Republic of Cats Cat Food Review

Republic of Cats is a new cat food brand that allows you to tailor meals to your cat’s needs. Personalized shipments arrive monthly. Find out if Republic of Cats succeeds in making cats happy in our unbiased review.

The Cats.com Standard – Rating Republic of Cats on What Matters

We have analyzed Republic of Cats and rated it according to our standards here at Cats.com. Our grades are based on the species-appropriateness of the food, the quality of the ingredients, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. You can read more about our ratings here. Here are our ratings for Republic of Cats in these key areas:

We give Republic of Cats cat food a 44 out of 60 rating or a B grade.

About Republic of Cats

There is not currently much information online about Republic of Cats outside the company web site. The company offers both wet and dry cat food on a subscription basis, delivered monthly. The wet food is customized and available in eight different flavors.

The lead members of the company consist of five people who started at Tails.com, working on tailored nutrition for dogs. With backing from Tails.com and their investor, Purina PetCare, the members were able to launch Republic of Cats. Republic of Cats is headquartered in the London area of the UK.

Tails.com has been described as the first and most well-known of the “bespoke” or tailored pet food producers in the UK. Nestle Purina acquired a controlling interest in the business in 2018.

Like other subscription pet food services, after you sign up and fill out your pet’s preferences with Republic of Cats, food is delivered at intervals directly to your door. In this case your cat receives cans of wet food and/or dry food on a monthly basis with no shipping charges. The amount and balance of wet/dry food is based on your cat’s weight, age, health, and the other information you provide. After your cat samples the first delivery of food you can make adjustments to the order so s/he gets the foods s/he prefers.

The company does have a cat nutritionist on staff with a Bsc (Hons) in Animal Sciences. They also use WhatsApp to make it easier for customers to contact them.

It appears that Republic of Cats is only available in Great Britain at the moment. Some information on the web site is a bit difficult to to follow at times. The site is written as though there is a real republic of cats, with ministries of gravies and stew, for example. Perhaps this format appeals to younger cat owners.

Also Read: KatKin Unbiased Cat Food Review

Sourcing and Manufacturing

Republic of Cats is headquartered in the greater London area of the UK. Despite the fact that Purina PetCare is an investor, we don’t know the sourcing and manufacturing arrangements for Republic of Cats. We didn’t find the information online. Purina may provide manufacturing facilities but we can’t confirm that information.

Republic of Cats does not provide information on their web site about the kinds of standards, certifications, or inspections they use for their ingredients. Nor does the company discuss how their foods are manufactured.

We did find several customer reviews that claimed Republic of Cats’ wet food was the same as Purina Gourmet Gold (available in the UK). This claim was not addressed online by a spokesperson for Republic of Cats when responding to a comment about the food.

Has Republic of Cats Cat Food Been Recalled?

No, Republic of Cats foods has never been recalled as far as we could find online.

What Kinds of Cat Food Does Republic of Cats Offer?

Republic of Cats offers eight wet foods as well as dry food. The eight food flavors include fish, pork & chicken, salmon, tomato & beef, chicken & liver, tuna, vegetable sauce & duck, and chicken.

The wet foods are between 19 and 60 percent meat and animal derivative content. (“Animal derivative content” appears to be the British equivalent to animal by-products according to the Petfood Manufacturers’ Association.) The wet foods come in pate, bits in gravy, and stews.

(Note that it’s somewhat difficult to get to the foods, ingredients, and nutritional information on the web site. Try going directly to this page.)

Along with meat content, foods include ingredients such as fish oil, prebiotics, and essential fatty acids.

On the other hand, some of the wet foods also contain preservatives and sugars. The labeling is somewhat vague compared to U.S. labeling.

Republic of Cats has been offering some tempting introductory offers such as £5 for your cat’s first month’s delivery or 75% off the first 28 meals. Each cat’s diet is more or less individualized when you answer the questions about his life and health at sign up. If you just want to get an idea of the foods your cat would receive, you can fill out most of the questions without completing the sign up. (I went through the process and answered the questions for my cat, Charlie, who is deceased now.)

