I don't trust Merrick now!!

carolina · Jan 7, 2013

Minka said:
I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings I wasn't trying to be rude at all. :nod:
I wasn't trying to compare cats to people either. I was just responding to what you said about pets not being children, and saying that's fine, but when you take in a pet you make a commitment to them that you will be responsible for them like your children. Not that it's the Same amount as your children, but that it's a similar unspoken promise.
And maybe it's true when they die that you will not mourn their deaths, but you never know for sure until it happens, and it would be quite sad to only realize how much you cared until it's too late.
I'm just saying I don't think you should be scared of Merrick, and if you can afford it, you should do it. You won't regret it later.

I think the OP has undeniable love and care for this little man..... Look how many hours she slept last night just thinking about the possibility of not feeding him the best food..... Theories aside..... It is hard to explain what is in our hearts sometimes

michelekittymom · Jan 7, 2013

Hi everyone,

I am the one that called Susan about the Merrick Cat Food Cans. I only told Susan so you could be aware that if you feed your cats this brand PLEASE push on the lid before you open it. If It gives away quite easily it is most likely bad. Air getting into the food can cause mold. I spoke to the Customer Service Manager today, she was genuinely concerned and explained that they heat the cans and likened the process to canning. I had bought 2 cases and out of 48 I had to throw away 20 cans total. I do hope Merrick does some quality control and fixes the problem so no one gets sick. I was more concerned about human cross contamination or children getting into the cat food or someone watching your pets while your out of town and not really paying attention.

I told her that she that they may have a problem in the production process when they are sealing the cans. There was no sound of air escaping when I opening the cans. Some of the cans it was obvious that it was starting to go bad, others, if you didn't know what you were looking for were not to obvious. The good cans had pink healthy looking food, the others where starting to change color, a couple of the cans had black mold and the picture I posted had the green mold. After Susan posted this article, it seems others are coming forward with complaints about the same problem over 1 year ago.

My cats love the Merrick BG Dry Food and they have never been healthier so we wanted to give them the wet food. We were really bummed that this happened and just please check the cans before you feed your cat to make sure they are sealed properly. PUSH FIRMLY ON THE TOP before you pop the tab if it gives away DON'T FEED YOUR PETS.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please know I love Merrick Food and I am very sad to be reporting this but my love for animals takes precedence.

bluebo · Jan 7, 2013

Minka said:
I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings I wasn't trying to be rude at all. :nod:
I wasn't trying to compare cats to people either. I was just responding to what you said about pets not being children, and saying that's fine, but when you take in a pet you make a commitment to them that you will be responsible for them like your children. Not that it's the Same amount as your children, but that it's a similar unspoken promise.
And maybe it's true when they die that you will not mourn their deaths, but you never know for sure until it happens, and it would be quite sad to only realize how much you cared until it's too late.
I'm just saying I don't think you should be scared of Merrick, and if you can afford it, you should do it. You won't regret it later.

I understand what you are saying. I do love my cat, that is undeniable... I worry about whether I am doing enough for him the same as I worry about my husband and kids.
I WILL mourn him, who am I fooling? Lol
I have only ever felt this way about a cat one time in my life. I feel very bonded to him, moreso then my dog (sorry Ruby).
I love my husband and my kids more then anything but my cat is sometimes my absolute best friend when there is no one else. I perceive his fussiness as my failure

I feel guilt and shame to a degree.
It is surprising what these little buggers can eventually mean to a person.
I know you weren't trying to be hurt my feelings and I am not insulted *hug emoticon* (I don't know where that stupid emoticon is).

bluebo · Jan 7, 2013

Carolina said:
I think the OP has undeniable love and care for this little man..... Look how many hours she slept last night just thinking about the possibility of not feeding him the best food..... Theories aside..... It is hard to explain what is in our hearts sometimes

Yes I do love him dearly. From the moment I met my scraggly, shaved old man in the SPCA and he hopped up on my shoulder and started his motor like purr.
To the time when I got him home and kissed him on his face (which he did not enjoy and promptly bit me on the chin lol). To now when I am struggling to keep him as healthy for as long as I am blessed to have him in my life... I love him a lot.
Thank you guys. You have been such a support. There have been moments where I have been nothing less then rude and all I have gotten is support in return. I have so much love/respect in my heart for members on this board. *hugs*

carolina · Jan 7, 2013

bluebo said:
Yes I do love him dearly. From the moment I met my scraggly, shaved old man in the SPCA and he hopped up on my shoulder and started his motor like purr.
To the time when I got him home and kissed him on his face (which he did not enjoy and promptly bit me on the chin lol). To now when I am struggling to keep him as healthy for as long as I am blessed to have him in my life... I love him a lot.
Thank you guys. You have been such a support. There have been moments where I have been nothing less then rude and all I have gotten is support in return. I have so much love/respect in my heart for members on this board. *hugs*

:rub:

minka · Jan 7, 2013

bluebo said:
Yes I do love him dearly. From the moment I met my scraggly, shaved old man in the SPCA and he hopped up on my shoulder and started his motor like purr.
To the time when I got him home and kissed him on his face (which he did not enjoy and promptly bit me on the chin lol). To now when I am struggling to keep him as healthy for as long as I am blessed to have him in my life... I love him a lot.
Thank you guys. You have been such a support. There have been moments where I have been nothing less then rude and all I have gotten is support in return. I have so much love/respect in my heart for members on this board. *hugs*

*hugs*

bastfriend · Jan 8, 2013

bluebo said:
Yes I do love him dearly. From the moment I met my scraggly, shaved old man in the SPCA and he hopped up on my shoulder and started his motor like purr.
To the time when I got him home and kissed him on his face (which he did not enjoy and promptly bit me on the chin lol). To now when I am struggling to keep him as healthy for as long as I am blessed to have him in my life... I love him a lot.
Thank you guys. You have been such a support. There have been moments where I have been nothing less then rude and all I have gotten is support in return. I have so much love/respect in my heart for members on this board. *hugs*

Awww I knew you were protesting too much! Anyone who loses sleep over catfood choices is truly smitten with their cat.

bastfriend · Jan 8, 2013

Oh I wanted to add, two days ago I fed a can of Merrick Thanksgiving Feast for the first time to my cats along with their usual food. I also fed one other food they hadn't had in a while (royal canin s/o small can) but that they usually tolerate. Both cats had vomiting incidents almost simultaneously about six hours later. I wasn't sure which food did it but the Merrick smelled okay when I opened the can though there was a darkish spot I cut away.

bluebo · Jan 8, 2013

Well my cat hasn't shown any adverse reactions to his Turducken, but I just bought him some new cans yesterday... hopefully those go over well.
The only other thing I can complain about would be that the cans seem less full then usual. Some cans are normal and then some cans are 3/4 full..? I wonder why? I'm using Fancy Feast as a secondary food if the Merrick begins to cause issues.
There are some brands I haven't tried with him... I'm going to purchase a few of these and maybe I'll come up with a winner! Also, he will eat Weruva duck/chicken formula and the chicken formula... I just know these are high in carbs, not a good option if anything should happen with Merrick?

bluebo · Jan 8, 2013

MicheleKittyMom said:
Hi everyone,
I am the one that called Susan about the Merrick Cat Food Cans. I only told Susan so you could be aware that if you feed your cats this brand PLEASE push on the lid before you open it. If It gives away quite easily it is most likely bad. Air getting into the food can cause mold. I spoke to the Customer Service Manager today, she was genuinely concerned and explained that they heat the cans and likened the process to canning. I had bought 2 cases and out of 48 I had to throw away 20 cans total. I do hope Merrick does some quality control and fixes the problem so no one gets sick. I was more concerned about human cross contamination or children getting into the cat food or someone watching your pets while your out of town and not really paying attention.

I told her that she that they may have a problem in the production process when they are sealing the cans. There was no sound of air escaping when I opening the cans. Some of the cans it was obvious that it was starting to go bad, others, if you didn't know what you were looking for were not to obvious. The good cans had pink healthy looking food, the others where starting to change color, a couple of the cans had black mold and the picture I posted had the green mold. After Susan posted this article, it seems others are coming forward with complaints about the same problem over 1 year ago.

