NomNomNow Cat Food Review

NomNom Cat Food Is No Longer Available. We Recommend Trying Smalls for Smalls Instead.

NomNomNow is a subscription-based delivery service that cooks fresh, human-grade meals for your cat.

The company offers two recipes for cats, both of which were specially formulated by Dr. Shmalberg, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and practicing vet professor at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

NomNomNow delivers fresh food to your doorstep on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. The shipping is free and the food is always tailored to your cat’s needs. All their food is real — it’s cooked in small batches every week and is free from any artificial ingredients, additives and grains.

When I first heard about NomNomNow, I was immediately interested and wanted to learn more about the company and its cat food. I’m the person at the pet store standing in the aisles, reading the label on the back of all the cat food cans, looking for problem ingredients. Feeding my cats the best food is important to me, which is why I was so eager to try NomNomNow.

NomNomNow Fresh Cat Food


$25 Off First Order of Fresh, Human-Grade Cat Food

at NomNomNow

Shop Now

When was NomNomNow founded?

NomNomNow was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Oakland, California. The inspiration came when founders Wenzhe, Nate, Alex and Zach adopted a pair of mini Australian shepherds. Unfortunately, one of them had a compromised immune system that could be remedied with a fresh diet. Unable to find a legitimate, fresh dog food after browsing pet stores, they decided to create their own and NomNomNow was born.

What kind of food does NomNomNow make?

They create what’s called a freshly cooked diet, which is basically what us humans eat! The food is fresh, so it always has to be refrigerated (or frozen, if you ordered more than a week’s worth of food).

There are two recipes for cats: Flavorful Fish Feast and Chicken Chow-Meow. Both are packed with protein, nutrients and have a high water content. They also offer two flavors of treats: beef and chicken.

What are the benefits of feeding my cat a fresh diet?

The food NomNomNow cooks up is unlike any other cat food. It’s cooked fresh in small batches, which means it isn’t processed the same way most traditional cat foods are. Since it doesn’t go through any processing, the food retains more vitamins, nutrients and proteins. A few additional benefits:

  • More energy. NomNomNow is easier for cats to digest, so the food is absorbed better in the body. This means more playtime and exercise for your furry friend!
  • Shinier coat, healthier skin, brighter eyes. The cat food also includes a NomNomNutrient mix that’s composed of all natural, non-synthetic vitamins and minerals. These make for a healthier coat (thanks to B vitamins and fatty acids) and brighter eyes (from the vitamin A).
  • Healthier immune system. The vital nutrients in the NomNomNutrient mix also keep your pet’s immune system strong.
  • Less waste. Yep, your cat will poop less. His body will absorb the nutrients better and, without any unnecessary additives or grains, there will be less food wasted! This means less poop-scooping and less litter.
  • Better hydration. Cats get most of their water intake through the food they eat. If they aren’t eating a moisture-rich diet, or drinking enough water, it can have some serious health consequences.
ALSO READ:  Evo Cat Food Review

How is the food personalized for my cat?

When you sign up for NomNomNow, they ask questions about your cat such as weight, age, activity level, whether they need to lose weight, what food they ate before, etc. This allows the meals to be custom-made depending on the number of calories your cat needs. Based on the info you provide, the meals are pre-portioned so all you need to do it open up the bag and pour it into a bowl.

How does the food stay fresh?

The meals are delivered just days after being prepared, and the delivery box comes with multiple ice packs and special insulation to ensure the food stays cold. On delivery, the food is refrigerated, never frozen.

The food is good in the fridge for one week. If you ordered a two-week or monthly plan, you’ll stick the rest in the freezer until you start running low on what’s in the fridge. The frozen meals take 24 to 48 hours to fully defrost in the fridge.

Where is the food prepared?

Their food is prepared in a human-grade kitchen, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, that’s owned and operated by NomNomNow. All ingredients are sourced from the USA and inspected by the kitchen team to ensure they meet the right standards. Their kitchen meets all FDA requirements.

