Nom Nom Cat Food Review: We Tried Nom Nom Fresh Cat Food Delivery

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Nom Now Cat Food

8.8

Nutrition

9.0 /10

Palatability

9.0 /10

Price

7.2 /10

Convenience

10.0 /10

Pros

  • Perfectly portioned
  • Fresh, high-quality ingredients
  • Easy to serve and store
  • Intuitive account management
  • Crazy convenient

Cons

  • Might be too pricey for some budgets
  • Limited recipe selection

Note: This review was written in May of 2018 and includes some outdated information about Nom Nom (called NomNomNow at the time of this review) cat food. An updated review of Nom Nom cat food is in the works, and we’ll link to it here once it’s published.

NomNom-Meow! NomNomNow is finally making cat food part of their lineup of fresh delivery foods. 

When Kevin Campbell, marketing manager at NomNomNow, reached out to us asking if we’d be interested in trying a sample of their brand-new cat food line, we were excited to learn more and see what they had to offer. NomNomNow promises a protein-dense and high moisture diet made with simple, high-quality ingredients – delivered weekly (or monthly) to your door. You know we believe that nutrition is the core of our cats’ health. The right diet has the power to clear up skin issues, help prevent FLUTD, improve the immune system, and help your cat to lose weight. That’s just a beginning.

NomNomNow cat food seemed worth a trial run, but before agreeing to turn Wessie into a lab cat for the sake of a review, we visited the NomNomNow website to explore their current dog food offerings and learn more about the company history.

Since 2015, NomNomNow has been delivering fresh cooked dog food to pup pawrents’ doorsteps. Their recipes are formulated with oversight by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

And it appeared that NomNomNow was making waves around the dog community: we found numerous testimonials from dog guardians who had great experiences with this fresh food.  Seeing that NomNomNow had been doing good things for the last three years, we decided to give it a try.

If you want to skip straight to our review of NomNomNow Cat Food, click here.

The History of NomNomNow

Nate, Zach, and Alex had grown up with dogs but hadn’t had any in years.

So when they adopted a Mini Australian Shepherd duo named Mim and Harlee, the friends were disappointed to see that the store’s pet food selection hadn’t changed much since the 1980s. The natural pet food industry is rapidly growing, but there’s a way to go before carb-heavy fillers, harmful dyes, and vaguely defined meat ingredients are obsolete. Unable to find a food they felt comfortable feeding the dogs, Nate, Zach, and Alex decided to get to work.

Mim and Harlee started eating fresh, home-cooked meals. When the vet recommended a fully-fresh diet for Harlee, who was immune compromised, they began experimenting and making fresh dog food in earnest. They saw improvement in her condition and began cooking and delivering the fresh dog food to friends and family. After the rave reviews and stories of improved health came in, they realized this was something they wanted to share with a larger audience.

That’s when the team called in Dr. Justin Shmalberg, a veterinary nutritionist with a passion for integrative medicine.

Dr. Justin Shmalberg is a board-certified specialist in both the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) and in the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR). He is also a Clinical Associate Professor and Chief of Integrative Medicine Service at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Today, he’s an integral part of the NomNomNow team, personally formulating each recipe to ensure it’s nutritionally complete and wholesome.

Our Experience with NomNomNow

Disclosure: “Wildernesscat received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. Although the product was gratis, all opinions in this review remain our own and we were in no way influenced by the company.”

After Kevin placed the order for us, we were able to log into the website and personalize our order by adding Wessie’s age, weight, and activity level. We could also add any health issues if applicable.

NomNomNow sign up page
Customize your cat’s information from the Pets page.

While they don’t make each batch to order according to your cat’s needs, the company provides a highly-interactive, responsive experience that makes shopping for your cat’s food more personal than ever before.

Each pouch is specially portioned based on your cat’s weight and weight goals. Depending on what your cat ate before the transition, NomNomNow will provide special transition-sized portions or full meals. If your cat has special needs, NomNomNow will direct you to the formula that’s appropriate for them. If you want to notify your veterinarian that you’re switching to a new food, NomNomNow can help you out with that, too.

The Cat Food Delivery

NomNomNow notified us that the food had been shipped, and it was on our doorstep the next day. NomNomNow ships Overnight Air, ensuring that their foods stay cold and fresh. The NomNomNow packaging is awesome. Inside the box, it’s like a mini-cooler. There is a thick insulating liner made of 100% recyclable PET, and within the insulation are two reusable gel packs to keep the food cool.

One of the things that’s extraordinary about NomNomNow is that the food arrives cold, but not frozen. There’s no need to thaw out the food before feeding.

NomNomNow cat food box
Oooh a box, is this for me?

