
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Green Peas
Common Allergens: None
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Packed with fresh turkey meat and organs
- High in moisture to support hydration and digestion
- Made with a single source of animal protein
- Very low carbohydrate content under 10% dry matter
Cons
- Relies on plant-based fat
Now that we’ve learned about what Smalls has to offer, let’s talk about what it’s like to be a Smalls customer.
At Cats.com, our experience with Smalls dates back to 2017, when the brand had just launched. Over the years, as they’ve added and removed recipes, changed their branding, and updated the customer portal, our team has kept up with the changes in the Smalls customer experience, ordering and re-ordering for multiple cats in multiple households.
Like many other subscription services, the Smalls experience starts with a questionnaire.
Smalls asks you questions about your cat, including their age, weight, and spay or neuter status.
You enter information about your cat, including their name, age, and protein preferences. Don’t be deceived, though— Smalls is not a custom food, nor is it custom-portioned. You’ll have to measure out your cat’s portions just as you would with food from another brand.
After filling out the questionnaire, Smalls directs you to a checkout page where you can purchase their two-week sampler pack, which gives you Smalls’ custom selection of recipes for your cat. At this stage, you’re not able to add or remove any recipes. If you want to customize your subscription, you’ll have to do it after you’ve signed up and started a subscription.
After you complete the questionnaire, Smalls will generate a sampler box based on your cat’s needs and preferences.
Remember that you’re not just getting the sampler pack—you’re signing up for routine deliveries of your cat’s food. You’ll automatically be billed and shipped a box every 3 weeks.
If you don’t want to receive more, you’ll have to contact their Cat Concierge to request a cancellation before the next box ships out.
You can cancel your subscription by clicking a button in the customer portal, then completing a survey as part of the cancelation confirmation process.
Once the Smalls sample pack arrives at your home, you’ll open it up and find biodegradable corn-based insulation, dry ice, and packages of cat food.
Our experience with Smalls deliveries has been mixed. During the strained summer months of 2020, the company seemed to struggle with fulfillment. Multiple boxes arrived containing what seemed to be mispicks, and in the summer heat, more than one box of warm food showed up on the doorstep.
However, more recent deliveries have been better. The latest, purchased in September 2021, arrived very cold but not frozen, with dry ice still lining the bottom of the box.
The food arrives cold or frozen, ready to refrigerate or freeze for later.
In addition to the fresh food, the package contains a guide explaining the benefits of Smalls and how to transition your cat to their new diet.
The box of Smalls contains a short guide explaining the potential benefits of the food and how to transition your cat to it. You’ll also find instructions on how much to feed your cat depending on their size and age.
After you’ve opened everything up, you’ll transfer the packages to your fridge or freezer, depending on how soon you’ll be able to use them.
Our team’s cats have consistently loved Smalls cat food.
Our cat food tester, Wessie, loves the taste and mouthfeel of Smalls’ fresh chicken food.
Every time we’ve tried Smalls food, we’ve been impressed by how our cats scarf it down. The food has a soft, meaty consistency similar to the fresh chicken or beef you might serve in your own meals.
What Do Other Customers Think Of Smalls Cat Food?
While all of our test cats have loved Smalls cat food, the human experience is not as consistently positive.
On Trustpilot, Smalls currently has 559 reviews and carries a 3.9 out of 5-star rating. Though 60% of those reviews are 5-star reviews, a full 15% give the brand a 1-star rating.
And while there are only 12 reviews of the brand on Consumer Affairs, it’s concerning that most of those reviews give a 1-star rating.
What Are People Complaining About?
Most negative reviews talk about the company’s customer service and recurring payment system. Remember that Smalls automatically starts a subscription when you buy a sample pack, so unless you cancel the subscription before your renewal date, you will be automatically charged.
Many customers are frustrated with this, saying that they were surprised by a recurring shipment, unable to cancel their subscription, or had difficulty contacting the support team. Note that until May 2022, you could only contact Smalls by email or text, and there was no phone support or live chat option.
In May, Smalls introduced live chat support on their website, which allows users to contact Smalls and get support in real time.
While our 2021 test found that the ordering process had improved significantly and users now have more ways to customize their order, the process of canceling is still a little bit frustrating. I had to send an email to the company to have the recurring order canceled, which is an additional step we’re not seeing from many other similar services.
Positive Reviews
“I’ve switched to Smalls because I realized my pet deserves organic human-grade food. The most noticeable difference is my pet’s energy. After he eats Smalls he is ready for action and play. When he used to eat processed store-bought foods (high-end/top shelf), he used to nap afterwards, a long nap.” – Terrell
“I recently ran into some issues with Smalls. Although I was upset, their representatives are outstanding. I was assigned Mel, and this person did such a great job at resolving my problem. Thank you, Mel! My cat is a fan of Smalls, but now I am too because of how nice and accommodating their team is.” – Khoshnoor Paracha
“I have used this food for a very picky kitty and she lives all of it. We had a delivery problem and the minute I contacted Smalls they responded immediately and are reshipping replacement ASAP. Awesome products and really awesome service.” – Judith Wright
Negative Reviews
“Horrible customer service. Thought I was buying a trial run and they signed me up for repeat service of shipments of food that I didn’t authorize. Now they are charging me over $200.” – Cara
“I’d like to cancel my subscription asap. After eating an unusually watery ground turkey meal, two of my cats ended up in the ER. One had to stay overnight and receive IV fluids and assorted meds to get her eating again, she was diagnosed with gastroenteritis secondary to eating “something bad.” – KD
“At first customer service was ok but my cats hated the food. They tried to work with me and then confirmed the order was canceled. I was then charged and received an order. No phone support and getting no responses via text or email. Tried to go in and manually remove all the items in the reoccurring subscription. I also let my credit card company know. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere.” – SL
How Much Does Smalls Cat Food Cost?
Every customer gets a week sample pack containing 5 packages of fresh food – about 23 meals – discounted by 25%. This puts the total price at $33.75, or about $1.50 per meal.
Unlike some other fresh pet food companies, Smalls doesn’t portion out your cat’s meals according to his body weight. Instead, the company sends out a monthly shipment that they deem appropriate for your cat’s needs.
Depending on your cat’s size and calorie requirements, Smalls fresh food will cost between $1.00 and $3.50 per day. The most expensive plan contains freeze-dried and fresh food for about $4.90 per day.
Overall, Is Smalls A Good Choice?
