Republic Of Cats review: ‘It’s turned my cat into the ultimate foodie’

• Kevin Fullerton
• August 31, 2021

We test Republic Of Cats wet cat food to see if it purrs

It was my fault when my cat Dolores became a picky eater. For years she was content with the cheapest cat porridge on the supermarket shelves and lived a life ignorant of the luxurious animal derivatives to feast on.

All of that changed when I took home a small test bag of premium cat food. Then it was game over for my bank balance. Where she once ate cheap meat at every meal, she now strolls away from a full plate when it doesn’t meet her high standards.

While we are talking about Dolores, and since the internet loves a cute cat picture, she is here in all of her glory.

Isn’t she a joy?

Anyway, due to Dolores’ picky taste buds, I spend a lot of my time online tracking down flavors of high-end food and finding the sweet spot between quality and value for money.

Enter Republic Of Cats, a premium wet and dry cat food subscription service that tailors your order to meet your feline friend’s needs. I was recently sent a 14 day tasting package of their wetware to see how Dolores would handle it. Did it make her purr? Or was it like an unsightly ball of hair on the carpet? Let’s find out.

Sign up

When you sign up for Republic Of Cats, you will be asked a series of questions about your pet – its weight, age, activity level, and any “health goals” you want it to meet. Dolores’ goal was to help hairballs (a common problem in long haired cats) maintain their current weight and alleviate hair loss.

The registration process is impressively thorough and gives authenticity to the idea that this is a bespoke service for your cat. We’re off to a good start.

What’s in the box?

My cat food arrived two days later in a box specially marked with Dolores’ name. I wasn’t expecting much more than a collection of cans, but to my surprise, the cat food contained a plethora of documents explaining how the food chosen can help improve my cat’s health and energy levels based on those of mine destinations selected online.

Dolores was just as enthusiastic about the order.

It also informed me of a WhatsApp number for the company specially designed to advise you if you are having trouble getting your cat interested in the food. It wasn’t a feature I needed, but it’s a helpful touch nonetheless. The variety on offer was also welcome, with pate, chopped pieces, and sauces and stews in a variety of flavors.

In addition to the food cans, a sample of the dry food was included in fully recyclable packaging and a charming set of stickers with cat motifs. I tried putting a sticker on Dolores so we could have another cute photo for this item, but rightly she didn’t get any of it.

It’s a great little package. It doesn’t just feel like a delivery, it feels like an event.

Day one and beyond

Dolores’ palate is naturally refined, so it was no surprise when she didn’t let her first serving of Republic shine. In this case I chose a pate from the selection. She sniffed it a few times, licked her lips, and then walked away as if I’d insulted her painfully.

Your reaction was to be expected. The documents that came with your order recommend getting your cat excited about the first meal, but that was a big task after Dolores woke me up at six in the morning by patting my face repeatedly. I grumbled through her first meal, watched her turn it down, then quickly went back to bed.

Dinner was far more successful, partly because I was less grumpy at five in the afternoon. I wiggled the can in front of her and received a series of excited meows before she ran to her bowl. This time I chose from the selection of shredded pieces of the Republic and Dolores devoured it.

On the second day, I got into the pay muck. Now that Dolores was used to the idea that those mysterious cans were food, she was overjoyed every time they were pulled out of the closet. She meowed and sniffed at the cans that were opened and spooned into her bowl and finished with barely a bite of the mixture. It was a response that it didn’t falter after 10 days in my 14 day trial.

However, she is not convinced of the paste in her selection. So for her next order I just went to the republic’s online members area and deselected the pies in the “Create my own order” menu to give us more of what she likes and nothing of what she doesn’t like.

The judgment

As for the food, it gets a lot of praise from my house cat and it gives me the flexibility I need to change my order at any time without going to the stores. I will continue my subscription even after this test phase has expired. If Dolores could talk she would surely agree with my decision.