Different pet food retailers are advertising new offers to tempt businesses. During the winter, our pets need more food. My cat Tabitha is under 3kg – she is a stressed cat with hypertension. She has a favoured food – Gourmet Pate and Republic of Cats – to accommodate I always search out offers and way to earn extra money to pay for all I need for her.
With two incomes today, Brits are struggling. Living in a household with one income can cause further worry and affordability of necessary food for yourself and heating the home. Pet food is increasing in price as much as human food. Combined with high fuel prices, energy costs and veterinary charges, how can we afford to feed our pets? ITV recently reported pet owners are going without food themselves and instead feeding their pets. And from what we read on Facebook, other pets are being handed over to rescue centres or put to sleep, reminding me of the World War 2 domestic pet cull.
The following companies offer a food trial period for as low as £1, including Republic of Cat’s FREE Taster Box offer using my Referral Link. If your fussy cat enjoys the taste, you can continue with a monthly subscription after you’ve received your trial food box. As mentioned, I always search out opportunities to find food for Tabitha and I have earned £140 from Republic of Cats. This has enabled me to buy several boxes of cat food for free – each box covers one month.
It’s worth noting that whichever pet food subscription you choose, you must register and enter your details, payment information and cat details but each offers the option to pause or cancel without penalties. Now is the time to look for these offers as companies offer extras.
Read other articles about earning cash or rewards, testing products for free, other freebies.
Content update December 2023
Who offers cat food subscription trials?
This is the first of two articles for cat food subscriptions and ‘as and when’ boxes. You can read more in my article What’s in the Box?
Table of Contents:
- Republic of Cats
- Blink Cats
- KatKins
- The Cool Cat Club
- Untamed
1 – Republic of Cats’ taster box – FREE Spring 2024
“Our cat nutritionists choose high-quality ingredients for your cat’s short- and long-term health goals.”
Republic of Cats
The taster box combines dry biscuits flavoured with omega-boosting salmon or chicken & turkey, and 85g of wet food in a choice of pate, gravies and stews, or shredded pieces.
You personalise your taster box with flavours that cater to your pet’s taste, and after the trial, you decide if you want a monthly subscription. Trustpilot reviews are 82% so lower than Blink Cats and Cool Cat Club.
Watch the Video: What was in Tabitha’s Taster Box
Watch the Video: How to get free food from Republic of Cats
Packaging is also 100% recyclable.
- Advertised as 28 meals but the taster box is enough for 15 days
- Go to Republic of Cats direct, and the Taster Box is between £4.99 to £10
- Use my Referral Link and get a Taster Box FREE
- Delivered to your door each month
- Friendly helpful staff
- Manage using an online account
- Build a Box means you can change flavours unless ‘off the table’ and then contact staff direct
- Suitable for adults and seniors
- You can opt for choices without dairy, eggs etc, but do not support complete allergy-free food
- It contains meat and animal derivatives
- Change the delivery date, pause or cancel – no penalties
- Free delivery, although I suspect it’s built into the monthly cost
- Refer a Friend option can earn you £10 when someone signs up
What are the charges if you continue with the subscription?
The cost of your monthly subscription depends on your food choices. Republic of Cats increased its prices in April and November 2022. I paid £32 per month for my option of wet food only, but eventually delayed deliveries for a few months. By the end of 2022, I was offered a three-month discount – £33 per month, so if you have paused your account, keep checking your notification and online account for any offers. My deliveries are paused but I keep the account open because if someone signs up using my referral link, I earn £10, which helps me feed Tabitha.
Christmas 2023: Santa Claws includes a kitty gift in deliveries from December 1st for current customers.
Join Republic of Cats for a FREE Taster Box with my Referral Link.
2 – Blink Cats’ 14-day trial box for £1
“With supermarket shelves packed full with “fast food” for cats, we created something much healthier… Get your subscription trial pack for just £1!”
Blink Cats
I have never tried Blink, but it has 92% excellent reviews on Trustpilot. Your cat can choose fillets or gravy food in non-recyclable pouches. Blink is transparent and highlights on the pouch packaging that food does not contain animal derivatives, added sugars, grain, or cereal – it sounds healthier.