Smalls offers an excellent variety of foods and meal plans that honor your cat’s needs as a carnivore.
We haven’t been able to find many other foods on the market that offer the same level of species-appropriate nutrition combined with outstanding ingredient quality and manufacturing standards.
And based on both our experience with multiple cats trying this food and reading hundreds of customer reviews, we know that cats like the food, too. The soft, succulent texture of their human-grade fresh foods will appeal to most cats—including picky eaters.
The key to getting the most out of Smalls, though, is remembering that this is a subscription service. When you place your order, you are automatically signed up for recurring shipments of the food. If you’d like to discontinue that recurring order, you must be conscientious about canceling before the next box is shipped.
Hi Amy,
I was wondering if you would give me your opinion on choosing the best cat food for my cat Maruscha.
Maruscha is between 10-13 years old. Adopted Russian Blue. She has been eating Natural Balance Salmon and Green Pea Limited Diet for about 2-2.5 years now. Recently in the last 6 months we have started giving her Fish oil and Canna Campanion in addition to her dry food.
She was eating Wellness for the 4 years before Natural Balance. Before that my husband was feeding her Bodega brands, as he didn’t know better and we hadn’t met yet.
Maruscha has in the last 2.5 years developed an illness that reoccurs that no vet or ER vet has been able to tell us exactly why or what is causing her “episodes”. The first occurrence had me change from Wellness to a limited Diet brand, hence the Natural Balance.
After more of my own research, I am concerned even the limited diet isn’t the best for her.
I read that no carbs or starches to 2-3% in cat food is even better for their digestion.
I am concerned with any ingredients that could lead to inflammation. I don’t actually see any inflammation but I read that sometimes inflammation can cause Epileptic seizures or “Twitchy Cat Syndrome”.
This last info may be too much info for you since you don’t know all the details of her health issues. So don’t worry about that.
If you had to recommend a dry food and or a delivery service of fresh food, what is best for an aging sensitive cat that is prone to “Vasel Vagal episodes” that could be anything from GI Track sensitivity, to an inflammation in her spine where there aren’t any (to very thin) disks between her bones by her tail, or something good for heart health or brain function?
I was looking at Wysong Epigen 90 for dry and at Smalls for Smalls?
I saw the protein content in Smalls wasn’t as high as the Wysong.
I also want to stay away from inflammation in carbs or starches if possible.
Please help?
Thanks,
Sarah
Want to let you know as , I had a older cat a few years ago that was sensitive and would sometimes vomit after eating , we came to find out it was our water because we were on a well , it had some kind of enzyme in the water , this same enzyme also messed with my wife’s digestive track. Both the cat and my wife for almost 2-3 years had problems. We had switch completely to bottled water for drinking and cooking. It took about 2 weeks we started notice the issues were less frequent and about 3 months were gone. Only trying to say that sometimes it might be the water depending on you area , whether you well or city, have water check.
All my cats showed allergic reactions and vomited their food about 30 seconds to few minutes after feeding Smalls Beef Pate dinner tonight. Smalls cat food isn’t a safe choice based on my own experience.
It could just be the change of food. That’s why they recommend a slow switch if they’ve only ever been on one food. Also if they loved it and Ralphws it down immediately that’ll make them puke. Source: vet professional
Our cats had the exact same response to the ground cow. One vomited about 5 minutes after eating; the other several hours later, but we could see remnants of the beef food (the small minced green vegetables were quite obvious). I was quite sad as I hoped Smalls would be a good answer for our cats.
Also to note: our one cat had no interest in the fish and turkey; the other ate a few bites of the fish and then gave up (she did really like the freeze dried raw duck nuggets, but I can’t trust that she won’t get sick on those as well). 🙁 🙁
My cat had similar reactions. The first shipment had a little bit of all their products. Most of them didn’t interest my cat but she did like the Ground Bird. I asked them to just send that in the next shipment… no can do. So I gave away all the things my cat didn’t like, and cancelled my subscription. Now she’s quite happy with Sheba.
Hey Carl,
Sorry to hear about your experience here. We can definitely do better when informing our customers about any food substitutions we have to make. We’re actively making more investments in our technology to make this more transparent along with plenty of other account portal improvements.
Here’s my issue. The portion sizes keep getting smaller and smaller but the price doesn’t. What gives with that?
Also. My cats used to love the chicken and then we got a new shipment and they wouldn’t touch it. I had to give it away to the alley cats-waste if money. I stopped ordering. They loved the turkey recipe so I came back. I opened the box and it’s about a fourth of what it used to be per package. Right now it’s thawing- I hope to god they still love it as much as they did or it’s more money wasted.
What happened to the portion sizes?!?!
The thing to do is refund people’s money no questions asked if itd done before subscription is due.. ive known three people so far that have had cats that didn’t like it or became ill .. Not one received their money back!! People that had a hard time paying for it to begin with but wanted to do what was best!! This food didnt turn out for them so you refund the money abd never ever charge them for the extremely expensive monthly bill of about 200.00 after they’ve complained Never!! .. i had to buy a friend her cat some new food cause she had bern charged two hundred even after she cancelled on time .. i know it was on time because i was there when she got it .. They ought to sue your company for their money plus hardship and emotion stress. Good day !!
It’s probably because of the change of food and eating too fast when they do get something new and fresh like this food, they get overly excited and scarf it down without taking proper breath.
It’s a little pricey initially but look into just for dogs/cats they do veterinary formulated custom meals using the information provided from your vet. Good luck
We use Just Food for Dogs for our dog…we’ve had great success with her. We tried our cats on the Just Food for Cats, but they didn’t seem interested in that formula. Hopefully JFFD will come out with new formulas for cats soon!
Sarah:
Natural Balance cat food has been
recalled for a dangerous ingredient
causing serious illness in pets.
You shouldn’t feed your cat
this food.
For those interested in learning more about this recent recall: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/07/06/JM-Smucker-recalls-Natural-Balance-cat-food/4291594056574/
Before Natural Balance was sold to Smuckers (red flag) I used the cat food for years and never had any issues with any of my cats, they really loved it. When it first came out on the market it did have all natural ingredients and no fillers. As soon as new brands become bigger and the original seller sells to commercial company or brands they always change the ingredients and not for the better. They start adding fillers and other cheap alternatives to cut costs and make bigger profit while our pets suffer the affects of that immediately or later on. A pet store I used for many years told me Natural Balance was sold to Smuckers and I stopped buying it immediately after checking the ingredients and indeed they were changed and had fillers now still charging the high prices for not all natural ingredients. Always check the ingredients. If the first four are chicken/meat meal, by-products, wheat, soy, barley, steer clear…those ingredients are potential inflammation, allergy and disease creators. Our pets deserve better. Check out Nom Nom for cats and dogs. Darwin’s raw cat and dog food. Felne Natural wet and freeze-dried from New Zealand. Always gradually switch out their food and always check with your vet to make sure its the right choice for your pets. Another create supplement to add to pets food to prevent future illness or get rid of present issues is checking out Dr. Gary Ritcher supplements (he’s a western and holistic vet) has many You Tube videos check him out, highly recommend and Dr. Mercola human and pet products too!!
I just lost my cat right before covid.
He had stomach issues for years.
I had ultrasound and other tests, but all inconclusive.
I ran out of money for more tests and a few years later found out he had a grapefruit size rumor in his belly.
I will never get over any of it, but I adopted a rescue in March, and I’m still trying food.
He’s having stomach problems now. He was super skinny when I got him. He put weight on right away, but I am now wondering if it’s our water also?
It’s a condo and we all have to have softeners and I have filter’s before and after the softener, and I have an alkaline pitcher that I use for both our drinking water.
He’s just finishing up cat person food. He’s not into the wet food, and he’s not that excited about the dry, but he eats it.
I don’t know what to feed him. I’m so afraid… I can’t deal with another sick cat
He’s all the family I have.
Should I buy bottled water, or switch the food, or both?
Please help, Jbug
Hello June, I’m sorry about the loss of your cat and understand your desire to do the best for your new cat. Can you take your new kitty in to see a veterinarian? I think their diagnosis will help to put your mind at ease and give you a better idea of what you can do to help. Otherwise, I see nothing wrong with giving your new cat bottled water and perhaps upgrading to a fresh diet like Smalls or Nom Nom—knowing that you’re giving them high-quality ingredients and well-balanced water may also give you some peace of mind.
Wishing you all the best!
I need to cancel any further orders from you smalls. My story is sad. You say this is easy to do. Smalls does not take from calls from 503-487-4303 I need help from Smalls to cancel. Please reply
Thanks for such an in depth review. They must have raised their prices pretty dramatically because nowhere do I see a $1/ day. option. Lowest is $2.46.
This company have gave to me so much headach.
I purchased a sample and my cats didn’t like the food, so I cancelled my subscription with them. Three days later Small charged my bank account over $200. I texted the asking for a refund and for a subscription cancellation. They refunded me my money. Five days later they charged me again….. I texted asking for a refund again and I asked if at this time he did his job right. They confirmed that everything was cancelled. For my surprise today Small charged my account again. I don’t know what is wrong with this company but they are behaving as a scam company. I did all the steps necessary to cancel my subscription with them and also talked to the cat concieurge Ross. Don’t you know how to run a company? After all this headach I wouldn’t never buy from this company again, even if my cats had like their food. Worse experience even.
Having problems with the reorder process. Can’t be reached by phone and correspondence is yes and then no. At this point, I’m not sure this is an actual bona Fidel company and will pass on it.
I tried the trial. It was unsuccessful for our cats. I texted to cancel and received a short text reply confirming that I would not receive more charges. I thought I was all set.
A week later, I was surprised to receive another package. I reached out to Smalls, and they said it could not be returned or refunded. While the package shipped after I had cancelled, I looked on my charge card to learn that, $331 had been charged 10 days earlier.
Regarding the food, my cats did not like the food even when introduced gradually. It was not just one cat who got sick, but all, each time I tried it. That was why I canceled.
My experience with Smalls was unfortunate and costly.
I have had success with Dr. Marty and Stella & Chewy and several brands available at Boulder Natural Pet and Chewy. I’ve found their practices transparent and reliable.
Hi Julie, thank you for sharing your experience. That sounds incredibly frustrating and you’re not alone in having these types of issues with Smalls; we’ll keep your experience and those of others in mind when updating our reviews.
Just found an ad for this on FB. Been trying with zero success for my six month old new kitten to switch over to something that isn’t junk Friskies, which she loves. The only cat I ever met that doesn’t like fish flavor! Tried chicken, salmon flavor (Whole Earth Farms), then tuna and crab (Avoderm). She barely liked the chicken, but not love it. Didn’t gobble it down like with the Friskies. I’d hate to (almost) waste more money on something the little spoiled brat isn’t going to eat. Our older cat ate everything, but he loves fish flavors and has gotten a bit less picky over the years, so at least one of them ate it.
Jetta (kitten) hasn’t been too well trained, so if she doesn’t like what’s “on offer” she continuously jumps on me, asking for something different. No matter how long I leave the food out, she refuses, but I know she needs better nutrition than filler. I have never been horribly concerned with my pets food as I’m only 35 (still live at home) and haven’t always been the one picking it out, but one reddit post just got me thinking and here I am, realizing Friskies is the equivalent of letting a human child eat potato chips and chocolate for every meal. Might taste good, but it has no nutritional value for the poor cat. Haven’t really mixed the two yet (just too little to make a difference once), but might give it a shot today and see if it works. Lastly, I was originally thinking of doing a raw diet with Jetta when she’s old enough, but if this is her reaction to new food, then I know it’s going to go over like a fart in church! (Raw does seem to make the coat super soft. I had a friend with a beautiful cat who was on raw and the coat was as feather down soft as the rabbit I had at the time!)
Poor customer service without refunds should your cat not like it. Also this diet dried out my cats skin so be warned as noted by the doctor above.
I just ordered Smalls and, similar to the overview, a week went by with no communication. Last Friday, I finally received an email saying my “shipment was being prepared” (not even that it had shipped yet!). That was fine, because I was traveling! 36 minutes later, I got another email that the food had arrived! Well, I was already traveling and was unable to get to the food until Monday, by which time the food had already thawed and spoiled. This wouldn’t be horrible, except they REFUSE to refund or replace the order after spending hours texting with them today. (They also REFUSE to call.) Don’t waste your time or money. There are other/better companies out there who stand by their service and product and are more transparent with what’s in the food.
Hi Jaime, thank you for sharing your experience. I’m sorry to hear that you went through this with Smalls.
