Merrick?

[Ashley]

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/

Yesterday I was at a holistic pet store checking out some of the cat foods they sell. We are currently using Blue Buffalo Wilderness, which he likes okay, but he is starting to eat more & more. I've noticed they have a lot of brands that offer the same thing as Blue Buffalo (no animal by-products, no corn, ect)

Anyway, I can get a large can of Merrick cat/kitten food for the same price as I can get a small can of Blue Buffalo. Does anyone know anything about this brand? They had a few more that are cheaper than Blue Buffalo as well, but I noticed that Merrick has the widest variety of choices as far as flavors go.

Thoughts or suggestions?

 

[admin]

I have heard good things about Merrick...

 

[MK Anderson]

I used it a few years ago! good food and cats love it!!!

 

[Arline]

Good food, my cats wouldn't eat it. Dash is so danged picky! :-(

 

[KaliKat]

When I first got Kali we tried out a few different canned foods (I am not a fan of kibble; she had been on Life's Abundance kibble) and Merrick was one we tried. I recommend Merrick BG as it doesn't contain grains. Amazon is a great place to buy cat food and it's even better if you have a Prime membership. Along with her raw Kali is on Wellness CORE chicken which I highly recommend.

 

[admin]

Amazon is great for food and everything else...and Prime is the best!

My cats will not eat Merrick, so I am out of luck there

 

[WitchyWoman]

Check to be sure it's a balanced food. A lot of these commercial all meat foods contain mostly cooked muscle meat with no bones and no organs. Be sure it contains a 1.2:1 calcium source. You may need to add taurine and in some cases calcium/bonemeal to make it more appropriate for long-term feeding.

 

[KaliKat]

Check to be sure it's a balanced food. A lot of these commercial all meat foods contain mostly cooked muscle meat with no bones and no organs. Be sure it contains a 1.2:1 calcium source. You may need to add taurine and in some cases calcium/bonemeal to make it more appropriate for long-term feeding.

Taurine is a definite must add no matter what. Some like Wysong Archetype (spelling?) is not balanced but Merrick and Wellness are although adding taurine is always good because it's much needed and water soluble so no reason to chance it.

I am a huge Amazon junkie! Ugh if I could buy everything off there I would!

 

[DChap]

How much taurine do you add to their food? Does it go by age and weight of cat or by how much food they eat?

 

[WitchyWoman]

You have to check the brand to see how much is in a dose. If one teaspoon is approximately 1,000mg (1 gram), then 1/2tsp would be 500mg, 1/4tsp would be 250mg, 1/8tsp would be 125mg. These amounts do not have to be exact. You can't overdose as it is a water soluble amino acid and excess will be excreted in urine. However, adding too much could cause diarrhea. It is best with kitties to err on the higher end when it comes to adding taurine. I would start with 1/8 tsp for up to a 10 lb cat if the formula for what you buy matches the above. Over 10lb cat increase to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp.