diff --git a/tools/cache/controller.go b/tools/cache/controller.go
index 51e0a4659..cf4f0b0c1 100644
--- a/tools/cache/controller.go
+++ b/tools/cache/controller.go
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ func NewInformerWithOptions(options InformerOptions) (Store, Controller) {
 	} else {
 		clientState = NewIndexer(DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc, options.Indexers)
 	}
-	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options)
+	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options, DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc)
 }
 
 // NewInformer returns a Store and a controller for populating the store
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ func NewInformer(
 		Handler:       h,
 		ResyncPeriod:  resyncPeriod,
 	}
-	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options)
+	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options, DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc)
 }
 
 // NewIndexerInformer returns an Indexer and a Controller for populating the index
@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ func NewIndexerInformer(
 		ResyncPeriod:  resyncPeriod,
 		Indexers:      indexers,
 	}
-	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options)
+	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options, DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc)
 }
 
 // NewTransformingInformer returns a Store and a controller for populating
@@ -542,7 +542,7 @@ func NewTransformingInformer(
 		ResyncPeriod:  resyncPeriod,
 		Transform:     transformer,
 	}
-	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options)
+	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options, DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc)
 }
 
 // NewTransformingIndexerInformer returns an Indexer and a controller for
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ func NewTransformingIndexerInformer(
 		Indexers:      indexers,
 		Transform:     transformer,
 	}
-	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options)
+	return clientState, newInformer(clientState, options, DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc)
 }
 
 // Multiplexes updates in the form of a list of Deltas into a Store, and informs
@@ -584,6 +584,7 @@ func processDeltas(
 	clientState Store,
 	deltas Deltas,
 	isInInitialList bool,
+	keyFunc KeyFunc,
 ) error {
 	// from oldest to newest
 	for _, d := range deltas {
@@ -626,6 +627,7 @@ func processDeltasInBatch(
 	clientState Store,
 	deltas []Delta,
 	isInInitialList bool,
+	keyFunc KeyFunc,
 ) error {
 	// from oldest to newest
 	txns := make([]Transaction, 0)
@@ -634,7 +636,7 @@ func processDeltasInBatch(
 	if !txnSupported {
 		var errs []error
 		for _, delta := range deltas {
-			if err := processDeltas(handler, clientState, Deltas{delta}, isInInitialList); err != nil {
+			if err := processDeltas(handler, clientState, Deltas{delta}, isInInitialList, keyFunc); err != nil {
 				errs = append(errs, err)
 			}
 		}
@@ -703,7 +705,7 @@ func processDeltasInBatch(
 // Parameters
 //   - clientState is the store you want to populate
 //   - options contain the options to configure the controller
-func newInformer(clientState Store, options InformerOptions) Controller {
+func newInformer(clientState Store, options InformerOptions, keyFunc KeyFunc) Controller {
 	// This will hold incoming changes. Note how we pass clientState in as a
 	// KeyLister, that way resync operations will result in the correct set
 	// of update/delete deltas.
@@ -719,12 +721,12 @@ func newInformer(clientState Store, options InformerOptions) Controller {
 
 		Process: func(obj interface{}, isInInitialList bool) error {
 			if deltas, ok := obj.(Deltas); ok {
-				return processDeltas(options.Handler, clientState, deltas, isInInitialList)
+				return processDeltas(options.Handler, clientState, deltas, isInInitialList, keyFunc)
 			}
 			return errors.New("object given as Process argument is not Deltas")
 		},
 		ProcessBatch: func(deltaList []Delta, isInInitialList bool) error {
-			return processDeltasInBatch(options.Handler, clientState, deltaList, isInInitialList)
+			return processDeltasInBatch(options.Handler, clientState, deltaList, isInInitialList, keyFunc)
 		},
 	}
 	return New(cfg)
diff --git a/tools/cache/controller_test.go b/tools/cache/controller_test.go
index 1456e5eaa..d12678643 100644
--- a/tools/cache/controller_test.go
+++ b/tools/cache/controller_test.go
@@ -853,7 +853,8 @@ func TestProcessDeltasInBatch(t *testing.T) {
 				dummyListener,
 				mockStore,
 				tc.deltaList,
-				true)
+				true,
+				DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc)
 			if tc.assertErr != nil {
 				assert.True(t, tc.assertErr(err))
 			}
@@ -923,12 +924,12 @@ func TestReplaceEvents(t *testing.T) {
 
 		Process: func(obj interface{}, isInInitialList bool) error {
 			if deltas, ok := obj.(Deltas); ok {
-				return processDeltas(recorder, store, deltas, isInInitialList)
+				return processDeltas(recorder, store, deltas, isInInitialList, DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc)
 			}
 			return errors.New("object given as Process argument is not Deltas")
 		},
 		ProcessBatch: func(deltaList []Delta, isInInitialList bool) error {
-			return processDeltasInBatch(recorder, store, deltaList, isInInitialList)
+			return processDeltasInBatch(recorder, store, deltaList, isInInitialList, DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc)
 		},
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/cache/shared_informer.go b/tools/cache/shared_informer.go
index 8973a33e8..bf58fe678 100644
--- a/tools/cache/shared_informer.go
+++ b/tools/cache/shared_informer.go
@@ -312,6 +312,7 @@ func NewSharedIndexInformerWithOptions(lw ListerWatcher, exampleObject runtime.O
 		defaultEventHandlerResyncPeriod: options.ResyncPeriod,
 		clock:                           realClock,
 		cacheMutationDetector:           NewCacheMutationDetector(fmt.Sprintf("%T", exampleObject)),
+		keyFunc:                         DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -449,6 +450,9 @@ type sharedIndexInformer struct {
 	watchErrorHandler WatchErrorHandlerWithContext
 
 	transform TransformFunc
+
+	// keyFunc is called when processing deltas by the underlying process function.
+	keyFunc KeyFunc
 }
 
 // dummyController hides the fact that a SharedInformer is different from a dedicated one
@@ -718,7 +722,7 @@ func (s *sharedIndexInformer) HandleDeltas(obj interface{}, isInInitialList bool
 	defer s.blockDeltas.Unlock()
 
 	if deltas, ok := obj.(Deltas); ok {
-		return processDeltas(s, s.indexer, deltas, isInInitialList)
+		return processDeltas(s, s.indexer, deltas, isInInitialList, s.keyFunc)
 	}
 	return errors.New("object given as Process argument is not Deltas")
 }
@@ -726,7 +730,7 @@ func (s *sharedIndexInformer) HandleDeltas(obj interface{}, isInInitialList bool
 func (s *sharedIndexInformer) HandleBatchDeltas(deltas []Delta, isInInitialList bool) error {
 	s.blockDeltas.Lock()
 	defer s.blockDeltas.Unlock()
-	return processDeltasInBatch(s, s.indexer, deltas, isInInitialList)
+	return processDeltasInBatch(s, s.indexer, deltas, isInInitialList, s.keyFunc)
 }
 
 // Conforms to ResourceEventHandler