Ordered the sampler and my cat would not eat the food. I’m hoping they will cancel my account without any hassles. If I had known they do not have anyway to get in contact with an actual person I would not have even tried the product. Only contact is via email or text and if you text them you get a “canned” response that they are experiencing a high volume of inquiries and response may be delayed.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Smalls, Mariann.
I would actually put a disclosure on this cat food brand, Smalls — they are a startup company and they have a lot of fine print regarding their practices. On site banners they will advertise money back guarantees, but what they won’t say unless you search in their FAQ’s and terms of policy (who does that?) is that refunds are only for samples.
They also will lie about shipments and while their customer service is excellent when you PURCHASE food, they are very opposite that when trying to cancel or get refunded for orders. The ONLY way to cancel the subscription is to call them. You cannot do it on your own. You cannot change quantities to zero or they will automatically return the quantity to the original quantities after you save it as 0. So while this review lowballs the cost as something like $1 — in total, you are actually paying $125 per month.
And actually, I’ve yet to receive a refund on even the samples that my cat wouldn’t eat.
Jen, thank you so much for sharing these insights.
I’ve also been unable to reduce Smalls shipment quantities. I reduce the ground bird from 9 to 6 packages and the website wants me to add 3 more packages to the order. I reduce the ground turkey from 9 to 6 packages and the website wants me to add 3 more packages. It will not save a smaller quantity. It’s tied into the meal plan somehow — very annoying.
Cat toy code doesn’t work anymore.
I just ordered the trial… My cats hate the food but the company hasn’t responded to me cancelling my account… I have no desire to give this to my cats… They don’t like the food yet… I can even log in to cancel my subscription before I get charged $240
I subscribed to Smalls for about 6 months for my 2 5 month old kittens, who are now a year old. I found that texting them was the best way to delay or change your order. They always responded in 24 hours. I had to text for every order because I could only fit 8 packets in my freezer. I had to special request this every time. 2 weeks ago when I texted, they told my they could no longer give me my “special” order. I had to get at least 12. So I quit. They haven’t bothered me since. The website is a maze, but texting worked well.
They were so helpful when I was trying out feeding my cat the samples, but the actual boxes are so heavy and UPS REFUSES to deliver it to my door, and instead takes it to the parcel locker in our complex (which is NOT MADE for large packages, it has no car access and I’m disabled!!!). After repeated fighting with UPS and no progress, I have to cancel the service. If it can’t be delivered to my door, it’s useless to me. They were extremely responsive when I needed questions answered by text, but the moment they reached out to say my next order is being prepared, I asked her to cancel it instead and explained my situation. NO RESPONSE. I log on and find I’m about to be charged for the next order. Can’t cancel. No one answers the phone. I’m at the point I will have to cancel my entire debit card in order to cancel the subscription. It’s lunacy! My cat enjoyed the food a lot, but the customer service for cancelation is ATROCIOUS AND UNPROFESSIONAL!!!!
Thank you for sharing your experience with Smalls, Bobby.
Tried the trial got two more months worth of shipments and then all of a sudden I couldn’t use the website anymore. I received and was charged for two boxes which I had originally postponed. When I contacted them they wouldn’t refund me because I didnt reach out sooner. In the most recent batch of ground or smooth cow, all three of my cats got sick an hour after eating, all over the house. They may not have recalls yet but from the sounds of it, they will soon.
Hi Ace, this is very concerning. Please report your experience to the FDA: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/report-problem/how-report-pet-food-complaint
Can you please do an updated review with analysis of Smalls to take into account the issues they appear to be having per these comments? I have had several shipments of Smalls over the past 7 months and my cats do like the food and I do believe its a very high quality product. However, I have reservations regarding their product and service consistency as they have “changed kitchens” and the packaging has also changed a few times over the past 7 months. I know they raised $9 million in venture capital last October, so perhaps there are changes being made at the company that should be investigated in light of such a glowing review it has received on this website. Thanks!
Hi Mike, yes. This review is definitely in need of an update given all of the new information we’ve gotten on Smalls, both coming from commenters and our own reviewers’ experiences. Thank you.
These guys are thieves. They have completely shady practices and falsify information JUST so they can charge the $125+ subscription charges. You’ll see you have zero option to cancel a subscription unless you contact them and they automatically reboot your order to fulfill $125 even though that’s not even the minimum order and then they refuse to provide refunds and lie about why. There are countless (and I mean I have save hundreds of reviews off three sites alone) where people have gone through the same issue with their auto-subscription services, their cats have had severe diarrhea, have been throwing up, and they lie about their policies on all the MAIN pages, and you have to read the disclaimers and fine print to see what their actual policies were. My cat wouldn’t even eat their trial box and they said they sent out a subscription box to me before my 2-week trial ended, and when I tried to cancel it, they said it could not be canceled because they’ve already sent out the shipment and the warehouse does not do recalls. I contacted the warehouse who confirmed that they did not even receive the shipment from Smalls until the next day and that there is no such policy to cancel a shipment request prior to pickup. These guys are thieves and are just trying to keep the millions they received from investors.
Hi Jennifer, we’re very aware of the issues, and yours is just the latest in a series of serious complaints about the Smalls customer experience. We are currently in a conversation with multiple people from Smalls and trying to get this sorted out. I’m sorry that you went through this with Smalls. Hopefully, they can sort out these issues soon. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hey Jennifer,
I’m so very sorry to hear that this was your experience with us. That’s not okay whatsoever. We’ve had a tough time getting our technology right and are actively making investments to remedy situations as you experienced. I’ll check in with my CS team about what you experienced as you should have ample time to adjust your order before your first subscription is shipped. Definitely let me know if you never got your refund and I can follow up to make sure this is remedied.
My cats appeared to enjoy the smalls ground turkey and ground chicken which is a shame as the company still has supply/packaging issues that are frustrating as a consumer.
I tried Smalls for approx. 4 shipments and only one of those shipments arrived as Ordered, it was the introductory box.
One box wasn’t packaged properly only to find out after it arrived that the company was experiencing packaging issues. The entire order arrived thawed, warm and leaking. It ended up in the garbage. I had to order canned food as a backup.
On one order, they ran out of one of my preferences. Shipped only a partial box. I had to order canned food as a backup.
One box arrived later than reported. The ship date was reported incorrectly to me via the smalls team and thus it arrived late and thawed.
This is human grade food so if its thawed and warm when it arrives its recommended that you throw it away.
