Smalls Review: Is This the Best Fresh Cat Food?

Many cat parents have started looking for healthier alternatives to kibble after discovering it may not be the best choice for optimum nutrition. 

For example, dry cat food is often packed with carbohydrates when what cats actually need is protein, as they’re carnivores.

Most brands — even some premium ones — contain low-quality ingredients like preservatives, fillers, thickeners, and meat by-products that could lead to health problems down the road.

Unlike a lot of commercially prepared cat food, fresh cat food is made in small batches with human-grade ingredients that are nutritionally good for your cat. 

These foods can help improve your cat’s coat quality and energy levels and can even alleviate some digestive issues.

In this review, we will be looking at the popular fresh cat food delivery service Smalls.

Keep reading to find out the pros and cons of Smalls to determine if it is the best one for your needs.

Here we’ll go into:

Is Fresh Food Better for Cats?
What Is Smalls Cat Food?
Smalls Price Estimate
Smalls Cat Food Review
More About Smalls Cat Food
Smalls Cat Food Reviews & Testimonials
Is Smalls Cat Food Worth It?

Is Fresh Food Better for Cats?

Fresh cat food only contains whole meats, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals that are gently cooked to retain the majority of their nutrients.

This also makes them a great choice for cats with food allergies or intolerances because of the limited number of ingredients that they contain. [1]

Fresh Food Has Fewer Carbohydrates

Many dry cat foods are full of carbohydrates and plant-based proteins  — nutrients that aren’t ideal for cats. As carnivores, cats need more fatty acids and proteins from meat to stay healthy.

This may also help with weight loss for overweight cats because fresh cat food is low in carbohydrates. [2, 3, 4]

Fresh Cat Food Contains More Water

Fresh cat food also contains more moisture than dry kibble. In fact, wet cat food contains around 70 percent water.

The extra water content helps to keep your cat’s urinary tract and kidneys healthier than if your cat eats a dry food diet alone.

What Is Smalls Cat Food?

Smalls cat food is a fresh-cooked pâté style wet food that contains no preservatives. Because of this, it must be refrigerated to stay fresh. It arrives frozen to your door, ready to be defrosted so you can feed it to your cat. Their foods contain only human-grade ingredients without any fillers, preservatives, or other low-quality ingredients.

Smalls offers:

• Frozen cat food and dry kibble delivered right to your door.
• Human-grade ingredients in their food.
• Wet food that’s low in carbohydrates and contains no fillers.
• Meals developed in conjunction with a veterinary nutritionist.
• Carbohydrate-free freeze-dried raw cat food.

For those with cats who have food allergies or digestive issues, Smalls cat food may help with these problems as it’s free of grains and preservative. And, it’s even OK for cats in the early stages of kidney disease to eat.

If your cat prefers a crunchy texture, Smalls also makes dry kibble and freeze-dried raw cat food so you can supplement your cat’s diet.

Because their foods are low in carbohydrates, Smalls meals may even help with weight loss for overweight kitties.

Smalls Cat Food Summary Table

Ingredient quality	Human-grade ingredients
Price	$1-$4.30 a day (combination of fresh, raw or cooked kibble options)
Special Offers	25% off your first box
Shipping	Free
Personalized meal options	Yes
Veterinary nutritionist input?	Yes
Meet AAFCO and USDA standards	Yes
Meal recipe options	Fresh food (4 recipes) Raw food kibble (3 recipes) Cooked kibble (3 recipes)
Protein %	21% (fresh chicken recipe)
Treat options	Yes
Full Review	Jump to full review
Website	Smalls Cat Food

Smalls Price Estimate

Smalls ask for a few details about your cat before providing you with a quote.

Smalls then offer a choice of 4 fresh food options. They also quote for different combinations of their food types.

This could be fully fresh food, half fresh half dried or fully dried food options.

So you get a lot of different options to choose from and different quotes for your budget.

*Prices are based on a young cat with no health problems. The quote you receive from each company can vary as it will depend on the individual needs of your cat.

Smalls Cat Food Review

For my first order of Smalls cat food, I was able to try a personalized sampler based on my cats’ preferences.