Health questions include inquiries about whether your cat has allergies, problems with skin/coat, hairballs, stomach issues, and other problems. It is good to see that the company is asking these health questions.

Calories are also considered in making up the portion size for your cats. There are questions about your cat’s weight and whether or not he needs to lose weight.

Compared to the wet foods, little information is provided about the company’s dry foods. It looks like the dry food comes in a chicken flavor and a fish flavor and that it has 51 percent meat and meat derivative content. But when you click on the ingredients link it takes you to the wet food page. There was no more information about the dry cat food that comes with your cat’s diet.

Republic of Cats Cat Food– Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

#1 Republic of Cats Chicken & Pork Pate Cat Food

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The primary protein sources in this cat food are not known. They are supposed to be chicken and pork.

We chose Republic of Cats Chicken & Pork Pate cat food to discuss since it seems representative of the brand’s foods.

Republic of Cats Chicken & Pork Pate cat food contains 60 percent meat and animal derivatives. At least 4 percent is chicken and 4 percent is pork. (For more on pet food labeling in Great Britain, see this FAQ sheet from the Petfood Manufacturers Association.)

Derivatives, or what others would call animal by-products, are different cuts of meat such as hearts, kidneys, and other organs. They are often very nutritious and most cats love them. However, this is a vague term. Only four percent of the food is required to be chicken; and only four percent is required to be pork. That leaves 52 percent of the meat/animal protein which could be from any kind of animal. Yes, it could be from chicken and/or pork. It could be hearts and kidneys. It could be wonderful. But there’s no way to know. And the company web site provides absolutely no information about where ingredients are sourced or how the food is manufactured.

Since cats do need higher percentages of meat protein, many experts say that including animal by-products in a cat’s diet is a good idea. More than likely the meat content in this cat food is healthy for your cat but we don’t know for sure.

Note that the company says that the four percent chicken and four percent pork can vary from batch to batch because of their “sustainability principles.” Gimme a break. It’s not asking too much to guarantee the percentage of meat protein in a food. Do you want to tell your cat that there’s less chicken and pork because of the company’s sustainability principles?

Other ingredients in this food include minerals, derivatives of vegetable origin, and various sugars.

Derivatives of vegetable origin in the UK tend to be a bulking agent or fiber. These ingredients can be good quality or poor. Again, this is a vague term. It would be better if Republic of Cats was more specific about their ingredients. This kind of vagueness allows a manufacturer to change ingredients without disclosing the fact.

Your cat doesn’t need sugar added to his diet. The food also contains preservatives (listed after the vitamins). It’s usually a good idea to avoid foods that contain artificial preservatives.

Overall, this food sounds good but when you dig into it, it’s a little disappointing. It does contain reasonably high meat protein and a low carbohydrate count. Republic of Cats Chicken & Pork Pate contains about 32 calories per ounce.

Ingredients

Meat and Animal Derivatives 60% (At Least 4% Is Chicken and at Least 4% Is Pork)*, Minerals, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Various Sugars.

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Pork

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Sugars, Preservatives

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 10.5%

Crude Fat: 7%

Crude Fiber: 0.1%

Moisture: 77.5%

Ash: 3.2%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 46.67%

Fat: 31.11%

Fiber: 0.44%

Carbs: 7.56%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 35.96%

Fat: 58.22%

Carbs: 5.82%

Pros

• Contains a minimum of 4 percent chicken and 4 percent pork
• High in meat and animal protein

Cons

• Vague “meat and animal derivatives” raises concerns
• Contains sugars and preservatives

#2 Republic Of Cats Pate With Fish

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There are a lot of things to like about Republic of Cats but transparency isn’t one of them. It’s quite difficult to get a look at any of their foods without filling out the forms online for their prescription service. Even when you fill out the forms and see the foods recommended, the ingredients are very vague. In fact, all of the ingredients for the wet foods are very similar.