NomNomNow has two automatic delivery options- one for weekly nommers, and one for monthly nommers. Weekly nommers will receive a once-weekly shipment of 14 meal packs, two meals for each day. Monthly nommers will receive 56 pouches. Keep one week’s worth of food in the refrigerator, and freeze the rest. NomNomNow recommends you let the frozen food defrost in the fridge for two days before you feed it to your cat.

NomNomNow currently offers just two cat food recipes – Chicken Chow-Meow and Flavorful Fish Feast. The pouches of food were neatly organized with rubber bands inside of the box. Each plastic pouch is equivalent to one meal for Wessie.

Wessie looks at the NomNomNow food for pets
Presents! Can I try some?

The box also included a bottle of beef gravy and a bag of chicken jerky. NomNomNow’s one-ingredient chicken or beef jerky is available to add to your subscription order, but cannot be purchased separately. The tasty beef gravy can be used as a meal topper in order to help your cat’s transition go smoothly. If your cat has no problem trying new foods, the gravy is the perfect way to add extra flavor and moisture to your cat’s food. 

NomNomNow beef gravy and chicken jerky

NomNomNow for Cats Chicken Chow-Meow Review

Ingredients: chicken thigh, breast, and liver, asparagus, carrot, spinach, cantaloupe, NomNomNutrient Mix

NomNomNow Chicken Chow-Meow
Chicken Chow-Meow Recipe

Wessie loves chicken and chicken based foods, so we were surprised when he didn’t show his usual foodie enthusiasm towards this recipe. If he didn’t have another option, he would eventually eat the Chicken Chow-Meow, but chose the fish recipe whenever they were offered side-by-side.

We think Wessie may have been turned off by the obvious vegetable chunks in this recipe. Cats weren’t built to eat veggies, and Wessie knows what’s best for him.

Wessie eats the Chicken Chow-Meow
Nom nom nom, I guess I’ll eat the Chicken Chow-Meow.

The recipe starts with chicken thigh, chicken breast, and chicken liver, all biologically appropriate sources of nutrients and protein for your cat. We like the high meat content of this food and the transparency about the chicken ingredients – no poultry by-product meal here! Protein makes up 56% of the entire calorie content of the food.

 

 

The following ingredients are fruits and vegetables. Carrot, asparagus, spinach, and cantaloupe provide vitamins and vital nutrients. Unfortunately, the vegetable ingredients bring up the carbohydrate content to 10% of the food’s total calorie amount. While this is a much lower carbohydrate percentage than many cat foods, we’d like to see that number closer to 0. 

The last ingredient in the recipe is the NomNomNutrient Mix.

NomNomNow is somewhat vague about this specially formulated nutrient mix on their website, stating that: The NomNomNutrient Mix has been carefully designed for the nutrient composition of ingredients in each recipe, as well as for the different life stages of your dog. These nutrients are the same as those found naturally within foods. There are no artificial forms of vitamins and minerals added. The nutrients help ensure optimal nutrition with each dog food recipe, and account for any natural variation that occurs within foods to guarantee that your dog will receive a balanced meal- every time.

The NomNomNutrient Mix is what differentiates your average home-cooked dog food from a veterinary-formulated recipe, and helps us provide your dog with the highest quality nutrition.

Note that while this statement is worded in reference to their dog food, it also applies to the cat food.

NomNomNow for Cats Flavorful Fish Feast Review

Ingredients: Tilapia, salmon, beef fat, yuca, carrot, NomNomNutrient Mix

NomNomNow Flavorful Fish Feast
Flavorful Fish Feast Recipe

This recipe was a smash. While Wessie does like fish, it previously hasn’t been one of his favorites. This recipe from NomNomNow, however, had him over the moon. It has a flaky texture that looks a bit like scrambled eggs on the plate. Its scent is light and not overwhelming at all.

However, fish meals should always be a part of a rotational diet and not your cat’s staple food. Fish is high in phosphorus, which can contribute to urinary problems. Fish is also not recommended for cats with kidney disease due to the high phosphorus content.

Mmmm. This fish is fantastic.

The ingredient list starts off well with tilapia and salmon, both of which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Beef fat is added as a great source of animal-based fat. Protein makes up 50% of the total calorie content of this recipe.

Yuca and carrots are added at the bottom of the ingredient list. Because they’re carbohydrate dense and not a part of a carnivorous diet, we weren’t huge fans of these ingredients. Considering that they make up such a small part of the food overall, however, they’re not a terrible addition to the recipe. Carbohydrates only make up 5% of the food’s total calorie content, so they’re doing great.

The final ingredient is the NomNomNutrient Mix.

Here’s what’s great about NomNomNow cat food.

It’s made in a human-grade kitchen.

All recipes are made to order every week in NomNomNow’s own human-grade kitchen located in the San Francisco Bay Area. While this doesn’t ensure that the foods will always be safe, it’s good to know that they’re being processed under conditions that meet FDA requirements.