Hi Tonia, thank you for sharing your disappointing experience with Smalls cat food. I’m sorry you went through this and am glad you’re making others aware of what may happen when they order from this company.
Tonia,
I’m so sorry this happened to you. It’s not okay whatsoever that your food arrived thawed that consistently. Appreciate your feedback here and I’ll flag this with my team to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
I got my subscription and so far my concierge has been very helpful. Answers me quickly. Im able to modify my order, reschedule it and cancel it. I will update you guys when i recieve my order.
Be Prepared for garbage customer service! They delayed my orders after signing up for a subscription so I stopped ordering their food completely because they left me with no food supply for 4 days and I had to figure out a new diet for my cat. I only order their giblets and just recently they sent me the COMPLETELY WRONG item and have not provided a solution to resolve the situation and its been 48 hours. Their customer service is absolute garbage and they seem to care if your cat runs out of food. What good is good quality food if the company is absolute garbage about sending it to you.
Hi Francis, sorry to hear that you had a difficult experience with Smalls—sounds frustrating. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hey Francis,
Thanks for the note and so sorry that you had this experience with us. We’ll typically send a heads-up email to our customers before the order is placed. This heads-up email also includes any substitutions we need to make because of inventory so you have enough time to adjust your order.
Definitely reach out to our CS team if these issues persist and I can ping them to keep an eye out on your request.
– Jibran
My cat likes Smalls wet food very much, and I think I have noticed her fur getting softer.
My main issue is it is much more calorie dense than all the other wet food I have tried (including a wide range of brands of mid to high end canned cat food – I went a little crazy there for a while). She usually eats 200 calories of food a day, and is content with that. But if I only give her 200 calories of Smalls food in a day, she is hungry. She already has behavioral issues, and being hungry doesn’t help.
I have been combining it with other food instead, which has worked okay.
Looking for the best cat food is a priority for most people within their budget. Smalls offers a sample pack which you have no option to modify, 2 – 4oz kibble and 4 bags of freeze dried food. Freeze dried, my cat hates that stuff. It wasn’t cheap either. Worst part, I was not aware when you sign on their site, you sign on for auto order. I found out the hard way when they shipped me $183.00 frozen cat food for one small cat. I asked for refund and they refused. I would never order that much cat food and especially not at that price. Customer service was anything but genuine.
Hey Russell,
Thanks for your note here and deeply appreciate the feedback.
Our sampler order is specifically curated to ensure that your cat has a proper “tasting” of all of our flavors before you commit to a subscription where you can order the flavors your furry friend most enjoys!
With regards to the subscription: we make sure that customers know they’re signing up for a subscription upon purchase of our trial. This is in our terms of service as well as under the checkout button on the sampler. However, I totally understand the frustration here and we’re working on making this a lot more clear as we make updates to our checkout flow.
Best,
– Jibran
Good insights, Brittany. Thanks for sharing.
If I order on a trial basis, I do not automatically want to be sent more food in a few weeks. I do not want to be put on a list that I need to cancel.
Can I order on a trial basis without being automatically put on a list where you will send me more food?
Hi Barbara, this is not possible. You’ll have to cancel before your next shipment is sent out.
Is there a phone number besides the “text” number to cancel? I texted that and it onlyresponds to “cancel” (as in cancel the texts you get, not the service itself) and start (as in start texting me) I have been traveling, and sick and haven’t been able to start my cat and I’ve run out of freezer room!
Hi Tish, you cannot call Smalls by phone, but I have mentioned this to their team and they requested that you reach out to them at [email protected].
The same thing happened to me yesterday, June 8th, so they have not fixed this problem. I tried to cancel and they still charged me $150 for a lot of unwanted food and have yet to answer my e-mail. Sure, I was aware it was a subscription service, but they claimed I would be able to cancel at any time. As it turns out, I couldn’t. There are no clear directions on how to cancel on the website, no customer service phone number, and when you try to decrease your order down to just a few items they automatically charge you $150 minimum. From the comments here, it seems this problem has been happening for over a year now and they keep claiming they will fix it and don’t. This is no longer a small, new company without a lot of money, so why has it taken over a month, much less an entire year (!), to address very serious customer concerns? That’s something that should be fixed within days. Where is all of their money going if not to website design (with a clearly marked cancellation button!) and a customer service phone line? Those are the absolute basics. Charging people this much money for unwanted, huge, shipments this many times, for this long, is outright fraud. Just as someone else said in these comments, Smalls should be reported to the Better Business Bureau. And I’m a bit disappointed that All About Cats STILL has not made a firm warning in their review to their readers about this company’s repeated issues. I made the decision to try Smalls mostly because of this site, and very much regret it. Please save future readers for making the same mistake. It really hurts the credibility of All About Cats to pretend as if this isn’t happening, and to still highly recommend this company without warning readers of these very serious concerns.
Today I received an email from Smalls about a voluntary recall for some of its poultry-based wet food.
I have been a subscriber since December 2020 and have been happy with the quality of food and the convenience. That is until a few months ago when I started having issues with orders that I placed through the website not matching the order that showed up on my doorstep. I have also had shipments show up on weeks I didn’t want a shipment.
I have been grateful for the prompt customer service replies but I’m also tired of the excuses for why this is an ongoing issue. Their most recent explanation for the discrepancy was that they were upgrading their website and having some technical difficulties with orders. The solution was for me to email them my order.
I want this to work with Smalls but it has turned into more work than I was expecting, especially for the price. I hope they figure this out soon.
Kat, yes—the ongoing complications and problems are very troubling. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hey Kat,
I’m so sorry that this has been your Smalls experience as of late. We definitely don’t want us to be extra work for you.
When we’re out of stock on certain products, we’ll send a heads-up email detailing what we’ll be replacing that product with.
Beyond that, we’ve been actively making investments in staffing and customer service to mitigate and eliminate these issues
If these difficulties persist, don’t hesitate to send me a note at jibran [at] smalls.com
That’s really frustrating, Deborah! I’m glad you were able to get a refund. Did you also talk to Smalls about the problem? They’ve been working through some issues over the last year, so I’m sure they’d appreciate the feedback. Hope you find a better option for your cat!
why do they get a 9/10 for product variety ?
both my furry roomies have an allergy to poultry and beef seems to be too rich for the tiny one.
is this a sponsored review ?
