Published Nov 30, 2024
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Gently cooked and never frozen, Portland Pet Food Company products arrive at your doorstep ready to serve. Every recipe is made with fewer than a dozen ingredients and crafted to appeal to even the pickiest eaters.
Note that Portland Pet Food Company cat food products are intended for supplemental feeding only, so they might not be the right choice for every cat. In this review, you’ll learn more about this company and discover what our test cats thought of the products.
The Cats.com Standard—Rating Portland Pet Food Company on What Matters
We’ve analyzed Portland Pet Food Company and graded it according to the Cats.com standard. Here’s how it rates in each of six key areas:
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 9/10
- Ingredient Quality – 9/10
- Product Variety – 5/10
- Price – 6/10
- Customer Experience – 9/10
- Recall History – 10/10
Overall Score: 8/10
We give Portland Pet Food Company a 48 out of 60 rating or an A- grade.
Why Trust Cats.com
Over the past 15 years, my cats and I have tested countless cat food products from dozens of different brands. I’ve personally spent hours studying feline nutrition and researching the pet food industry to learn what a great cat food product looks like. I combined all that research and personal experience with real-world testing to craft this in-depth review.
Before I write a product review, I spend some time digging into the company’s history. Once I have an understanding of the brand’s mission, manufacturing practices, and customer satisfaction rate, I take a closer look at the products themselves. In addition to evaluating the information on the label, I test each product at home with my own cats (Biscuit and Munchkin).
As with every Cats.com review, the entire testing process was completed without direct influence from the brand in question. Here we aim to provide an objective assessment of Portland Pet Food Company as a brand with relevant insights into the quality, safety, and nutritional value of its products.
About Portland Pet Food Company
Portland Pet Food Company was founded by the McCarron family in 2014. It started when Katie McCarron, the matriarch of the family, began seeking an alternative to commercial pet food for her picky Poodle, Rosie. When Rosie eagerly devoured her first home-cooked meal, McCarron knew she had to share her success with other pet owners.
McCarron quickly got to work developing recipes with the help of a veterinary nutritionist and the Food Innovation Center at Oregon State University (OSU). Early batches were shared with friends and family, then McCarron started selling packages of the frozen food at local farmers markets.
By 2015, Portland Pet Food Company had made its way onto local grocery store shelves. A year later, in 2016, the brand claims to have become the first to offer shelf-stable meals for dogs that were entirely sourced and made in the United States. The McCarron family added cat food to the product line in 2022 and now PPFC products are sold in more than 5,000 stores across four countries and online.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Since its founding in 2014, Portland Pet Food Company has been family-owned and run by women. The brand is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, where all PPFC products are made in company-owned, human-grade food facilities using ingredients primarily sourced from the Pacific Northwest. PPFC suppliers must adhere to USDA/FDA human-grade regulations and are required to provide proof of origin for their ingredients.
Beyond ensuring ingredient quality, PPFC is committed to sustainability. Portland Pet Food Company uses retort packaging for its shelf-stable meals, which requires lower temperatures and shorter cooking times than traditional canning methods. Not only does retort packaging keep PPFC meals fresh and preserve their nutritional value, but it requires fewer resources to produce and transport than traditional packaging.
All Portland Pet Food Company products are shelf-stable when unopened. Because the products don’t contain preservatives, however, refrigeration is required after opening. The packages aren’t resealable, but they are recyclable via the Terracycle program.
Recall History
To our knowledge, Portland Pet Food Company has never had a product recalled. With a full decade on the market, this supports PPFC’s claims of adherence to strong quality-control standards.
What Kind of Cat Food Does Portland Pet Food Company Offer?
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Portland Pet Food Company began as a homestyle dog food company, at first offering fresh frozen meals for dogs. The brand has since transitioned to shelf-stable but still preservative-free pet foods sold in pouches. While PPFC’s dog food product line includes five complete meals and a handful of treats, the cat food line is limited to two recipes.
The cat food recipes Portland Pet Food Company currently offers include:
- Boots’ Salmon N’ Pumpkin
- Luke’s Chicken N’ Pumpkin
Both of PPFC’s cat food formulas are moisture-rich and have a puree-like texture that works well as a meal mixer or topper. Neither recipe is nutritionally complete, however, so they shouldn’t be used as the foundation of your cat’s diet. While each recipe features animal protein as the main ingredient (chicken or salmon), both also contain egg which means they’re not truly single-protein formulas.