Plus the food meets AAFCO standards and is considered nutritionally complete for all life stages.

NomNomNow cat food is easy to serve and store.

We loved the easy-tear notches in the packets and the fact that the food inside is perfectly portioned. That means you’ll never have to deal with half-full bags of cat food in your refrigerator. Because the food comes refrigerated, not frozen, you can start feeding your cat NomNomNow as soon as the first box arrives.

And the subscription cat food delivery service is easy to manage.

You can change your payment information, delivery address, and update your cat’s information whenever you want. Remember that you can’t cancel your subscription directly from your account. You’ll have to call or email NomNomNow to stop receiving deliveries.

It’s a convenient alternative to home-cooked food.

Many of us want to feed our cats a diet as good – or better – than our own, and most conventionally prepared commercial cat foods can’t offer that quality. The best way to ensure your cat is getting wholesome, biologically appropriate ingredients is to prepare a raw or gently cooked food at home. Unfortunately, making your own cat food can be daunting, and for some people, NomNomNow takes some of the intimidation out of feeding your cat something superior.

50% off Nom Nom cat food banner

How does NomNomNow fresh cat food compare to raw cat food?

Frankly, once we’ve fed Wessie the last pouch of NomNomNow fresh cooked cat food, we’re going to go right back to the raw frankenprey. For now, raw food is working for us. Wessie and Forest love eating it. We aren’t afraid of preparing it. And most importantly, we aren’t convinced that humans are so smart that they can flawlessly recreate the nutritional intricacies of a cat’s natural diet.

But raw cat food isn’t perfect – there are good reasons to opt for a healthy cooked diet instead.

Every raw diet comes with the risk of bacterial contamination – and that risk increases for immunocompromised cats. If your cat has a compromised immune system but you want to feed something better than what you can find at the store, you may want to try a gently cooked diet. Unfortunately, home-cooked cat food can easily become imbalanced since it relies on an appropriately mixed supplement blend to reproduce the vitamins found naturally in raw meat, bones, and organs.

If you’re not confident in your ability to nourish your cat through a home-cooked diet, NomNomNow may be your answer. NomNomNow offers the fresh simplicity of a home-cooked diet, except you don’t have to do a thing besides wait for it to arrive.

NomNomNow is a good choice for people who would feed their cat homemade cat food, but who just don’t have the time – or the patience – to make it in their own kitchen.

And here’s what we didn’t like so much.

The NomNomNow cat food selection is currently limited to just two recipes.

At the time of this writing, NomNomNow has only been available to cats for two days, so it’s understandable that the selection is limited. Still, cats thrive on variety and novel proteins, and we’d love to see a diverse selection appropriate for a wider range of cats and preferences. 

The lack of detailed information on the NomNomNutrient Mix.

We like to know exactly what we’re putting into our cats’ bodies and the promise of a carefully designed blend of vital nutrients just doesn’t cut it. We would like to see a transparent breakdown of the nutrient mix for each recipe in the future.

Who should try NomNomNow?

NomNomNow cat food is a great choice if you don’t have the time to create your own homemade cat food, especially if you also hate going to the store. By sending pre-portioned packets on a regular schedule, NomNomNow takes all of the planning, rushing, and hassle out of feeding your cat.

If your cat is overweight, the company’s support and customized portion sizes can help you to bring your cat down to a healthy weight. The NomNomNow team, including veterinary nutritionist, Dr. Justin Shmalberg, can answer many questions you may have about your cat’s journey towards health.

Anyone who is tired of the selection at the pet store, but isn’t ready to jump into raw or home cooking their cat’s food.

Is NomNomNow setting the standard for a new market?

Fresh cat food delivery services are as yet relatively unheard of, and NomNomNow seems ready to take on the challenge of setting the standard. They combine the convenience of a fresh cat food delivery service with stellar customer support and have a reputation for excellence, taking all of the fuss out feeding your cat. 

If you order your cat’s food through NomNomNow or another delivery service, we’d love to hear about your experience in our comment section!

How much does NomNomNow for cats cost?

It would cost us about $35.89 every week or a little over $5 every day to feed Wessie NomNomNow.

Prices vary based on your cat’s age, weight, activity level, and which recipes you select. NomNomNow offers discounts for multiple cat households.

Click here to get a quote for your feline household.

NomNomNow is running a limited time offer of 50% off your first order. NomNomNow foods also come with the Care-grade guarantee: If you don’t see the improvement a fresh cooked diet can make in your cat’s health and vitality within 30 days, NomNomNow will credit you up to $40 towards your next shipment.

Where can I purchase NomNomNow cat food?

NomNomNow cat food is sold through a personalized subscription service, and can only be purchased through the NomNomNow website. Click the photo below to go straight to the NomNomNow cat food page:

Go to NomNomNow