One of the foods we looked at was their Pate with Fish wet food. Although this food says it has fish, the first ingredient is 56 percent meat and animal derivatives – similar to some of their other wet foods. Fish and fish derivatives are the next ingredient with fish making up 4 percent of the food.

Derivatives, or what others would call animal by-products, are different cuts of meat such as hearts, kidneys, and other organs. They are often very nutritious and most cats love them. However, this is a vague term. These could be nutritious ingredients but there is no way to know for sure.

Since cats do need higher percentages of meat and fish protein, many experts say that including animal by-products in a cat’s diet is a good idea. However, it would be helpful if Republic of Cats provided more information.

The recipe also contains “various sugars” which might be appealing to your cat but which is not a healthy ingredient.

Other ingredients in this food include minerals and derivatives of vegetable origin.

Derivatives of vegetable origin in the UK tend to be a bulking agent or fiber. These ingredients can be good quality or poor. Again, this is a vague term. It would be better if Republic of Cats was more specific about their ingredients. This kind of vagueness also allows a manufacturer to change ingredients without disclosing the fact.

Overall, the protein in this food sounds good, though it’s possibly lower on fish than expected. Cats may enjoy this food but we wish Republic of Cats provided more information.

This food has about 112 kcal per 100 grams.

Ingredients

Meat and Animal Derivatives 56%, Fish and Fish Derivatives (At Least 4% Is Fish), Minerals, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Various Sugars.

Ingredients We Liked: Fish

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Sugars, animal derivatives

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 10.5%

Crude Fat: 7%

Crude Fiber: 0.1%

Moisture: 77.5%

Ash: 3.2%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 46.67%

Fat: 31.11%

Fiber: 0.44%

Carbs: 7.56%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 35.96%

Fat: 58.22%

Carbs: 5.82%

Pros

• Contains a minimum of 4 percent fish
• High in meat and animal protein

Cons

• Vague “meat and animal derivatives” raises concerns
• Contains sugars

#3 Republic of Cats Tailored Blend Dry Food

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According to Republic of Cats, they offer two flavors of dry food. Unfortunately, you can’t see them. At least, not unless you sign up for their subscription service and tell them about your cat so they can pick and choose foods for you.

In order to review one of their dry foods, I had to fill in the information for a cat (large male, longhaired moggy, neutered, looking for help with hairballs and shedding). This review is for the tailored dry food that Republic of Cats came up with for this (fictional) cat. (If you’re curious, I had a cat like this for many years but he has passed away.)

Republic of Cats states that the main benefits of this dry cat food are that it is tailored to my cat’s needs; it has prebiotics for gut health; and it helps with teeth and gums.

The primary ingredients in the food are: maize, chicken, wheat, dried soya beans, maize gluten, turkey, dried poultry, and animal fat.

Chicken as the second ingredient sounds good but fresh chicken is about 60-70 percent water. When the moisture is removed during the cooking process to make a dry food, this ingredient would fall much lower on the ingredient list.

That leaves maize (corn), wheat, soybeans, and maize gluten as the primary ingredients. While these are common ingredients in many pet foods and they do add protein as well as carbohydrates to the food, they aren’t exactly thrilling.

There is likely enough turkey, dried poultry, chicken, and dried chicken in the food to make it taste like chicken to your cat so cats may enjoy the food.

The food also contains dried chicory roots as a good prebiotic and dried beet pulp which is good for digestion and gut health. Fish oil is also added which is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids – good for the skin and coat.

While this food claims a high protein percentage, much of the protein comes from vegetable sources such as the soybeans, maize gluten, and pea protein.

This chicken formula dry food from Republic of Cats is likely a good food for cats that like dry foods. It does have a nice amount of protein but a lot of it comes from vegetable sources. Any dry food will contain some vegetable matter but it’s important that your cat eats plenty of animal protein for long-term good health.

We estimate that this food has about 389 kcal per 100 grams.

Ingredients

Maize, Chicken, Wheat, Dried Soya Beans, Maize Gluten, Turkey, Dried Poultry, Animal Fat, Dried Chicken, Rice, Dried Turkey, Wheat Gluten, Pea Protein, Digest, Dried Chicory Roots, Minerals, Dried Beet Pulp, Cellulose, Maize Grits, Fish Oil.