It’s worth noting that both recipes are listed as low-phosphorus on the Portland Pet Food Company website, though the phosphorus content wasn’t actually listed anywhere I could find. This might simply be a reference to the fact that Katie McCarron was inspired to add cat food products to the PPFC line when her senior cat, Boots, was diagnosed with kidney failure.
What Did Our Test Cats Think?
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
To test Portland Pet Food Company’s cat food formulas, I ordered the Cat Meal Variety Pack. It came with 12 pouches total, six of each flavor. My order shipped quickly and arrived in a recyclable cardboard box with a little bit of paper padding.
Both of PPFC’s cat food formulas come in 2.6-ounce pouches. I liked that the pouches were large enough that they lie mostly flat, and I appreciated the cuts in material at the top that made them easy to tear open. The food itself was wet enough that I was able to shake it out of the pouch, though I still had to reach in with a spoon to get all of it.
My cats enjoyed both PPFC flavors and they worked well as a mix-in for their usual diet. The chicken and fish was shredded finely enough that the product remained pretty cohesive and my senior cats (one of whom has had teeth removed) had no trouble eating it.
Portland Pet Food Company Cat Food—Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Main Protein | Calories Per Ounce | Price | Our Grade |
| Luke’s Chicken N’ Pumpkin Homestyle Cat Meal | Wet | Chicken | 30 | $1.3 per oz | B |
| Boots’ Salmon N’ Pumpkin Homestyle Cat Meal | Wet | Salmon | 21 | $1.3 per oz | B |
#1 Portland Pet Food Company Luke’s Chicken N’ Pumpkin Homestyle Cat Meal
Featuring chicken muscle meat as the primary ingredient, this wet cat food recipe contains 65% protein measured as dry matter. It’s a good source of hydrating moisture for cats and the pumpkin puree provides dietary fiber, which might offer some digestive benefits.
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
It’s worth noting that both PPFC recipes contain egg in addition to the primary protein, so they might not be appropriate for cats with egg or chicken allergies. Keep in mind as well that both recipes are intended for supplemental feeding only—neither of them are nutritionally complete according to AAFCO nutrient profiles for cats.
My cats enjoyed the moist, finely shredded texture of this food and it worked well as a meal mixer. I didn’t have any trouble opening the pouch, though some customers say they needed to cut the packaging open.
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Pumpkin Puree, Egg, Vegetable Oil, Potato Flour, Salt, Eggshells.
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Egg
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Vegetable Oil, Potato Flour
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
What We Liked:
- Contains 65% dry matter protein
- Rich source of hydrating moisture
- Finely shredded texture is easy for cats to eat
- Pumpkin provides dietary fiber
What We Didn’t Like:
- Not nutritionally complete, intermittent feeding only
- Costs more than $1 per ounce
#2 Boots’ Salmon N’ Pumpkin Homestyle Cat Meal
Like the previous recipe, this formula contains 65% dry matter protein that comes primarily (but not entirely) from a single source. In this case, salmon provides most of the protein and salmon broth provides most of the moisture. The food has a strong aroma of fish that immediately captured my cats’ attention and I didn’t find it overwhelming or unpleasant.
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Other than the salmon and salmon broth, this formula appears to be identical to PPFC’s chicken recipe. Pumpkin puree provides some dietary fiber while egg adds some extra protein. I’d prefer to see animal-sourced fat over vegetable oil but the dry matter fat content is fairly low, and this product isn’t intended for use as a staple diet.
One thing worth noting is that this salmon recipe is less calorie-dense than the chicken formula. If you have a senior cat that needs help keeping on weight, the chicken formula might be a better choice. This salmon recipe, however, might be preferable for cats that are prone to weight gain or that need to lose weight.
Ingredients
Salmon, Salmon Broth, Pumpkin Puree, Egg, Vegetable Oil, Potato Flour, Salt, Eggshells.
Ingredients We Liked: Salmon, Egg
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Vegetable Oil, Potato Flour
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
What We Liked:
- Contains 65% dry matter protein
- Rich source of hydrating moisture
- Finely shredded texture is easy for cats to eat
- Pumpkin provides dietary fiber
What We Didn’t Like:
- Not nutritionally complete, intermittent feeding only
- Costs more than $1 per ounce
What Do Customers Think of Portland Pet Food Company Cat Food?