I hoped that my cats would love the food (obviously) and that it might improve their coats and their overall health.

I also have an overweight senior cat who I thought might benefit from the food because it’s low in carbohydrates.

I always want the best for my cats, so trying this food seemed like a great opportunity to improve their diet. They currently eat canned cat food and have dry kibble available to them during the day.

How Did The Smalls Meals Arrive?

I was a little worried about ordering from Smalls because a severe heat wave was going on in my area at the time of delivery (with temperatures over 110 degrees during the day).

I was happy to find that my box from OnTrac arrived cold, even after sitting for a few hours on my doorstep.

There were two dry ice packs in the box and the four fresh food packets were frozen solid.

I also received a pack of the freeze-dried raw chicken cat food and a sweet trio of hand-knit catnip toys in a little drawstring bag (the toys were an immediate hit).

Plus, the insulated box was explored instantly!

Shipping for sampler orders is free and for all other orders, you’ll pay a $10 flat fee.

Most orders take two to three days to ship to you, but if they take longer and end up arriving defrosted, you can contact Smalls for a replacement or refund.

How Do You Serve Smalls for Cats?

Before serving Smalls fresh cat food, you simply have to defrost the packet in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Once it’s defrosted, it’s ready to serve to your cat.

Serving Smalls cat food is pretty easy. Each packet of cat food is marked in 50 calorie increments.

According to the Smalls website, an average cat should get between 200 and 250 calories per day, so you just cut off the amount of food you want to serve and store the rest back in the refrigerator.

I split up my cat’s portions into two, and served 100 calories (as shown here) per feeding. Note that if you’re using Smalls’ freeze-dried food, it’s about 123 calories per ½ cup.

What Do Smalls Cat Food Meals Look Like?

I received the Smooth Bird (Chicken) fresh cat food as well as the Other Smooth Bird (Turkey).

The Smalls Smooth Bird Chicken contans: Chicken thigh, chicken breast, chicken liver, green beans, peas, chicken heart, kale, and Smalls supplement blend.

When served the Smooth Bird (Chicken) has a very soft pâté texture:

While the Other Smooth Bird (Turkey) has a stiffer and slightly drier texture:

The Smalls Other Smooth Bird Turkey contains: Turkey thigh, chicken liver, green beans, peas, kale, and Smalls supplement blend.

Finally, the Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken looks like small kibble nuggets:

The Smalls freeze-dried raw chicken food contains: Finely ground chicken and bone, chicken heart, chicken liver, chicken gizzard, chicken egg, raw goat’s milk, water, eggshell membrane, herring oil, mixed tocopherols, and D-alpha tocopherols.

Do Cats Like Smalls Food?

Yes cats tend to take to Smalls Food very quickly.

When I served the meals the food looked pretty appetizing and had no weird odors.

My cats were immediately interested and started to chow down (don’t worry, they each got their own plate after this initial trial).

First up was the Smooth Bird (Chicken):

It immediately got all of my cats’ attention and they started eating it right away.

Especially my overweight senior cat.

Next I tried out the Smalls Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken food. As you can see, this one was quite popular too:

And last was the Other Smooth Bird (Turkey):

This was a favorite of my smallest Siamese cat and two of my Siamese-mix cats.

My cats were quite curious about the food when I set the plate down (they love eating on dinner plates because flat plates don’t bother their whiskers).

My overweight silver tabby cat seemed to like the food best. Overall, everyone seemed to at least have a taste, but they didn’t gobble down on the food like I’d hoped after leaving it for them.

For my next feeding, I tried adding some of the freeze-dried chicken food and that seemed to help. The cats liked the crunchy texture of the nuggets mixed with the smooth pâté food.

Smalls Cat Food Storage

To store Smalls wet cat food, place it unopened for up to 12 months in the freezer. Once it’s defrosted in the refrigerator, it will last from 5 to 7 days. Always be sure to store leftovers in a sealed container. I stored mine in plastic wrap, but I do like that this company sells containers specially shaped for their food packets.

Smalls Essential Kibble and Premium Freeze-Dried foods don’t need refrigeration and last up to 18 months in their unopened bags. Once opened, they last up to 30 days.