- The trial box costs £1 (checked November 2023)
- The website does not clarify how many days the trial food covers
- Home delivery
- Monthly subscription and free delivery
- All ages
- No grain, no added sugar, no cereal, no derivatives
- Easy sign-up
- Complete control of future orders
- Cancellation option after you have received the trial box
- Pouches are not recyclable
- Available in Pets at Home, Waitrose, Ocado and Sainsbury’s
What are the charges if you continue with the subscription?
Here are the costs. Like all companies, prices may eventually increase because of energy costs.
| Box Size | Pouches | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 28 | £27 |
| Medium | 56 | £50 |
| Large | 84 | £73 |
Visit Blink Cats Amazon Store to understand the food choices, or join Blink Cats from their website.
3 – KatKin Fresh Food has 25% off the first 2 boxes
“Happy food, happy cat.”
KatKin
Here for uncompromising cat parents, KatKin goes hardcore for cat health. That starts with their 100% fresh-cooked meat cat food, designed for cats as carnivores. It’s gently steamed, frozen and portioned in KatKin’s kitchen, then delivered to you. There are no preservatives, no cheap derivatives, and no cut corners. But KatKin isn’t stopping there. Whether it’s litter, supplements or insurance, they’re relentless in making hardcore love the standard for cat care everywhere. And Katkin have a 95% score on TrustPilot!
Watch the Video: KatKin human-grade food for cats – original recipe
Watch the Video: KatKins new recipe and the Perks
KatKin are offering FREE food during Spring 2024 so to qualify, use my Referral Link. Continuing with the subscription service calculates to about £1.89 daily to feed your cat. When I joined KatKin, it was the old recipe, but the new pate-style Tabitha favours. Pate is ideal for older cats too – I found that cats find it easier to eat, and there is less waste because they can’t lick the jelly or gravy off and leave the lumps.
If your cat loves fresh meat, then ‘Green at heart‘ KatKin is the food for your fluffball. I ordered the trial box for Tabitha.
FSC-certified materials:
1: Materials from forests.
2: Biodegradable & compostable liner insulated from sheep’s wool, so use it as a cosy soft cat mattress! The outer is 100% recyclable and can be used as a cat playground or bed house!
3: The ice bag is filled with water or refreeze for camping
What’s INCLUDED – 100% Fresh Premium Meat:
1: From U.K. farms
2: One pouch serves 2 meals for one cat ( more for smaller kitten)
3: Food is Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist
4: Premium ingredients we’d eat ourselves
5: Transparent ingredient labels
6: Steam cooked to keep nutrients
7: Fresh food which can be frozen
8: Option to warm up
What’s NOT included:
1: Hidden ingredients
2: Animal derivatives & by products
3: Nutrients destroyed from cooking at high temperatures
4: No fillers or unknown ingredients
5: Sterilised so it lasts years and found with detergents
Visit KatKin Amazon store for planet-saving cat litter and 100% chicken breast and salmon fillet cat treats, or join Katkin using its website.
KatKin has the KatKin Shelter Scheme and recommends rescues to apply, or cat parents to recommend an animal rescue. Shelters are given a discount for food, and the page mentions a £20 donation.
- Vet formulated recipes
- 100% fresh meals for all ages
- The meat is not heat blasted to prolong life and is steamed to preserve its natural goodness
- No grains or fillers
- All ages
- Monthly subscription and free delivery
- Change the order date
- Option to cancel your subscription
- KatKins has appeared in The Telegraph, Sunday Times and Real Homes
What are the charges if you continue with the subscription box?
KatKin prices daily food at £1.89 and free delivery. Recently, they introduced the Savers Plan – as with all companies, prices are increasing. Tabitha’s food increased by 9p a day from November 2023. However, they offer to lock into your current price using the Savers Plan. This means you receive your monthly food box every 6 weeks, containing 6 weeks of food. You’ll pay a bigger sum each month, which won’t include the price increase. Savers Plan started on November 20th, with food being despatched from the 23rd.
In-house testing panel:
KatKin started another offer in November 2023, and after signing up, your cat can try free products. You can read more in my article Freebies or Cash Incentives: How I Do it
Join KatKins.
Related articles:
- Cat Food Subscription Boxes & One-Off: Which is the best?