How does the delivery schedule work?

The food is cooked fresh every weekend, and sent out just a day or two later. In my experience, it came quickly, and you receive email updates every step of the way —  more on that below. Based on your preference, or freezer space, you can pick weekly, bi-weekly or monthly deliveries.

Personal Experience

OK, now that all the important questions are answered I’m going to talk about my personal experience feeding my cats NomNomNow. I received a few week’s worth of NomNomNow cat food in exchange for an unbiased review. My cats have been eating it for about a week and a half now, and I’m already starting to see some results! Here’s how it all went.

Ordering Process

The first thing you do after signing up for NomNomNow is fill out information about your cat. They ask your cat’s age, weight, whether they’re indoor or outdoor, any health issues they have, if they need to lose weight and what food they currently eat.

You can describe any health issues your cat has in your own words, which makes it a bit easier. I signed up both of my cats: Jack, an eight-year-old Maine Coon, and Bean, a one-year-old we rescued from the streets about a year ago. To be honest, Bean could fare to lose a few pounds, so I added that I’d like him to lose some weight. For Jack’s specific dietary needs, it’s important he gets tons of moisture, which isn’t an issue with this food. He had a urinary tract blockage a few years ago and was so sick he almost died. Since then, I’ve been super cautious about the food I feed him.

Once all your cat’s info is in, you’ll choose which recipes you want (I chose Chicken Chow-Meow for bean and Fancy Fish Feast for Jack). Right after I made my choices and opted for a weekly delivery, I got an email with a few next steps and information about what would be included in my first box. It talked about how it can be difficult for cats to transition to the new diet, but that there would be a booklet in the first delivery with some helpful tips!

The Delivery

The first thing I want to say about my experience with NomNomNow’s delivery is how amazing they are at keeping you updated via email! I got an email when my food was cooked, when the package shipped and when it got delivered to my apartment. They also provide a tracking number in all of these emails.

ALSO READ:  Best Kitten Food 2023 : Our Guide To The Healthiest Choices for Your Baby Cat

I got an email on Tuesday around four that my package had been shipped out, and it was at my doorstep the next day at 10 a.m. The second week’s delivery was also just as quick. I personally love all the email updates, and actually got excited when I got the email at work my NomNomNow had been delivered!

Even though it was dropped off at 10 a.m., I wasn’t worried about the freshness — the ice packs in the box are designed to keep your delivery cold until midnight of the delivery day. I also got an email with “a note about summertime” and how NomNomNow actually adjusts their packaging seasonally to keep up with the rising temperatures. I live in Florida, where the temp is in the 90s right now, so it was really good to know they do make adjustments depending on the season.

NomNomNow’s food comes fresh, not frozen. I didn’t have to wait for anything to thaw out, I just put the week’s worth of food right into my fridge! I had just gotten home from work, which means dinnertime for the kitties. Instead of waiting for the next day, I decided to see what they thought that night.

A Real Cat’s Opinion

First Impressions

The second I brought the box inside, my cats went crazy sniffing it. They knew there was some good stuff in there!

My cats tend to be very picky eaters, so I was a little nervous switching their diet. Luckily, your first box of NomNomNow comes with a helpful booklet with tips on transitioning your cat. They also include some beef broth and bonito flakes you can top the food with to make it more enticing right off the bat.

A few methods the booklet offers include putting a small amount of the new food next to their old food, pretending to eat the food yourself, warming it up, offering them a small spoonful, or only putting down the NomNomNow. Safe to say, I tried literally all of these things and they didn’t seem all that interested in it that first night, even after expressing initial interest in the box while I was unpacking it.

It Took a Few Days, But They Love It!

After a few days of feeding them the NomNomNow, they started getting used to it, and now are excited for it! Bean is one of those cats who is super picky when it comes to cat food, but always tries to eat human food (you should have seen the amount of canned food we went to trying to find him a good, high-quality one).