My cats love the Merrick BG Dry Food and they have never been healthier so we wanted to give them the wet food. We were really bummed that this happened and just please check the cans before you feed your cat to make sure they are sealed properly. PUSH FIRMLY ON THE TOP before you pop the tab if it gives away DON'T FEED YOUR PETS.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please know I love Merrick Food and I am very sad to be reporting this but my love for animals takes precedence.

I didn't see this until now. Thank you for the information. I will be more careful now when I am feeding my cat Merrick and will check for dents and a seal.

minka · Jan 8, 2013

bluebo said:
The only other thing I can complain about would be that the cans seem less full then usual. Some cans are normal and then some cans are 3/4 full..? I wonder why?

Cans are filled by weight, not quantity, so sometimes the meat/contents inside are heavier or lighter and it might be up to the top or it might be lower down. That's the other reason that the Guaranteed Analysis is only min and max instead of exact amounts. *nods*

It can happen will all brands, it's not a sign of anything bad.

mewlittle · Jan 9, 2013

bluebo said:
Now I see Merrick is having mold problems with some of their canned formulas. I googled Merrick and their reputation is not good, they have endless recalls in almost all of their product lines... THIS IS THE ONLY BRAND MY CAT WILL EAT!
He will occasionally eat Purina Fancy Feast but not very often and I don't trust Purina either.
Would I honestly be better off feeding kibble? He does consume a lot of water when he is on kibble. Never had a urinary issue and he is a senior... I really want to keep him on canned but there is little to no options for Bo. Whether it is his fussiness, or the brands he does like are not trustworthy/have a horrible reputation.
I have tried raw and home cooked as well and there has been zero success. PLEASE HELP.... AGAIN!

I started freeding nutro and solid gold and soulistic now for my cats I recently opened a can of BG 6 and it looked kinda off no more of that i guess try Solid gold dry n wet and nutro wet only and soulistic

minka · Jan 10, 2013

Like was said.. It's not a brand issue, just that the can itself was defective. Happens to all kinds of items, whether it be pet OR human food. :nods:

absinthe · Jan 14, 2013

My wife and I spent lot of time agonizing over our cat's diet, and litter, and bedding, and toys, and shampoo, and everything else. It's too much anxiety and will lead you to ripping your hair out. Currently, here's what we feed our cat:

An appropriate amount of wet food (based on the cat's weight) twice a day (breakfast and dinner) "garnished" with a little organic wheat grass we grow ourselves. Our primary choice of tinned food is Merrick's non-fish flavours (Grammy's Pot Pie, Turduckin, Thanksgiving, etc...) and once or twice a week we'll give her BFF instead, which is a fish based food. During the day we leave out 1/4 cup of Orijen dried food. This is for two reasons. First, my wife and I are gone all day, sometimes 12 hours. Second, we want to keep our cat accustomed to dried food should we have to be away overnight. As an occasional treat we feed her a Blue Buffalo "Wild" treat as a reward for play, or some cooked (unseasoned) lean protein such as chicken or turkey (usually baked or boiled, never fried).

Is the mercury in the fish bad for our cat? Yes. Do I eat tuna? Yes, lots. Can Merrick's food contain mold or can BFF contain fish bones? Yes, no brand is perfect. You check non-perishables before YOU eat them, right? So check your cat's too. Humans produce all of this stuff, and as a human I can attest to how imperfect we are. What next? Getting my cat bottled water because I am worried about fluoride levels in tap water?

Some people would argue it is morally reprehensible to feed your cat tuna, which may contain mercury, because a cat cannot make the decision for itself to make the trade off between health and flavour. We as humans can, but as caretakers for our feline friends we ought to make the best, or at least the safest, choices for them. Either way, for better or worse, my cat and I will keep calm and carry on.

I don't trust Merrick now!!

carolina

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michelekittymom

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bluebo

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bluebo

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carolina

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minka

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bastfriend

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bluebo

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minka

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