- Budget-Friendly Pet Care: How to Save Money On Expensive Products. Part 1
- Does your insurance offer a free Veterinary service? See if your practice is listed
- Is your pet missing? Try the Bark Out Service to create a bigger impact
- Update microchip details for FREE. Most databases charge monthly or a one-off fee to update details
4 – The Cool Cat Club’s taster box for £5
“We are 100% independently owned and proud. We have no involvement with any big multinationals and answer only to all the cool cats we’re fortunate to serve.”
Cool Cat Club
I quite like the sound of this company because, for each monthly subscription, they donate five pouches to an animal rescue. I also like that you can use a slider to get a monthly subscription price before registering for the taster box. It is transparent about the taster box contents too. And finally, reviews on Trustpilot are at 91% excellent.
In November 2023, the taster box is still £5. Overall subscription prices have increased by £3 for 30 pouches and as much as £6 for 800g biscuits and 60 pouches since August 2022.
| Volume | Type |
|---|---|
| 3 | Chicken pouches |
| 2 | Fish pouches |
| 4 | Mixed trays |
| 1 | Sample bag of dry biscuits |
I love that the Cool Cat Club is independently owned and not part of a large enterprise.
- A monthly subscription box with free delivery
- You have control and can change flavours
- Flavours contain premium-grade ingredients
- All ages
- Grain-free and no added sugar
- Change delivery date
- Option to cancel the subscription
- Choice of 9 wet food options and 3 dry biscuits options
- Recyclable aluminium trays, delivery boxes and paper packaging
- 100% compostable dry food bags
- Food donation to animal shelters, not cash – it means animals benefit, not campaigns, wages, etc
- Deluxe cans or trays are more expensive than pouches
- Try Cool Cat Club’s calculator to work out combination costs for wet and dry food
What are the charges if you continue with the subscription box?
I used the dry and wet food price slider – my results are results.
| Volume | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Simba Plan: pouches | £24.99 |
| 60 | Mog Plan: pouches | £44.99 |
| 90 | Nala Plan: pouches | £64.99 |
| 800g & 30 | Dry biscuits & wet food | £34.99 |
| 800g & 60 | Dry biscuits & wet food | £54.99 |
Join The Cool Cat Club.
5 – Untamed’s trail box for £8
“Animal derivatives are, unfortunately, one of the most commonly used ingredients in cat food. It’s a catch-all term that can legally include low quality animal parts like hooves and beaks, which are poorly digested and low in nutrients. No matter where they fall on the ingredient list, we suggest you avoid them. At Untamed, we are committed to not using animal derivatives and we choose to exclusively use human-grade, nutritious whole meats so your cat can be healthier and happier.”
Untamed
Untamed supplies its cat food in tins, consisting of human-grade food instead of low-quality leftover body parts from slaughtered animals. Food from this company may benefit pets with allergies too.
They have the highest Trustpilot review score at 96%.
- Food is not frozen
- Free from common allergens
- It does not contain animal derivatives, sugars, grain, vegetable proteins
- Contains human-grade food
- Free reusable tote bag
- 100% recyclable packaging
- Free delivery
- Cancel anytime if required
Untamed doesn’t give much away – you get 12 tins and a small gift in the trial box. The trial period will last 6 days or 12 depending on how much your cat eats.
What are the charges if you continue with the subscription box?
The only price I could find was £1.71 per day based on a 4kg cat eating two daily cans.
Win a Free month’s worth of food
I checked their website in December 2023, and they offer the opportunity to win free food if you sign up for a newsletter. I’ve registered and I will update this article if I win any food. Signing up with both email and SMS gives double the chance to win.
2023 Black Friday free food offer
In December 2023, they are still offering a box of free food as part of its Black Friday sale. You do pay for shipping. It’s worth checking about November 2024.
Join Untamed
Key Takeaways:
- Some offer cat food that doesn’t contain grain, cereal, or sugar
- You can help a rescue centre by choosing The Cool Cat Gang
- KatKins offer help to shelters but asks them to become customer
- Some companies offer cat food without derivatives so healthier food for your cat
- Blink Cats and Cool Cats are the better trial choice for the cost of living
- Republic of Cats does not promote grain-free etc, but you can select foods without certain ingredients.
- Some brands may be healthier than others
- Always shop around. I found a 3-month deal that helps me financially at the moment.
- Visit these websites for Black Friday details
- Subscribe to newsletters for offers and freebies
Poppy’s Pets has a column in an East Yorkshire newspaper.