Hi Hera, thanks for the question. No, it’s not sponsored, although we are in the Smalls affiliate program. When we gave the brand that rating a few months ago, the brand was offering fish in addition to the turkey and chicken recipes, so there was enough diversity to satisfy a wider variety of cats. Additionally, it does offer a great variety in terms of texture and manufacturing method. Few other brands offer dry food, fresh wet food, and freeze-dried products in a variety of flavors and textures. However, I agree that the 9/10 may be a little bit overly-generous given that the company doesn’t offer any typically novel or exotic proteins that may work for cats with food sensitivities—especially since the fish food is no longer available. I’m currently trying out a new batch of Smalls and will be doing a complete update of this review, including a reduction in the variety rating. Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Hi Hera! It’s not a sponsored review in the sense that we received free product from Smalls, but we are supported by affiliate programs. We do our best to remain objective in our reviews but sometimes it can be difficult to decide how to rank things. For example, the 9/10 ranking for product variety might be a little high but we considered the entire Smalls product line. Not only do they have fresh food, but they have dry food, freeze-dried food, and treats all in multiple flavors.
They’re not just disorganized. I attended an entrepreneurial funding seminar put on by venture capitalists in the Bay Area and literally this follows a common template. (1) Create your brand so it is as fun, cutsey, playful, nonthreatening, playful, adorable, and trustworthy — using children’s book colors and sweet enthusiastic positive language (“Hello hello meow meow!” — proclaiming your nonthreatening playfulness and LOVE for whatever the product or demographic, so the consumer sees you more as a trusted agent or friend than an aggressive, profiteering VC-backed start-up. (2) offer a “sample” or trial. (3) Once the individual has filled out all the preferences for the “sample” spring it on them that it is not free–and in fact charge quite a bit for that sample/trial, which they will likely move forward with anyway because they have invested that much time and thought in engaging with the brand and website. (4) Use that credit card and preference data–supplied for the sample/trial–to enroll the individual in a “subscription,” without their consent–forcing them to opt OUT rather than ALLOWING them to opt in–without ever providing informing them (or only in teeny tiny small print) that’s what will happen, with zero transparency. (5) Following the trial, ensure the first payment and shipment for the “ongoing subscription” takes place rapidly, before most people discover what’s happening and attempt to cancel. (6) Do not allow cancelation of the unwitting nonconsensual “subscription” via the website — instead, force the individual to attempt to initiate cancellation via email or text. (7) Immediately send incentive discounts to retain them. (8) Have stringent rules about the lead time required to cancel. (9) Do not allow the individual to take actions like removing all products from their “subscription” profile–if they do, add the products back into their profile. This is literally the opposite of sloppy or disorganized. This is a template. Since that presentation in San Jose I have seen this model pop up over and over. Unfortunately, I just fell for it with Smalls. Too late, I looked at the fine print and saw that immediately after the trial (i.e., before anyone actually WOULD have the opportunity to evaluate the product) they would be barraging me with an onslaught of product every 3 weeks. I’ve initiated cancelation and on Monday will start wheels in motion for my bank to stop payment on any subsequent attempt for Smalls to auto-bill me. Loathesome creeps.
Hi Leslie, thanks for the comment. As someone who’s reviewed a lot of cat products and brands, I, too, am familiar with this increasingly popular business model, and I agree with your assessment of what Smalls is doing. However, compared to others that do something similar, we do know that Smalls has had some distinct website issues that fall outside of the customer frustrations you may see with this kind of subscription model. I think the customer complaints are really coming from a combination of the two—disorganization and a business model with inherent flaws.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS COMPANY!
This is a scam business. They made 4 charges to my CC and would only discuss the issue via text or email (no telephone). I spent nearly a day going back and forth with the person because I had to explain the problem over and over and over until I was blue in the face. They assured my they would refund the money but it might take 5-7 business days. They finally refunded me for 1 of the charges! When I sent a text today all I get was an automatic message from their Cat Concierge! I intend to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Hi Gary, thank you for sharing your experience with us. That’s really concerning—we’ve emailed the company to ask about this and will keep this experience in mind. I hope you get everything sorted out soon. – Mallory
I do NOT Recommend this company. I have tried everything to communicate with them and there is simply no way. Texting, calling, emailing – no one responds. AND There is no way to cancel your subscription online. I will not work with company’s like this as they are designed to railroad you. There is no excuse for not responding. None.
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for letting us know, We’ve sent an email to Smalls about it, hopefully this get sorted our soon. – Doron
I was looking up the guaranteed analysis numbers on Smalls website directly, and it seems like the numbers for the wet food is incorrect…perhaps Smalls has made some adjustments to the recipes since this article, but none of their wet foods have a higher protein content of 18.5% as of now in 2022.
Thanks for flagging that, Michelle. I can see the issue as well—will get this corrected ASAP.
It is May 1 2022 and Smalls is still your Top-Rated cat food despite all the complaints, ridiculous charges ($146/3 weeks + shipping or over $200/mo for (2) 7-8 lb cats) and a history of sending random foods when they are out of the ordered food, which means it may be a flavor a subscriber can not use. It makes your website lack any credibility when it comes to food reviews.
I thought the Trial shipment was $45+tax for 3 weeks with free shipping (minus $ discount codes for 1st shipment), but in the Checkout Process it states that it is only for 7 days from the ship date, then the expensive non-refundable autoship order is billed & sent.
My little 9 yr old rescue kitty came to the shelter almost bald and almost no teeth left (many were reabsorbed, and 5 were pullled) due to ‘starvation’ by her previous owner, which the Foster Mom found out was most likely from a severe Chicken allergy. Due to how the kitty likes human foods so much more than (bland) cat food, I also think he was feeding her a lot off his dinner plate. Chicken gave the petite cat severe diarrhea and malnutrition, and the owner couldn’t figure it out during the COVID shutdown nor afford all the vet & dentistry bills, so surrendered his naked green-eyed cat with a fuzzy brown head to the local (high kill) City shelter. The shelter staff did not even know it was a spotted Bengal. It took 6 months of Rx diet in Foster Care to get enough fuzz regrown to hide the bare skin, and a year to get the beautiful rosetted top coat back. This story shows how important it is to feed a cat their natural food (ideally a dozen organically-fed fresh raw well-fed ‘mice in a blender’ every day? ) and not human omnivore foods, GMO foods, baked high-carb kibble, or ‘ junk’ foods full of preservatives and fillers (like many RX foods!)
