Smalls Cat Food 2022 Review: Quality, Value, and Final Verdict

Review Summary

Our Final Verdict

We give Smalls Cat Food a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Click Here & Use Code Petkeen2022 to Save 33% on Smalls!

Introduction

Smalls is a subscription meal service for cats that provides foods high in quality protein and free from fillers and artificial ingredients. Smalls cat food is not sold in stores; instead, the company delivers fresh and freeze-dried cat food straight to your door.

Smalls is well suited to cat owners who want to feed their cats natural, wholesome food free from filler ingredients, and while the food may be a bit pricier than competitors, the peace of mind that you get from this food is worth the extra cost. A healthy diet equals a healthy cat, and you’ll most likely be saving on future vet bills.

We are huge fans of Smalls cat food for various reasons, which we go into detail here.

At a Glance: The Best Smalls Cat Food Recipes

Image Product Details Our Favorite Smalls Fresh Bird Recipe

High in protein

Added vitamins and minerals

Most of the protein comes from chicken

Check price Smalls Fresh Other Bird Recipe

Protein comes from skin-on turkey thigh

Includes healthy vegetables

Available in smooth and ground textures

Check price Smalls Fresh Cow Recipe

Contains beneficial vegetables

Packed with added minerals and vitamins

Includes lean ground beef, liver, and heart

Check price Smalls Freeze-Dried Raw Bird

More affordable than wet recipes

Comparatively high moisture content

Natural omega fatty acids from the included herring oil

Check price Smalls Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey

Very high in protein

Limited ingredients

Freeze-dried for a crunchy treat

Check price

Smalls Cat Food Reviewed

Who Makes Smalls and Where Is It Produced?

Smalls Cat Food began in a small apartment in New York City. While the company is still rather small compared to competitors, it has produced millions of meals since its inception. Smalls prides itself on using sustainably sourced, USDA-certified, humanely harvested ingredients, using only what your cat needs and leaving out the rest.

The food is produced by certified animal nutritionists and made in a human food-processing facility in Chicago. The company uses human-grade, high-quality ingredients, one of the few pet food companies that do so.

Click Here & Use Code Petkeen2022 to Save 33% on Smalls!

Which Types of Cats Is Smalls Cat Food Best Suited For?

Smalls cat food is best suited for owners who want the best nutrition possible for their cats, a food that’s free from fillers and nasty ingredients, but who don’t have the time to prepare meals at home themselves. Smalls takes all the hard work of cooking, preparing, and shopping for cat food, and delivers it — fresh or freeze-dried — straight to your door.

The high-protein food is great for cats of all ages and breeds, but it’s especially good for sensitive cats with food allergies or cats with weight issues that require a reduction in carbs and fillers.

Which Types of Cats Might Do Better With a Different Brand?

Cats with specific health issues would do better on another food brand, one that caters to their problem. Cats that need prescription diets due to urinary issues or gastrointestinal issues will do better with Hill’s Prescription Diet Urinary Care or Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Cat Food. Other than that, Smalls is great for any healthy adult cat.

Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)

Protein (the Good)

Smalls claims to use only the best, human-grade protein in its cat food, and for the most part, this seems to be accurate. One of our favorite wet food recipes, the Fresh Bird Recipe, has chicken as the sole source of protein, with chicken breast accounting for 92% of the protein, chicken liver at 6%, and chicken heart at 2%, with a crude protein content of 21.2% overall. The Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey Recipe — the company’s version of dry kibble — contains 49% protein content overall. This comes from finely ground turkey with bone, turkey heart, liver, gizzard, and egg.

Click Here & Use Code Petkeen2022 to Save 33% on Smalls!

Protein (the Bad)

The Smalls Fish Kibble also contains great sources of protein, with a 40% protein content overall, and includes sources like whitefish and egg, but it also has protein from peas and sweet potatoes, which makes it a bit too high in carbs for our liking.

Also, the Smalls Fresh Bird recipe uses vegetable oil, when they could have used something like animal fat instead. That said, there are surprisingly no other concerning ingredients in any of the formulas, and the company offers recipes with completely species-appropriate ingredients.

A Quick Look at Smalls Cat Food

Pros

• High in protein
• Great-quality, human-grade protein sources
• Low in carbohydrates
• No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
• Wet food is moisture-rich
• Species-appropriate, balanced nutrition

Cons

• Expensive
• Does contain vegetable protein sources
• Some recipes use vegetable oil

Recall History

Smalls has only had one recall incident, a voluntary recall in June 2021.

The recall affected four recipes:

• Ground Bird, Chicken Recipe
• Smooth Bird, Chicken Recipe
• Ground Other Bird, Turkey Recipe
• Smooth Other Bird, Turkey Recipe

Several customers reported that the foods looked spoiled and had an unusual odor, but there have been no reports of illness, and Smalls is still currently investigating.

