Natural Pet Food – Home Delivered!

Though pet food makers claim that rosemary, turmeric, peppermint, dandelion, and chamomile (among the ingredients in the pet food I purchased at the health food store) help aid digestion, and aren’t harmful for my cats, I doubt my cats would naturally consume any of these plants, if they were wild. I do know they would consume a non-human-grade rat, though. I’ve seen it numerous times.

Still, the thought of pet food delivered to my door was tempting. I decided to look into this company, and if I liked what I found—and if they ever called back—perhaps I’d give them a try. After all, they did offer free samples. I looked the company, Pet Pantry, up on the Internet and discovered it was a franchise, and was a member in satisfactory standing with the Better Business Bureau. And then I forgot about the call.

A month or so later, the same company contacted me again. I explained that before I tried their products, I needed to understand more clearly what ingredients they used, and how those ingredients were processed. I was told that their “natural” products were naturally preserved and contained no by-products, dyes, corn syrups, or sugar.

I agreed to try a week’s worth of samples, and I was surprised to discover that the price for the natural food I selected was $10 cheaper than the price I was paying for the pet food at the health-food store. The sample food arrived the next day, in individual packets with ingredient labels on the back. I read the labels, and found that the ingredients in the new food were comparable to those in my old brand (minus the “digestive aids” and a couple of other added vitamins). During the following week, I introduced the new food gradually to my cats and dog. They all switched over without any problems or complaints.

After finishing the week’s samples, I signed up for the service, and have been receiving auto-deliveries every four weeks for the past three years (and my pets are all extremely healthy and energetic, with fantastic-looking coats and teeth). The very first delivery of pet food came in airtight plastic tubs, which have been used for my deliveries ever since. A couple days before my delivery is scheduled, I receive a phone call reminding me to put my tubs on the front porch. My bank account is automatically debited the day of delivery. Other than putting the tubs out, I really don’t have to remember or do anything else.

My delivery person, Randall (who is also the franchise owner), is reliable and responsive. If my food supply ever runs low before our four-week delivery period is up, I simply make a phone call to request an additional delivery, which I’ll receive within a day or two.

Last week, shortly before our normal delivery date, the snow and ice we were experiencing here in Seattle were much heavier than usual.