I have found almost every Cat Food (including seafood flavors) contains chicken-something in the first 3 ingredients. My feisty little Bengal also gets bored of a food quickly (she seems to like it until I order a case, then furgit it!), which is why I am trying Smalls.
50/50 chance the Bengal will react to the chicken liver in the food (hopefully it is hydrolyzed). The Smalls Trial is for only 7 days after the ship date, and it may days 3-6 days to arrive, so it seems people HAVE to suspend the next shipment as soon as Smalls ships the Trial Order in order to first ‘try’ it for a week and see if 1) the cat will eat it, 2) the extra food fits in the freezer and 3) the cat doesn’t have an adverse reaction to it. Trial needs to be longer than just 2-3 days.
Suspension/Cancellation process needs to be easier, else too many complaints to the Credit Card companies will ‘Blacklist’ the Smalls company as fraudulent. This often results in immediate reversal of any charges when a complaint is filed. That is not good for a start-up.
They also need to figure out a natural way to keep it from spoiling so quickly if shipping is delayed or the freezer is full.
Thanks for the comment, Suki. I’ve forwarded this message to Smalls. We’ve bumped this brand down the list in our updated video review of the best wet cat food for all of the reasons you’ve described, and we’re very conscious of these issues in general. I’ll see if there’s anything else we can do. Thank you so much for commenting.
Hoping my very recent cancelation and confirmation of, goes through as smoothly as it seemed.
Our Abyssinian kitten developed a URI before we picked her up and developed into a bit of an issue, as it wasn’t picked up right away…just started as some sneezing, and after noticing a cough and more sneezing into the vet she went. PCR test and a round of antibiotics slowed it down, but she’s back on it as I type this because her lungs didn’t heal enough as the prescription ran out, to fight it off…so here we are with a little furry that the breeder fed a raw diet, which was a transition as it was, and couple in the illness, she wasn’t up for the change [we weened her off the raw with Caru which is also human grade]. As her stools started to show her digestive tract was slowing starting to transition, her appetite wasn’t as great as it could’ve been so just wanted to try this Smalls subscription out and did so with so-so results. So we figured we’d ride out the mix of Caru/Smooth Bird and the Cow. Got an email just yesterday, that my new box was set to deliver on 5/10…I’m barely through 2 packets out of 5 or 6 and they showed an invoice billing over 160.00 worth of food would be dumped on me. I tried editing to see smaller amount and jumping out 4 weeks, and it kept prompting me to add more fresh or it wouldn’t let me change? I did just to see what would happen bumped date out and it went to 170.00? For a 5 month old 5 pound kitten? This is when I reached for the cancel subscription option, confirmed by a text confirmation.
Was the food a problem? Probably not, the cats appetite was compromised a bit due to meds for the URI, and switching between extremes [raw to cooked high quality food]
Customer service seemed to be able to function okay…but the logistics of guessing how much a cat will eat and piling on with excessive shipment and outrageous pricing with little options to back down the order—had me, not only mildly annoyed—but at the same time, glad I got away while under the trial box. I still have a bone broth [don’t buy it, Caru is a larger amount at what amounts to almost half the cost] +4 small sample chubs,, and they seriously wanted to drop 5 large chubs of 4-5 different flavors, triple up the bone broth for 160-170 bucks? Crazy…and would be hard pressed to recommend. They charge me, and it turns into another story, and not a good one. We shall see.
For what it’s worth, I didn’t do as much research as I usually do and have into the company…I usually pick up Susan Thixton’s [Truth about Pet Food blogger] annual pet food quality rating and narrowed it down to 3, Caru being the choice. I should’ve just stayed with what I started her on in hindsight as that is where we are, back with it.
I see the “unbiased” title of this blog seems a bit of a misnomer. Site seems to have a direct link/communication with Smalls? Or am I misinterpreting “I will contact them with your concerns” type of responses I’ve seen a few times throughout this comment section, specifically the negative reviews. Food for thought.
The Smalls cancelation went through [as a followup comment], but not without pause with their outrageous pricing, hidden costs and communication within.
Recommendation? Hard pass.
Joel, you’re right that we do have an affiliate partnership with Smalls, and that’s how we came to have this direct line of communication with them, which does potentially introduce some potential bias. We do try to remain detached in the assessment of the brand, though I do see that some bias may be inevitable. Thank you for commenting.
Fwiw they do allow you to cancel online now and see everything about your plan once you do the trial shipment including cost with an option to skip
Thanks for sharing!
I have a love hate relationship with Smalls. I put my cat on it in November of 2020 so she has been on it nearly 2 years. She is so much healthier now. She used to have allergies where she would sneeze quite regularly. Vet did many tests and could not officially diagnose reason for congestion. She was, however, confident my cat was allergic to something.
My cat barely sneezes now. She is full of pep and energy. Her coat shines. Clearly Smalls agrees with her and that is what makes me love Smalls.
Where does the hate come in? Well their customer service is ridiculously inefficient. You can email them for a basic delivery update and their confirmation will actually have an inaccurate date. Their portal is useless. On multiple occasions it has reset quantity and flavors when i made a nominal change. They have shipped wrong food during wrong dates. I really wish they would get it together. Such a great product bit that’s where the greatness stops.
Hi StrangeMagic! Your experience lines up with a lot of comments we’ve received from other readers. Smalls’ products themselves have always been great but the customer experience has been a little less consistent. They seem to be aware of these shortcomings, however and are actively working to make improvements. I’m glad to hear the food is working so well for your cat and hope that continues to be the case!
I’m kinda wary of this brand since it makes it to the top of every cat food list with a promo code. This company seems to spend a ton of money on marketing and not sure why some other brands have higher scores than this brand, but don’t seem to make the list. Why is Smalls so much better than other companies, with a lower score?
Great question, Jamie! It’s difficult to make direct comparisons between cat food companies based on score alone since there is so much variety (even within brands that offer similar types of products). While Smalls may not have as high an overall score as some other brands, their food ranks higher in terms of species appropriateness and ingredient quality than many we’ve tested. We prioritize these categories over things like product variety and price.
We also consider the high moisture content, meal plan customizability, and convenience of monthly deliveries to be favorable factors for Smalls as a brand. Smalls products are also entirely human-grade which means that they’re made in a human food facility from high-quality ingredients that are USDA-certified as fit for human consumption.
