PetChef is a local brand the offers frozen cooked food for dogs and cats: https://petchef.my/
I ordered some with Juno’s requirements. They have various flavours, but I chose chicken.
My order arrived on today, but I was disappointed with the delivery. The company asked us to choose a specific 2-hour interval for delivery and I requested 1pm – 3pm because I would definitely be at home during this time interval. Unfortunately, the order arrived at 11.45am when nobody was at home and the driver just sent me a photograph. I called back and ask him to put it in the porch and I asked if it is delivered in an insulated bag.
There was no insulated bag even though the driver mentioned it is delivered in a “cold box”. By the time I rushed home at 12.30pm, a few packets had defrosted. I fedback to the company suggesting that all their deliveries be made in insulated bags as most sellers of frozen foods do, but they said insulated bags are only provided upon request and I had not requested for one.
Well, I specified the delivery time to be 1pm – 3pm, right? But it arrived early and that isn’t on me. Also, there was no provision to request for an insulated bag. I had just assumed that sellers of frozen foods would deliver orders in insulated bags or styrofoam boxes. With our infamous traffic jams and non-adherence to time, wouldn’t it make sense to use insulated bags for the delivery of frozen foods?
So, that was a disappointment. I checked Google reviews and there were similar complaints whereby the entire order had to be thrown out as it was already completely defrosted and spoiled and no refund was provided too.
All said, the delivery team was apologetic and said for future orders, mine could be delivered in an insulated bag.
Anyway, I quickly kept all the packets in the freezer and as for the already defrosted ones, I placed them in the fridge so that I could use them up today. The packets were still cold, so they were not spoiled.
The texture is a bit dry.
Now, for our cats’ verdict:
Riley, Tabs and the Blondies totally rejected it. Only little Juno ate some, but for Juno, I used it as a topper since it is a new food.
Gerald also totally rejected it.
Next would be Ginger and the Monsters.
Since most of our cats did not like it, I offered it to the Monsters, topped with Fur/Ball Salmon. They went for the Fur/Ball first, then only the PetChef. But I noticed that Minnie liked it. She ate a fair portion.
I will use it up as an occasional treat.
Smurfy didn’t even come out from the big cage. He’s been having “issues” lately, but he will eventually eat. I think there’s some territorial problem going on here.
Back to the pet food, I know, I ordered all these new foods in a bit of knee-jerk desperation as I had to find a cooked food for Juno and the Blondies were really giving me a huge headache with their insistence on kibble.
But having tried three local brands now, I think PetChef and Nottipet would just be a one-off order since our cats don’t really like them. Fur/Ball can be a topper for our cats’ raw food.
I was discussing the issue of pet food with a friend and he said he used to be wary of the products of big “reputable” companies. But now, he thinks these big companies at least have SOPs to follow to ensure some compliance to certain standards and a level of honesty. I don’t know if I agree or disagree, actually. Compliance to conform to legal requirements, perhaps, or is it to the quality of the food?
Small companies may not have these SOPs to comply to or audit to answer to, but it does not mean they do not produce credible products. A good example is Cubgrub, which is a home-based raw cat food. I’ve used it for so many years now and I can attest to the fact that they comply to a very, very high standard of integrity, hygiene and quality. I have no doubt about this. I am still using Cubgrub and hope that Juno’s immunity improves with age and I can put her back on it in the near future.
So at the end of the day, it boils down to honesty and right intentions of those who make and sell the pet food. We totally rely on their honesty to tell us what is contained in the food, how it is made and we hope they will do their research and ensure the highest quality of standards in its production.