Smalls Cat Food Pros & Cons: My Honest Review

Last Updated on July 15, 2025 by Kieran Beckles

Are you tired of your cat refusing their food? Fed up with your fussy feline ignoring the meal in the pet bowl?

If so, you might be ready to give custom cat food a try and see if a subscription to a human-grade cat food service could transform your feline friend.

While we don’t have cats living in our house, we do have a pair of American shorthair cats who live with our family, and we spend time with them daily.

They’re fussy cats with skin allergies. It’s been a challenge finding cat food that they’ll consistently eat in the United States.

With that in mind, I surprised my brother-in-law with an order of Smalls to see how his cats, Marco and Polo, would take to it.

In this article, I will share my thoughts on Smalls cat food, listing both its pros and cons.

Smalls Cat Food Pros

Fresh meals

When I think of cat food, I tend to imagine smelly, wet food. That’s what I like about Smalls. It’s fresh cat food rather than tinned wet food. It smells better and looks more appetizing. You can see the ingredients that go into each recipe: fresh, natural ingredients that are free from fillers. You can have peace of mind knowing that your cat is getting high-quality meals that promote a healthy lifestyle.

Packs a protein punch

Smalls packs a protein punch because their recipes have a high protein content. Typically, you’ll find at least 80% meat content in each of their recipes. Their website explains that they’re trying to provide your cat with the type of diet their ancestors would have eaten. The higher percentage of protein when compared to traditional pet food brands may prove more enticing for fussy cats like Marco and Polo.

Recipe range

Variety is the spice of life – and that can certainly be the case with our beloved pets. Smalls have an impressive range of recipes to cater to the peferences of cats, especially fussy felines. At the time of writing, Smalls offers a number of different bird and fish recipes.

Customer service

We had a positive experience with Smalls customer service team. They reached out multiple times after our trial to check in on Marco and Polo. We were able to ask questions about the recipes and how best to encourage Marco and Polo to enjoy their cat food. We were impressed with the level of care compared to other pet food subscription services. It seems that they’ve improved their customer service, as evidenced by some negative feedback on Reddit from dissatisfied cat owners.

Cool extras

It’s not just their food that can prove a hit with cats. Felines love their toys, too! My mother-in-law insisted I mention how much Marco and Polo love their toys from their first-ever Smalls cat food delivery. This was over two years ago, and the Smalls toys (the Ham Bone trio) are the only ones that they’ll play with. They’ve also passed the test of time.

Smalls Cat Food Cons

Pricey

There’s no escaping the fact that Smalls will likely cost more than your current cat food, especially if you’re buying from your local pet store. However, you can test out a sampler pack before committing to a full-time subscription. One Reddit user (@muschka30) explained that Smalls cat food isn’t much more expensive than some premium cat food options at their local pet store: “My picky sphynx loves it and it’s not more expensive than the wellness core canned I had her on. She would go on a hunger strike rather than touch tiki cat.” However, other cat owners consider it expensive.

Requires fridge/freezer space

If you’re accustomed to feeding dry food or canned wet food, you’ll need to make room in your freezer to store the cat food. Once defrosted, the pouches should be kept in the refrigerator. This can be an adjustment or a nuisance for some pet owners.

Hit and miss

So was Smalls a hit with Marco and Polo? As the subheading shows, we had a mixed experience. They liked some recipes, but not others. They didn’t consistently eat the food. This is typical of our family’s American shorthair cats. However, I recommend that cat owners conduct further research before placing an order. Some cat owners have a great experience with a transformed cat, whether it’s eating habits, shiny coats or smaller poop, and others have a disappointing experience.

Wrapping Up

So there we have it. We’ve reached the end of our Smalls cat food pros and cons article.

There are some positives, but also some negatives. Each cat owner appears to have a unique experience with these balanced and complete cat food meals.

If you’re struggling to find pet food for your fussy feline, I’d recommend keeping an open mind and giving it a try.