Regarding the promo code, we’re very open at AAC about the fact that we are, in part, supported by affiliate programs. The same is true for many publications but we at AAC do not accept free products in exchange for reviews in order to ensure we stay objective. All of our reviews are written after in-depth analysis and hands-on testing. Product recommendations may also vary, to some degree, depending on the personal experience of our content creators.
Our goal at AAC is to help cat owners make informed and responsible decisions for their pets. Most of our reviews include a section about how we researched and tested the products so readers like you know that we’re not making selections solely for financial reasons. Hope that helps!
We adopted kittens in April and I got Smalls to try with them. At first, they would not try it, but it might have been too close to when they first arrived and were settling. Later, I re-introduced it and both really do love it. Generally, the kittens/cats are picky and want a variety, so I have to actively switch up textures. They only eat the chicken and turkey, and won’t touch beef. However, this is not unique to smalls. No beef or lamb for mine. They don’t like beef or lamb in any form. I feed them smalls daily but also mix it with a variety of other kitten foods. One cat would inhale the freeze dried raw kibble if I allowed her.
I know folks have had trouble with customer service. I have used their texting customer service and that has been very effective. Quick and helpful. I have recently had trouble with boxes arriving beaten up. They have helped make up for that, we’ll see if they fix the larger problem.
Hi Katherine, thanks for sharing your experience with Smalls. It’s good to know that your cats seem to like the food and that customer service has worked out well for you so far, though the series of damaged boxes is troubling.
Horrible costumer service,i bought a trial for my cat witch didn’t like it , i was contacted by phone by a representative witch i told it wasn’t working with my cat and now after 2 weeks i woke up with 120$ order wich surprisingly can’t be canceled ! So now what ? The whole point of trial on food at least if to check if your pet likes it. The costumer service is useless you speak woth a bot and is no way of contacting them. Even if the food was ok , the way that they treat you makes hard for you to keep ordering for them.
Hi Vlad, thanks for mentioning this. I’ve encountered the same types of problems with Smalls orders staying active after you’d think they would have been canceled, and you’re right that Smalls has a customer service problem. I hope you were able to get a refund and cancel your subscription.
I decided to try Smalls for the first time. I found it easy to arrange for a sample box and pay for it but did not find out the future cost of shipments until AFTER I paid. The overall cost is well over what I can afford to pay for this food. I cannot get in touch other than by text. The email never gets answered, there is no one to actually call and when I text I get an automated response to go and login to cancel, but when I do they tell me they are sending me a link (that I never get). Very frustrating!
That is quite frustrating, indeed, Chrystal. Thank you for sharing, and I hope you can get things sorted out soon.
Smalls is $10 per can of cat food! A normal can of cat food is 5.5 oz. Freeze dried Smalls is $1.83 per oz. So $1.83 times 5.5 is 10 bucks a can?!?!?
Well, the issue is that Smalls freeze-dried food is not a canned product. Because it’s so calorically dense, your cat needs less of it. So while a can a day might make sense if you were looking at a regular canned food, you’d only need to feed about 2 ounces of the freeze-dried food per day. Your cost per day would be closer to $3.60.
For my 9-pound cat, a packet lasts 3 days. So it’s more like $3, not counting tax. And because I get it shipped every 8 weeks, shipping is free
Here’s my issue. The portion sizes keep getting smaller and smaller
but the price doesn’t. What gives with that?
Also. My cats used to love the chicken and then we got a new shipment
and they wouldn’t touch it. I had to give it away to the alley
cats-waste if money. I stopped ordering. They loved the turkey recipe
so I came back. I opened the box and it’s about a fourth of what it
used to be per package. Right now it’s thawing- I hope to god they still love it as much as they did or it’s more money wasted.
Update- they still do
BUT…
What happened to the portion sizes?!?!
Hi Tracey, that’s a good question. I’ll see if I can get some more information and get back to you on that.
I got the trial, cats love Smalls food but are still crazy hungry after a meal (as if they haven’t eaten yet).
I had the opposite experience of customer service and someone actually called me to make sure I was happy with the trial before the automatic orders began.
I haven’t tried to cancel, hope I won’t need to…
I am concerned now after reading how many cats have gotten sick when eating their food. Hope that never happens!
Hey Nicole, really appreciate you sharing your experience. I’m delighted to hear that you received a call before the automatic subscription kicked in—that’s awesome! I’m not sure why your cats seem unsatisfied after the meals; perhaps they just want more because it’s so enjoyable. Anyway, I hope you continue to have a good experience with this brand and food.
signed up and ordered the smalls trial package. was mis-delivered and did not find it, until 3 days later. Still frozen/cold, so thawed one out to try. My cat wouldn’t touch it. Smelled “Off/Weird” to me. Customer support was very slow and mostly non-existant. This is why I chose to cancel my subscription. Don’t like to do business with ANYONE that is not responsive to their customers, with valid concerns/needs. At the end of the day here, ended up with a $50.00 bag of silica cat litter.
Hi Cameron, thanks for sharing that experience. Sounds very disappointing. I hope you were able to successfully and quickly cancel the subscription.
I just wanted to leave my two cents because so many people seem to have had bad experiences with this company.
I have been feeding my cat smalls for the last year, on the recommendation of my veterinarian, without any problems. My cat has IBD and was suffering from diarrhea on store bought cat foods. Smalls has cleared that up. She now has consistent and well formed stools. Her bloodwork numbers are all in the acceptable range now, where she had low phosphorus and high carbohydrates before switching. It took a few months to figure out what flavors she likes and doesn’t (not a fan of the turkey here) but now she’s quite happy with it. I have contacted customer service multiple times via email and text and always gotten a response in a timely manner. They have an automated reply that goes out to everyone when they submit a response, and then you are added to a queue. They have office hours, so yes sometimes you have to wait. I have been offered refunds for missing a damaged goods. I see that they have added a cancel button on their account page as well, so the problems with cancellations shouldn’t be as bad as they once were.
Yes it is pricey, and waiting for a shipment can be inconvenient compared to just running to the store, but the food does seem to have improved my cats quality of life so I’m a satisfied customer. I think it just depend son your lifestyle, budget, and the health needs of your cat.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Smalls!
My cat who has never had intestinal issues became constipated after eating this food for a few weeks. Once we eliminated Smalls from his diet, the constipation cleared up. I will NEVER purchase or recommend this brand to anyone. It was so horrible to see him in pain and he is still recovering. Smalls is NOT a SAFE.