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, turkey, dried poultry, dried chicken, dried turkey, dried chicory roots, dried beet pulp, fish oil

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Dried soya beans, pea protein, digest, cellulose, maize grits

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 34.3%

Crude Fat: 14.5%

Crude Fiber: 3.5%

Moisture: 10%

Ash: 7.4%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 38.11%

Fat: 16.11%

Fiber: 3.89%

Carbs: 33.67%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 34.36%

Fat: 35.28%

Carbs: 30.36%

Pros

• Contains lots of chicken and other kinds of poultry
• High in protein – some (not all) of it is chicken and other poultry
• Contains dried chicory roots (prebiotic) and dried beet pulp (good for the gut)

Cons

• Contains lots of maize, wheat, and glutens which are not just carbohydrates but raise the protein percentage
• Republic of Cats makes it nearly impossible to view their dry foods online without signing up for the subscription service. Most people want to see foods before they buy them or sign up for a service.

What Do Customers Think of Republic of Cats Cat Food?

Republic of Cats is a new brand and it’s only been in the market for a short time. At the moment it only appears to be available in the UK. However, the brand has been put forth with a strong campaign. We found many positive reviews for Republic of Cats online, especially at Trustpilot.com. The brand gets an overall 4.4 out of 5 star rating so far (169 reviews).

In terms of transparency on the Trustpilot.com site, Republic of Cats asks their customers for reviews (positive or negative), replies to negative reviews within 24 hours, and has replied to 100 percent of their negative reviews (there have not been many negative reviews).

We also found several separate reviews from people who participated in the tasters introduction. In both cases the cats loved the food. One person was afraid that the food was actually Purina Gold so that seemed to color the review. The other review was very positive.

In general, nearly every review said that cats loved the food and most people were happy with the service, though a few early customers cited some kinks that needed to be worked out (and were). It appears to be easy to place orders and the people at Republic of Cats are nice to work with online and over the phone.

Positive Reviews

“I have to compliment you on the food, Malcolm has always been a fussy eater, sometimes he leaves the lumps and only has the gravey, next he’ll leave the gravey, then he’ll stop eating the kibble, it has been amazing to see him eat whatever I put down, he licks the bowl clean 😁 and to top it off the wet food smells good too. Am sure that Malcolm looks forward to his own personalised parcel.

The customer service is great, I love that they use WhatsApp, my query was answered promptly and although you can’t hear them I’m sure that whoever replied to me seemed really friendly and curtious. Thank you for all that you do for my furbaby 😻 Malcolm says thank you as well 😻” – by Margaret Pond on Jan 18, 2021

“Brilliant idea and fantastic customer service. Such a good idea for a company, works out cheaper than the special dietary food I was buying for her and has better ingredients. Any time I have asked a question it has been sorted out quickly and the staff all seem both knowledgeable and polite. Recommending to all my crazy cat lady (and men) friends!” – by millie on Jan 17, 2021

Negative Reviews

“This is definitely purina gold with a fancy new label on it. The food isn’t tailor made per cat as I have two cats with 2 very different needs and what do you know???? Both cats got exact same meals delivered. Not paying over £60 a month for supermarket food.

Sorry but the tins of meat are exactly the same for each cat. And exact same flavours. The biscuits are exactly the same too except coco has a smaller amount than thunder. I wasn’t born yesterday.” – by Leanne Phelps on Jan 12, 2021

Reply from Republic of Cats

Jan 12, 2021

Greetings Leanne,

We were particularly intrigued by your review, so we took a look at your cats’ plans to make sure they were receiving the right and proper tailored nutrition we provide for each and every cat.

I’ve just taken a little look and can see that your cats are different ages, weights and have different health goals. Our in-house Cat Nutritionist has recommended their tailored feeding plans including their very own tailored dry food blend, a full selection of wet food recipes to test out all served up in a personalised portion. It’s this combination that means we can support your cats’ unique needs and individual health goals.