Is Smalls a Good Cat Food?

After trying out Smalls fresh cat food and their freeze-dried chicken food, I felt that Smalls was a good cat food. The packaging was impeccable and everything arrived frozen even in triple-digit temperatures.

Serving the food was easy and I liked that all of the ingredients were listed on the packaging. To tempt my cats to eat more of the food, I did end up mixing it with their regular cat food, which is what Smalls recommends when transitioning your cat onto their food.

Best of all, my cats seemed to enjoy the food and none of them had any adverse reactions. Plus, they loved the box that the food came in! Overall, I had a very positive experience with Smalls.

Freeze Dried Raw Recipes

These are raw protein meals, freeze-dried to preserve freshness. They have 3 recipes:

• Chicken or ‘Raw Bird’
• Turkey or ‘Other Raw Bird’
• Duck or ‘Water Bird’

Cooked Kibble

This is intended as occasional supplements to their fresher foods. They are made with high protein and free from fillers.

The flavors they offer are:

• Chicken Kibble
• Turkey Kibble
• Fish Kibble

Other Interesting Products

As a dedicated cat food service, they’ve got some other interesting products just for felines!

They’ve got chicken broth packets that you can add to your cat’s meals. This is really good for picky eaters who need more flavor in their meals or if you’re concerned about your cat’s hydration and want to have more water content in her food.

There’s also chicken giblet treats which are a great addition when you want to give your cat something special. They are whole, freeze dried chunks of chicken heart and liver.

You can also purchase cat litter from Smalls, which is made from biodegradable millet and is great for absorbing odors.

Special Offer 25% Off Your First Sample Box:

Smalls 25% Off

Smalls Sign-Up Process

Signing up with Smalls was very convenient as everything can be done online through their website.

You start off by filling up a form telling them about your cat so that the meals can be recommended according to their needs.

They will need information about your cat’s usual food, gender, age, spayed or not, and body type. It will even ask about what your budget is for your cat’s food.

You’re then presented with 3 main ‘combinations’ for your first sample box with prices for each. These are:

• 100% fresh meals
• Some fresh and some dry meals
• 100% dried meal options

You can also speak with their customer service if you would like to arrange a different combination.

Otherwise you will be given a selection of their recipes to try.

For example, the “balanced dry” option gives you a sample of all 6 for their dry food recipes (3 of the Freeze Dried Raw and 3 of the Cooked Kibble).

You can also add meats or fish that your can doesn’t eat and that you want excluded from the sample box by clicking on ‘Dietary Restrictions’.

Here’s a summary of the recipe options for each food category:

Recipe Options

• Fresh food: Chicken, turkey, beef, and fish
• Freeze-dried raw food kibble: Chicken, turkey, and duck
• Cooked kibble: Chicken, turkey, and fish

Extras:

• Chicken broth (to add to meals for extra hydration)
• Chicken giblet treats
• Cat litter

After the 2-week sample trial, you will receive your shipment every 4 weeks.

This is really convenient, especially for cat parents that may not have the time to make trips to the supermarket for cat food.

I really liked that you can easily customize delivery and recipes through your online account after the 2-week trial is over. You can pause, skip, or cancel your subscription at any time.

If your cat likes variety, you can even switch up your recipes when you want.

What’s in a Smalls Box?

Smalls meals come to your home packaged in a cardboard box that has insulation and dry ice to keep all the fresh food frozen. (For eco-friendly parents, you’ll be glad to know the insulation is biodegradable and breaks down when you place it in water!)

The frozen wet food will need to be stored in the freezer once you receive your shipment, where it can last for up to 12 months.

Sealed packets of food can last in the fridge for 5-7 days once defrosted. These meals come in a slim, soft plastic packaging that can be peeled open when you want to serve.

Because you can get a few meals out of each fresh food packet, Smalls provides a hard plastic tub with a lid to place any food that you want to reserve for later.

It’s a lot cleaner this way compared to if you have to keep getting food out of the soft plastic packaging for every meal.

Their dry food is a lot more straightforward and the storage and serving are the same as any other commercial kibble your find.