Reviews of the 3 Best Smalls Cat Food Recipes

1. Smalls Fresh Bird Recipe

Click Here & Use Code Petkeen2022 to Save 33% on Smalls!

The Fresh Bird Recipe is one of the most popular selections from Smalls, for good reason. This food features chicken as the primary protein source, and the 21.2% protein content overall contains 92% chicken breast, 6% chicken liver, and 2% chicken heart. This makes the food ideal for carnivorous cats, providing a food-grade, premium source of protein. The food also contains several plant ingredients that add to the carbohydrate content, including green beans, kale, and peas, but these make up less than 8% of the total food content, with an overall carb content of 5%. The food also includes added vitamins E, A, and B12.

The only issue that we found with this recipe is the inclusion of vegetable oil, and while it is a small amount, it’s still not ideal for cats.

Pros

• High in protein
• Most of the protein comes from chicken
• Includes chicken breast, heart, and liver
• Added vitamins and minerals
• Added healthy vegetables

Cons

• Contains vegetable oil

---

2. Smalls Fresh Cow Recipe

Click Here & Use Code Petkeen2022 to Save 33% on Smalls!

The Fresh Cow Recipe from Smalls contains ground beef, beef liver, and beef heart, with a crude protein content overall of 21.6%. While there are peas included in the recipe, animal protein makes up most of the protein content, with ground beef accounting for 68.32% (90% lean), beef liver at 6.64%, and beef heart at 5.22%. The recipe also contains green beans (5.69%), peas (5.22%), and spinach (1.90%) for added carbs, and a 2.26% supplement mix consists of essential minerals and vitamins such as taurine, calcium, and vitamins E, A, and B12. We could find no undesirable ingredients in this recipe.

Pros

• High protein content
• Includes lean ground beef, liver, and heart
• Contains beneficial vegetables
• Packed with added minerals and vitamins

Cons

• None

---

3. Smalls Freeze-Dried Raw Bird

Click Here & Use Code Petkeen2022 to Save 33% on Smalls!

If you prefer giving dry food to your cat, the Freeze-Dried Raw Bird recipe is a great option, and it is more affordable than the wet recipes. The food has an overall protein content of 45.43%, the majority of which comes from finely ground chicken with brine, chicken heart, liver and gizzard, and chicken eggs. It also contains herring oil, which is a great natural source of omega fatty acids for a smooth and shiny coat. Considering that it is dry food, it contains a decent moisture content of 8%.

With the inclusion of goat’s milk, herring oil, and chicken protein comes a fairly high-fat content of around 15%, minimum. This is a bit high for our liking, although there is little else to fault with this recipe.

Pros

• More affordable than wet recipes
• High protein content
• Most of the protein comes from chicken
• Natural omega fatty acids from the included herring oil
• Comparatively high moisture content

Cons

• Fairly high fat content

How to Order Smalls Cat Food

Smalls is not available from any online or physical stores. Instead, it uses a unique, customized subscription model for orders. When you begin your order with Smalls, you’ll answer a questionnaire about your cat’s size, age, and budget to plan a customized meal plan for your cat. After this process, you’ll be presented with a few options that include fresh food only, freeze-dried kibble only, or a combination of both, depending on your preferences. In total, there are nine recipe plans to choose from overall.

What Other Users Are Saying

• All About Cats — “Smalls is a relatively new company that offers an excellent variety of foods and meal plans that honor your cat’s needs as a carnivore.”
• We’re All About Pets — “Smalls was a hit in our home. The ordering process was a pleasure, the customer service was prompt and accommodating, and the food was good too. All of the recipes smelled delicious and the cats were happy to eat them.”
• Great Pet Care — “After researching how Smalls is sourced and made, without question, it is one of the healthiest cat food options around.”

Conclusion

We are huge fans of Smalls cat food! The recipes are packed with superior ingredients and human-grade protein sources, like beef, chicken, and turkey, and the convenience of getting fresh, healthy cat food delivered right to your door is a massive bonus. Smalls is undoubtedly one of the healthiest cat food options available today, and as far as we’ve seen, cats love it too.

Smalls cat food is difficult to fault, and it’s only the high cost that is likely to deter anyone from using the service. One important thing to consider, however, is the cost of having an unhealthy cat. Feeding a cat on less-than-ideal food for years can have detrimental health effects. Although Smalls is more pricey than most commercial foods, it may save you a huge amount of money on vet bills in the future.

Smalls is one of the best cat foods available today, and while it may be pricey, we highly recommend giving it a go. We can assure you that you (and your cat!) will be pleasantly surprised!