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I’ve been feeding Lyka to my dog for a while, and it makes me genuinely happy to know I’m giving Luna (my giant German Shepherd) a healthy, fresh option that she loves. But when it came to my cat, I’d struggled to find an option that had both the human-grade quality of ingredients and the convenience of the easy serve sachets and subscription.
My cat, Sunny, is unfortunately, a little bit of a diva when it comes to food. He knows what he likes. He isn’t particularly interested in being convinced otherwise. Fed up of feeding him from a can or bag of stinky kibble, I Googled ‘Lyka for cats’, and discovered great reviews for a product called CatChi.
They had a great offer when I signed up, (and we have 40% off through BHG, find it here). The CatChi service promised fresh, gently cooked cat food made with more than 95 per cent meat. I was keen to see whether the quality would translate into something he would actually eat.
CatChi Review Verdict
My rating: 9/10
Pros
- Fresh, gently cooked food made specifically for cats
- More than 95 per cent meat
- Human-grade ingredients
- Complete and balanced for all life stages
- No preservatives, emulsifiers, binders or gums
- My fussy cat now happily eats every variety
- Noticeably less offensive litter tray smell
Cons
- My cat was initially quite hesitant, particularly with the chicken variety
- He doesn’t eat a whole sachet in one go, and the re-storage in the fridge can get a tiny bit messy if you’re not careful
- Premium pet food comes at a premium price
Why I wanted to try fresh food for my cat
I’m not looking to demonise kibble or canned food, however, the pet food industry is a bit of a wild place. For me, I simply wanted to explore whether there was a higher-quality option for Sunny that I could feel good about feeding as his main diet, without sacrificing on convenience.
Why did I choose to try CatChi out of all the other cat foods?
CatChi is Australia’s first fresh, gently cooked cat food brand, launched in 2024 by two deeply invested Aussie cat lovers; Huw Griffiths and Matt Driscoll. Matt’s experience had him heading up product development for fresh food at Woolworths followed by Pet Circle. After seeing inside the processing factory for dried kibble, he decided to never look back. Both Matt and Huw saw positive experiences from feeding their cats fresh protein, and so embarked on this business together.
CatChi’s recipes are designed around cat’s needs as obligate carnivores. This means high moisture in the food so cats don’t get dehydrated. CatChi also contains more than 95 per cent meat, with servings being single proteins, and even naming what cut of Australian meat or offal is used. You won’t get any ‘meat product from lamb, beef or chicken’ here.
I like that CatChi is solely focused on cats rather than trying to be everything to every pet. Its recipes are designed to be complete and balanced. The brand avoids preservatives, gums, binders and emulsifiers.
What makes CatChi different?
The food is gently cooked at 72°C for two minutes before being frozen. CatChi says this process is designed to make the food safe while retaining more of the nutrients than traditional high-heat processing. For me, it was fairly simple: I wanted to know that what I was putting in my cat’s bowl was great-quality food, rather than something heavily processed that he happened to enjoy.
We all love junk food now and then but don’t eat it as our sole source of consumption (or at least we shouldn’t!). After losing my previous cat and best friend to health issues, I am fully invested in making the best possible choices for little Sunny.
How easy is it to feed?
The biggest adjustment is that fresh food requires a little more thought than dry food. It’s not quite as simple as leaving a bowl of kibble down and forgetting about it.
The food arrives frozen, so you need to make sure you’ve got enough space and remember to defrost the next meal. The CatChi packages are pretty small and unobtrusive, but when I get my Lyka order at the same time, freezer space can definitely be a juggle! But once I got into a routine, I found it fairly straightforward.
And then there was the slightly bigger hurdle: getting my cat to actually eat it.
Results from my test
I’ll admit, the first few meals weren’t exactly an overwhelming success.
My cat seemed particularly unsure about the chicken variety. He’d sniff it, look at me as if I’d personally offended him, and then walk away. However, I didn’t despair. CatChi’s beef variety was an immediate hit with Sunny.
Rather than giving up, I took the advice of the CatChi team and slowed the whole process down. Instead of immediately replacing his existing food when he turned his nose up at something, I stayed consistent and gave him time to become familiar with the new food.
Essentially, I had to wear him down.
It sounds terrible, but patience was the key. Gradually, over the next week he became more comfortable with the food and started eating the varieties he’d initially rejected. After giving him time to adjust, I’m now at the point where he happily eats all of the varieties I’ve tried.
In fact, he seems to prefer CatChi to his previous food (discovered when I unearthed a few cans in the cupboard).
The unexpected suprise of fresh cat food
The other noticeable difference has been something I absolutely wasn’t expecting, and for those with polite sensibilities, stop reading now. Every cat owner’s biggest enemy; the litter tray.
My cat has always had a lovely, soft and shiny coat, so while CatChi success stories include improved coat health, nothing dramatic jumped out at me with Sunny. The biggest difference I have noticed, (turn away now if you have polite sensibilities) has been the smell of the litter tray after he’s ‘visited’ it.
Previously, using the litter tray would stink to high heaven. I’m talking can’t breathe, getting out of bed in the dark in the middle of winter and open the windows to air the room. Now, it’s just a mildly unpleasant smell, rather than something that announces itself from the other end of the apartment.
And, perhaps most importantly, my German Shepherd is no longer treating the litter tray like a dinner bell. Gross, I know. But if you’ve got both a dog and a cat, you’ll understand exactly why this is a win.
It’s difficult to attribute a change like this solely to diet, and I wouldn’t suggest CatChi is a guaranteed solution to litter tray odour. But after making the switch and allowing my cat time to adjust, the difference has been very noticeable.
Overall, is CatChi worth it?
For me, yes.
The biggest thing is knowing I’m putting my cat’s health first. And from a practical perspective, CatChi has now become a really easy part of both our routines, without adding any stress.
CatChi ticked both boxes for me, although it wasn’t an overnight success. My cat needed time to adjust, and I think that’s an important consideration if you’re thinking about switching a fussy eater to fresh food. Based on my experience, I wouldn’t give up after the first rejected bowl. Patience and persistence are key to building any positive habits after all.
Has it transformed my cat? His coat was already lovely, and I’m wary of making big health claims based on one food trial. But do I feel better (as well as moe confident and knowledgeable) about what I’m feeding him? Absolutely.
And if someone had told me six months ago that my biggest positive from switching my cat’s food would be a dramatically less offensive litter tray, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. I probably would have shouted, “Take my money!”
BHG readers can save 40% on a CatChi starter pack
After such a positive experience, we reached out to CatChi to see if they would offer BHG readers a discount. They said yes, with 40% off starter pack trials. Get the offer of 40% off here.
This is an affiliate link, which means BHG may earn a commission if you purchase through it.
There are now a range of fresh and chilled cat food options to choose from. BHG has not tried them all, but was impressed with CatChi in comparison to regular supermarket brands.
Fresh cat food can often be better especially if it is; less processed, uses high-quality real meat, and contains good moisture content.
It depends on the offering and what you were feeding your cat before. The CatChi subscription costs more than entry level supermarket tinned cat food or kibble.
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