Perhaps you’ve been thinking about switching your cat’s brand of food. Maybe they’re not enjoying it anyone, or you want to switch to a grain-free, limited-ingredient, or another specialty diet.
As much as we all love our cats, they can be fussy creatures. Spending $50 on a new brand of cat kibble only to have your precious pet turn their nose up at it can be frustrating.
One of the best ways around this problem is to get hold of free samples. This is a great way to try a few different brands and see which one your cat likes best!
Let’s take a look at a few different places that you can get free samples of cat food brands. We’ve rounded up some brands that offer a no-strings-attached sample of free cat food, while others offer a voucher that you can redeem against a future purchase.
The Top 12 Sites to Visit for Free Cat Food Samples
1. Ageless Paws
This is more of a treat than a new food, but your cat will likely go wild for these tasty free-dried wild salmon or chicken breast treats. You can get a free 3-ounce sample bag, but you’ll have to pay $3.99 shipping and handling.
2. Artemis Company
Artemis is on a mission to provide cat food that works holistically to keep your cat in great condition.
If you tell them a little about your cat, you can apply for a free sample of dry cat food!
3. Canidae
Canidae offers a wide range of cat foods made with premium ingredients to provide complete and balanced nutrition. It does offer free samples, but sometimes you’ll have to wait until it restocks. We recommend bookmarking their samples page and checking back often.
In the meantime, you can register for a $5 coupon to redeem for any of their cat foods.
4. Farmina
Farmina is an all-natural, premium cat food brand that has put a great deal of research and development into its range of cat foods.
This is a big brand that occasionally offers free samples. Sometimes it’s out of stock, but keep checking!
5. Essence Pet Foods
Essence is a brand that concentrates on creating high-quality cat foods free from grains and other ingredients, like potatoes or sunflower oil, that your cat doesn’t really need. Instead, it focuses on including healthy proteins designed to help your cat thrive.
You can choose from three different free samples of dry cat food, including Air & Game, Meadow & Ranch, or Ocean & Fresh Water.
6. I and love and you
These grain-free healthy cat foods include pre- and pro-biotics to keep your cat healthy. The first ingredient in these foods is always real meat.
This brand offers free samples subject to availability. Bookmark the page, or sign up for the newsletter to get notified when a new shipment of samples is ready!
7. Life’s Abundance
Life’s Abundance stocks a range of cat foods that include premium ingredients designed to help your cat feel their best.
You can get a sample pack of Life’s Abundance Premium Dry Cat Food, Gourmet Cat Treats, and Instinctive Choice Premium Canned Cat Food for just $1.08! You will have to pay a shipping fee of $2.95, but this is still a bargain!
8. PawTree
This company offers a range of cat foods, including seasonings that you can add to your cat’s daily ration to add extra taste. You can register for a free sample of their pawPairings Superfood Seasonings to see if your cat likes it. You just have to pay a small shipping and handling fee.
Once you’ve tried your free sample and purchased more products, you can also try submitting a testimonial to be up for winning a bag of treats worth $14.99.
9. Petcurean
Petcurean offers a range of nutritional solutions, including limited-ingredient blends, recipes to promote healthy skin and coat, and grain-free kibble or wet food.
You can download a $5 coupon from the Petcurean website to use against any of its cat foods.
10. Purina
Purina doesn’t seem to have any free samples, but it does have plenty of coupons that you can use against a purchase of its Fancy Feast, Muse, and Purina One cat food ranges. If you use these for your cat anyway, it’s a great way to save a bit of money!
If you sign up to take the Purina One 28 Day Challenge, you can also get a $5 coupon to redeem for Purina One purchases.
11. Rachael Ray Nutrish
Rachael Ray Nutrish is a well-known brand with a wide range of cat foods designed to provide everything that your kitty needs to stay healthy.
You can apply for a free sample of Rachael Ray Nutrish Soft Spots for Cats. If you qualify, you’ll be notified!
If not, then you can check out its coupons, including $2 off Nutrish Peak and Nutrish Zero dry cat foods and “buy three, get one free” on Nutrish Super Premium and Nutrish Purrfect Broth wet cat foods.
12. The Pet Pantry
The Pet Pantry stocks a range of different brands, including Orijen, Nature’s Variety, Taste of the Wild, and Earthborn.
What’s more, it also delivers cat food right to your door so you don’t have to worry about carrying home heavy bags of kibble. If you live in North Carolina, they will send you a free sample. If you want a sample but live outside their free delivery zone, you can still apply but will have to pay a delivery charge of $7.
Do Your Research
Once you’ve found a brand that you like the look of, it’s a good idea to do extra research.
Check that the brand hasn’t had any recalls, which would indicate the quality of the food potentially isn’t as high as you might like. You can check for recalls and withdrawals of any pet food brand on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.
For wet foods and kibbles, you’ll also want to check the food is listed as nutritionally complete for cats or adult kittens (whichever yours is) by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Feeds that haven’t been approved by the AAFCO may not provide all the nutrition that your cat needs to stay healthy. Treats aren’t included in this category, as they’re seen as complementary.
When your sample arrives, check that the packaging is properly sealed and the contents smell fresh. Start by feeding your cat only a small amount, a teaspoon worth or so, and check their reaction over 24 hours before feeding them more. If your cat has been used to one brand for a long time, they may react badly if you feed them a large portion of new food without giving their digestive system any time to adjust.
Check the Ingredients
Before excitedly signing up for a free sample, check the ingredients. If your cat has an allergy to fish, for example, then a new wet food that contains fish may not be such a good idea! Remember, the name of the food may not indicate all the ingredients. Take the time to read through these, and check that there’s nothing that could trigger an allergic reaction.
Visit your local pet store or veterinarian
Besides checking out online offers, try heading down to your local pet store and veterinarian.
Big brands will often send freebies to stores and veterinarians along with their regular orders. Pet stores will usually offer a wider range of brands, while your veterinarian may offer prescription diets.
It’s always worth asking both of these places if they have any free samples that they’d be willing to pass on!
Email your favorite cat food supplier
This may not always work, but it’s worth a try! Email your cat food supplier or a brand that you’re thinking of trying, and simply ask if they can send you free samples. Most big brands do offer sample packs that they send out to pet food stores or use at trade fairs. So, you might be in luck and bag your cat some free food this way!
A Final Note About Sample Boxes
Many cat food brands used to offer free samples, but some aren’t doing this anymore. They now offer sample boxes instead, which you have to pay for. We haven’t included those here, as they don’t fall into the “free” category. But they can be worth a try if you want to offer your cat a new brand without shelling out for a whole bag of feed.
Related Read:
- 6 Best Tasting Cat Foods for Picky Cats – Reviews & Top Picks
- 11 Best Grain Free Cat Foods – Reviews & Top Picks
Featured Image Credit: Jakub Zak, Shutterstock