Despite having been in business for over a decade, Portland Pet Food Company still seems to be a boutique operation. The brand doesn’t have a presence on third-party review sites like TrustPilot and customer ratings from major online retailers like Amazon and Chewy are limited.
Portland Pet Food Company does allow customers to leave reviews on the company website, but both cat food formulas had fewer than 100 ratings at the time this review was written. Based on these reviews, however, customers seem pleased with the products overall. About 95% of reviewers would recommend Boots’ Salmon N’ Pumpkin and 86% would recommend Luke’s Chicken N’ Pumpkin.
Positive Reviews
Customers who are satisfied with PPFC cat food frequently comment on the quality of the product, though some disagree that the price is justified. Numerous reviewers noted that their picky cats like the food and the products seem to be popular with the owners of senior cats and cats with chronic health problems like kidney disease or hyperthyroidism.
“Look, are these expensive for what you get? Of course. But, if you have a picky cat like me that also deals with health issues and it can be hard to find things she likes – you celebrate when they do! My cat seems to love these, and I like that they provide hydration and a little extra fiber when she needs it.”—Samlam007 on Amazon.com, July 12, 2024
“I was looking for a low iodine organic wet food for my hyperthyroid cat with an irritated tummy lately. She loves it, the portions are the right size for her (she eats way too fast), and she hasn’t been sick, which she was, often. It’s real good stuff, as advertised in the title.”—Kathryn E. on PortlandPetFoodCompany.com, March 18, 2024
Negative Reviews
The majority of negative reviews for PPFC cat food products are posted on retail sites—there are only a handful of ratings under 4 stars (out of 5) on the PPFC website. There are the usual complaints that some cats simply don’t care for the food but a few customers commented that the portions were too small or the food wasn’t worth the price.
“While my cats like the flavor, it seems way too full of vegetable matter. Cats aren’t omnivores, they are CARNIVORES and need meat, not veggies. Also there is very little food in each pouch for the price.”—Jody Webb on Amazon.com, September 19, 2024
“I have 4 cats, and am always looking for a great cat food. They normally like pate. The ingredients sounded great as well as the texture. Only 1 of my cats dove right in, 1 ate some of it, the other 2 wouldn’t try it.”—Martha D. on PortlandPetFoodCompany.com, November 12, 2024
How Much Does Portland Pet Food Company Cat Food Cost?
Both of Portland Pet Food Company’s cat food recipes are sold at around $12 for a four-pack of 2.6-ounce pouches. If you break it down, the price per ounce comes to about $1.15. The feeding recommendations suggest one pouch per day per 7 pounds of body weight and the per-pouch price is about $3.
To get the best price on Portland Pet Food Company cat food, consider starting a recurring subscription through the brand’s website. All orders over $50 ship free but the free shipping threshold for subscriptions is only $25. Plus, you can save 25% on your first subscription order and 10% on future orders.
Where Is Portland Pet Food Company Cat Food Sold?
Portland Pet Food Company products are widely available in specialty grocery stores and independent pet retailers throughout the United States and Canada. When I entered my zip code into the PPFC Store Locator, I found over two dozen retailers carrying the products within 25 miles of my home in Pennsylvania. Looking at the map, retailer locations appear to be most heavily concentrated along the west coast and in New England.
If you prefer to shop online, you can order Portland Pet Food Company products directly from the company. The cat food products are sold in four-packs or a 12-pouch variety pack with six of each flavor. When you buy from PPFC, you can place a one-time order or start a subscription. Portland Pet Food Company cat food products are also sold on Amazon and Chewy.
Overall, Is Portland Pet Food Company a Good Choice?
If you’re in the market for a protein- and moisture-rich food topper to mix up your cat’s diet, Portland Pet Food Company could be a good choice. The product selection is limited but it’s hard to argue the quality. PPFC is a particularly appropriate option for cat owners looking to support women-run businesses and companies that operate entirely in the United States.
Portland Pet Food Company’s wet cat food pouches are similar in price and quality to supplemental foods from other premium brands like Rawz and Tiki Cat. If you’re looking for a nutritionally complete product or a company that offers both complete meals and meal mixers, however, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
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Looking for other cat food brands similar to Portland Pet Food Company? Check out some of our other brand reviews.