Let us know if you’ve received something different to what we’ve described and we can put it right.

Reach out to us at [email protected] if you’d like us to talk you through their recipes and plans and we’ll be thrilled to help you and your cats on their journey.

Fine day,
Emily

“My cat was initially enthusiastic about some of the food, but hated some of it. But 2 things ultimately made me scrap my subscription:

1. The price is very high considering you can buy a product that looks suspiciously similar in the supermarket for a lot less. The tins have a suspicious mark on them where it looks like a label has been removed from the tin before their own label has been stuck on instead.
2. My cat started to vomit every time she ate the food. That’s an expensive chuck up.

I would say best not bother.” – by Kim Arrowsmith on Jan 7, 2021

Greetings Kim,

We’re so happy to hear how excited your cat was about her new food when it arrived. We created our entire service around cats with sophisticated palates and our Taster Box was made to help figure out the flavours they love or maybe snub. It sounds like you were well on the way to figuring out which flavours were a hit.

I’m sorry to hear about the vomiting – we wished you’d have reached out to us first as we can definitely help with some recommendations here. Our Ministry of Nutrition are always on hand for support – it’s all part of the service. Even though you’ve already cancelled – the offer is still there and we’d love to work with you and your cat to achieve no more sick days – just drop us an email to [email protected] and we’ll jump right to it 😺.

Finally, our prices reflect the whole kit and kaboodle that you’re receiving from the Republic. It’s not a service you can buy off the supermarket shelves and is a package of wonder to help your cat achieve their health goals throughout their journey through life. We’re here for you, not only with the food itself, but with support from our very own Cat Nutritionist and a line direct to the Republic via WhatsApp to chat all things cat. Not to mention the convenience of delivery direct from our fair shores to your door in these difficult times.

We hope to hear from you soon to find the best plan for your furry companion. Until then, we’ll wish you were here.

Fine day,
Emily

How Much Does Republic of Cats Cat Food Cost?

Republic of Cats is a subscription service. The trial period that has been so popular in the UK offered 28 meals for £5 or about 75 percent off the usual price. (£5 is equivalent to about 7 U.S. dollars.) The trial period is for two weeks. If you sign up for the service, meals will be shipped on a monthly basis.

The number of cans and amount of food you receive each month will depend on how many cats you enroll, their weight, and their other unique needs.

We came up with an estimated cost of £35 per month for an average cat weighing 8-9 pounds using Republic of Cats. That would break down to £8.75 per week; and £1.25 per day. These are only estimates and would vary depending on your cat and feeding plan.

Overall, Is Republic of Cats a Good Choice?

If you are looking for a reasonably tailored diet for your cat that is delivered to your door – especially one that seems to be relished by cats – then Republic of Cats seems to be a good food choice.

This is not a fresh, homemade diet and it doesn’t contain human grade ingredients. The company doesn’t make these claims so do not expect them.

But Republic of Cats will be very convenient for many cat lovers who like the subscription model. The foods also appear to be a hit with cats. The company also appears to make a good effort to make sure your cat get foods that are appropriate for his health and lifestyle.

The brand also provides more variety that just about any subscription service with eight wet foods and two dry foods.

Estimating the price, Republic of Cats also appears to be a reasonable choice for many people.

Republic of Cats does have some drawbacks. First, the service is only available in Great Britain at this time.

Secondly, the company makes it very difficult to find out some basic facts about the foods and service. Most people don’t want to sign up for the subscription service in order to find out all of the details. Pricing should also be readily available without having to sign up for the service.

Information about the company’s ingredients and manufacturing standards would also be welcome by many cat lovers.

How Do You Order Republic of Cats Cat Food?

Republic of Cats is available through the company’s subscription model. If you live in the UK, you can sign up for your taster pack here. If you are ready to sign up for a subscription to Republic of Cats, you can do it on the same web site. You will need to fill in information about your cat including his name, weight, age, and health issues.

Once you start receiving your orders you will be able to make changes based on what your cat likes. You can customize your next order before it’s sent.