I think the fact that he watches me pull it out of the fridge helps him realize that this is some good stuff, and it’s potentially something I would eat! He knows all our food comes out of the fridge — he’s a smart kitty! Now, when he sees me opening the fridge in the morning, he starts to get really excited.

As with any new cat food, it took a few days for them to get used to it. The booklet recommends putting the unopened food pouch in a bowl of warm water for about 30 seconds before serving so it isn’t cold. My cats don’t like to eat the food cold, so I warm it up a little for every meal.

In Summary – What Makes NomNomNow Great

  • It’s easy to clean their bowls after mealtime. One major thing I noticed about feeding my cats this food is that it doesn’t leave behind any weird, slimy residue in their bowls. I typically feed them dry food in the morning and a pouch wet food at night, and it was always so hard to clean their bowls after feeding them the wet food! It would get caked on, and feel slimy and gross even if I had only left it out for a few hours. With NomNomNow, it’s really easy to clean out their bowls.
  • I know I’m getting quality. As I mentioned earlier in the article, I will read every cat food label to identify any problem ingredients, additives or unnecessary grains. If it has something in it I don’t want my cat to ingest, I won’t buy it. With NomNomNow, there are only a few ingredients and you can easily identify and pronounce them all! The foods are meat-based, so they’re high in the protein cats need, and they’re high in moisture. The ingredient list is on the back of all the meal packages, so it’s easy to find.
  • No more trips to the pet store. I haven’t even stepped foot in a pet store for a couple weeks since their meals are dropped off right on my doorstep.
  • No cat food smells. Since this is real, human-grade food, there aren’t any unappetizing smells associated with it. It literally just smells like normal food, and it looks pretty great too! I live in a small apartment, so opening up a smelly can of cat food can have a lingering effect in here.
  • Their attention to detail. Going into this, I didn’t know how well this company thinks about everything little thing. They know your cat might be a little difficult to transition, so they do everything they can to help with that process. They also have all the information you could possibly need in the initial booklet, and on their website. They’re responsive via email, and keep you updated on your next delivery. The website is also easy to use, so it’s not a headache if you need to cancel or make changes to an order.
ALSO READ:  Best Limited Ingredient Cat Food : Information & Analysis

Potential Drawbacks

  • My cats still aren’t used to eating all their food during mealtime. I usually free feed them dry food, and give them some wet food for dinner. Because they’re so used to having food left out, they don’t eat all their NomNomNow right when I put it down like they’re supposed to. Because it’s actually fresh food, it will go bad after being left out for a few hours. This is something I’ll continue to work on, and hopefully they’ll get used to eating all their food at one time.
  • If you’re on the go, it has to stay cold. I don’t really take my cats on trips, but living in Florida I do face hurricane evacuations. While this is an extreme example, it’s something that’s very real to me and unfortunately I have to think about it. Last year for Irma I had to evacuate my apartment for about four days, and bring my cats to a hotel. The hotel ended up losing power. Since this food is perishable, I would somehow have to keep it cold so it stays fresh. In this event, I would probably have to resort to a non-perishable canned food for the emergency situation. Although this isn’t something most people have to worry about, it is a personal concern for this Floridian.

The Final Verdict

What my cats initially turned their noses up at, they now anticipate with eager meows and quivering tails. They haven’t been eating it long enough to notice any of the long term benefits, such as weight loss, but their coats are actually looking shinier after only a week and a half!

As someone who wants to feed her cats the best food possible, NomNomNow hits that nail right on the head. With their easy to use website, customizable pet profiles, quick delivery schedules and the highest quality ingredients possible, NomNomNow truly offers a premium, healthy, fresh cat food that’s a great experience start to finish for both humans and cats.

NomNomNow Fresh Cat Food


$25 Off First Order of Fresh, Human-Grade Cat Food

at NomNomNow

Shop Now

Similar Posts

One Comment

  1. I would like to know how the cost compares to canned food. I have six cats and they’re all fatties. Also, would I still have to give my cats dry food?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *