Where to Buy Cat Food Online (It’s Not Just About Price)

Tim Seidler – Head of Pets

with support from the Pawster Research Team

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Finding the right place to buy anything online is usually a decision based on cost and convenience. But when it comes to your pet it’s nice to know there’s a company out there who cares a little more than just making a sale.

This is a story from one pet owner who is now a life-long customer of Chewy.com, all because the company went above and beyond what she’d ever expect from a pet food retailer.

In June, after nearly twelve years, we had to put down our dog, Moe. It all happened rather suddenly, and was quite devastating. I’d noticed Moe’s back legs wobbling a little when he would go in and out of the house, and step off the back stoop. I assumed, since he was over eleven years old, that he was coming down with arthritis, or something else manageable. What I wasn’t prepared for was finding out he was essentially facing full-on paralysis, due to a slipped disc that we knew nothing about.

That was Saturday morning, and by Monday afternoon, Moe was gone.

Over the weekend, I tried to keep him immobile as much as possible … while also watching to see if he lost complete use of his legs. It wasn’t an easy task, especially with two small kids, who were confused and scared and sad for Moe. Sunday night rolled around and we’d made the decision, after Moe lost complete control of his bowels, that when we took him back for his follow-up on Monday morning, we would be saying goodbye.

As I sat on the couch that night, I realized his newest shipment of dog food from Chewy.com had arrived. At about $70 a bag (we utilized auto-ship for more savings), it was stressful and sad to realize Moe wouldn’t be needing the food anymore. I opened my computer and decided to see if they had a return policy. As it turns out, Chewy has a 24-hour chat available, and so I figured that was my best bet. I was immediately connected with someone, who made the process so simple. Not only was he incredibly sympathetic to what I was going through as a dog owner, he made the entire refund process so seamless. He immediately credited my card, and told me, rather than sending the food back, to please donate it to a shelter in our area.

I thought this was so kind. And again, amid serious heartbreak, this one thing was painless. I wasn’t out the $70, and I didn’t have to keep looking at Moe’s unopened food, knowing he wasn’t ever going to eat it.

A few days after Moe was gone, I got a card in the mail from Chewy. Inside was a heart, with his name in the middle, and really kind, sincere condolences from the company. I cried, for about the millionth time since Moe died, but it wasn’t all sad. It meant a lot that this company would take a few minutes to send this card—they know what pets mean to families, and they take that extra step to show they care. It’s not just about making a sale, which was made clear when they refunded me. But taking it further, to send a personalized card to let us know they were so sorry for our loss, meant a lot to our family.

While I have no need for dog food right now, I know that won’t always be the case. Eventually, our hearts will heal enough, and because our kids are only six and four, we certainly want them to have another dog during their childhood. When it comes time to bring a new pet into our family, we won’t hesitate to use Chewy again. Because they’re about so much more than the convenience and savings, and that’s something I so appreciate.

– Tim Seidler

Note: This is a true story and it happened to us. We’ll always be very grateful to Chewy for their compassion. That said, when you click on any of the links in this article it also helps to provide financial support to Pawster.com. If you don’t feel comfortable supporting our site in that way, but would still like to consider Chewy simply type their website into your address bar to avoid the affiliation.