It comes in a ziplock packet which is very convenient. And when you want to serve, just pour it into a bowl for kitty.

What Did Cats and Their Parents Think of the Food?

Based on 225 reviews, Smalls had an impressive score of 4.3 stars out of 5. Here’s a summary of what people were saying about it:

Pros

• Most cats loved the taste of the food: Many cats were fans of the food and were excited about mealtime.
• Great for picky-eaters: Several reported that their cats who usually didn’t always finish their meals gobbled down their Smalls meals.
• Proper nutritional content for cats: Enough protein and water content for their diet.
• Many health benefits: Several reported that they felt their cat’s fur coat was smoother, breath was fresher, and there was less smell from kitty litter.
• Helped with health issues: Some pet parents said their cats who usually had digestive problems stopped throwing up. Another cat with autoimmune disease who had problems regulating how much she’d eat stopped eating so much.
• Great variety of wet and dry meal recipes: All made from fresh, human-grade ingredients.
• A lot of flexibility in ordering how much wet or dry food you want: Easy to mix and match.
• Chicken broth was a great touch for parents who wanted more hydration for their cat.
• Many were also impressed with the cat litter and the way it clumps the urine for easy clearing.
• Eco-friendly packaging

Cons

• More expensive than store-bought food but many felt it was still worth it.
• Doesn’t ask for your cat’s weight: so meals are not customized based on this factor.
• Website hard to navigate: Some said it was buggy for them. And while it looked really nice generally, it felt like some functions were still in beta mode.

Here are some reviews from customers:

Is Smalls Good Cat Food?

Smalls is one of the best fresh cat food delivery companies with a wide variety of recipes for every food type.

This variety means you can customize the meals to your own cat’s taste and also to your budget.

Their extra items are very helpful too and it’s a brand that is clearly based all around cats.

Is Smalls Cat Food Worth It?

Smalls cat food is crafted with high-quality, human-grade ingredients. This means you can feel good about feeding it to your cat.

Because it’s free of preservatives, fillers, by-products, and other artificial ingredients, it might help cats with sensitive tummies and allergies. (4)

Plus, because their freeze-dried foods and fresh cat foods are low in carbohydrates, overweight cats may benefit from eating them because they can help with weight loss. (3)

All cats are individuals, so while some may love the food, others may not. Also, because Smalls is a small company, contacting customer service can be difficult, making cancelling your subscription inconvenient. Plus, their food is only available online through their subscription ordering system.

Overall, Smalls cat food is worth it based on their ingredients, especially if your cat enjoys eating the food.

Whether your cat prefers their fresh cat food, freeze-dried crunchy food, or their kibble, you’ll have peace of mind knowing they’re only eating the finest of ingredients.

FAQs About Smalls Cat Food

Has Smalls cat food ever been recalled?

Yes, Smalls had a voluntary product recall in June of 2021 due to some customers complaining that their food smelled off or appeared spoiled. There were no reports of illness due to the food.

Is Smalls raw cat food?

Smalls offers both cooked cat food and freeze-dried raw cat food options, both of which are made with human-grade ingredients.

Are Smalls products made in the USA?

Yes, Smalls cat food and all of their products are made in the USA.

Can I return Smalls cat food if my cat doesn’t like it?

If you ordered a Smalls sampler pack and your cat doesn’t like the food after two weeks, you can request a refund within 30 days of the original purchase date. Other orders are not eligible for refunds.

Is Smalls cat food grain-free?

Yes, it’s free from grains and other fillers.

Can Smalls help my cat lose weight?

If fed correctly according to your cat’s weight, your cat may lose weight eating this low-carb food.

References

1. Wet Cat Food vs. Dry Cat Food: Which Is Better?, PetMD 
2. Tips and Tricks to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water, Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University
3. Owner and Cat-Related Risk Factors for Feline Overweight or Obesity, Frontiers in Veterinary Science
4. Food Allergies, Cornell Feline Health Center
5. Direct-to-Consumer Cat Food Startup Smalls Raises $9M, MSN
6. Pet Nutrition Consulting, Susan Lauten, PhD
7. Association of American Feed Control Officials, Welcome to AAFCO