I don't trust Merrick now!!

[bluebo]

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!

 

[Willowy]

If you go with kibble, which brand are you going to trust? :/

Honestly, sometimes we just have to pick the lesser evil. Whatever that is.

 

[miagi's_mommy]

Nevermind, I see you have tried raw with no success. Natural Balance is a pretty good food.

 

[bluebo]

I decided to put him on kibble. Healthwise has a perfect reputation despite being owned by P&G. I don't feel comfortable with grain free so I will be using a grain inclusive. Thank you for all of your help but unfortunately Merrick isn't a brand I will ever trust.

 

[Willowy]

Are you sure their reputation is spotless, or is it just a new brand that hasn't had time to garner complaints?

Honestly, knowing what I know about kibble now (mainly the problems caused by chronic dehydration), I don't think I could ever go back.

Interestingly, I got an ad to subscribe to Catnip (I think that one is Cornell University's newsletter? Or Tufts University, one of the 2), and the story they lead with is about feeding canned food. So don't be surprised if more brands/varieties of canned food come out soon, and more support from vets.

 

[bluebo]

It has been around for as long as Evo or Innova. It has no recalls that I have seen... no issues.
I'm tired of stressing out about my cats diet. He has never had any urinary issues on dry and drinks a LOT when on kibble. His poop is dry on kibble but it is JUST as dry on wet food.
What am I doing? Causing myself mental agony over a pet. I have other things to be doing with my life. I love him but he is not my ENTIRE life.
It isn't like I haven't tried. If I was just being lazy I can see why you might lecture me but I have tried my absolute best. I'm done fretting over it....
Chronic dehydration... I would think it depends on the cat. My cat drinks a lot in kibble.

 

[bluebo]

I appreciate everyone on here that has attempted to help me with Bo and his dietary requirements. I realized one very detrimental thing about myself recently... I have my priorities skewed.
My first and foremost priority is (should be) my God/family. I have not been acting like it by obsessing over my pets diet.
Pets are important and fulfill a need that some people have. It is something that I won't minimize for anyone. BUT it is not the end all be all in MY life.
When I am on my deathbed I will not be thinking about my pets...
I enjoy them but they are not children to me, I do not think of them that way. This is the difference between my views and many that join forums. Something that I cannot get past and has made me feel.... out of place.
I cannot prevent the fact that Bo is going to die one day. It is an obvious fact. Whether I feed kibble or canned or raw isn't going to change that.
While I am forced to respect how you all feel about your pets it is now obvious to me that my beliefs are VERY different.
If Bo began to have chronic urinary issues. I would euthanize him.
I have tried everything to feed him something different and it just isn't working.
Yet again- thank you all for trying to assist me
God bless.

 

[bastfriend]

Bluebo, it certainly comes down to an individual's beliefs but in my own life I've seen God act quite powerfully through the cats in my life and in others lives.   Sometimes to give love where it's needed, sometimes to teach lessons, and sometimes even to change the course of a life.    I won't claim that's only true about cats - I guess in the end that's true about all beings, animal and human we encounter.   I think we should just make a good faith effort to do the best we can for those we are responsible for and then let it go.   The pressure of making a perfect choice is too much for anyone!

About the Merrick, if you feel uneasy about it just every now and then buy a can of something different, try it out, see what happens without stress.   I'm sure Bo will let you know.    I think my cats enjoy the occasional "taste tests".

 

[minka]

I appreciate everyone on here that has attempted to help me with Bo and his dietary requirements. I realized one very detrimental thing about myself recently... I have my priorities skewed.
My first and foremost priority is (should be) my God/family. I have not been acting like it by obsessing over my pets diet.
Pets are important and fulfill a need that some people have. It is something that I won't minimize for anyone. BUT it is not the end all be all in MY life.
When I am on my deathbed I will not be thinking about my pets...
I enjoy them but they are not children to me, I do not think of them that way. This is the difference between my views and many that join forums. Something that I cannot get past and has made me feel.... out of place.
I cannot prevent the fact that Bo is going to die one day. It is an obvious fact. Whether I feed kibble or canned or raw isn't going to change that.
While I am forced to respect how you all feel about your pets it is now obvious to me that my beliefs are VERY different.
If Bo began to have chronic urinary issues. I would euthanize him.
I have tried everything to feed him something different and it just isn't working.
Yet again- thank you all for trying to assist me
God bless.

Bluebo, you may say this... but wouldn't you feel bad knowing that your cat's death was premature? That possibly by feeding wet, you could have prevented his death? Sure pets might not be people to you, but you still take on the responsibility to take care of them, just as you do when you have children.

I have been feeding Merrick for a year and I absolutely trust them. I think if you can afford Merrick, 100% go back to feeding it.
:nod:

 

[bluebo]

Bluebo, it certainly comes down to an individual's beliefs but in my own life I've seen God act quite powerfully through the cats in my life and in others lives.   Sometimes to give love where it's needed, sometimes to teach lessons, and sometimes even to change the course of a life.    I won't claim that's only true about cats - I guess in the end that's true about all beings, animal and human we encounter.   I think we should just make a good faith effort to do the best we can for those we are responsible for and then let it go.   The pressure of making a perfect choice is too much for anyone!

About the Merrick, if you feel uneasy about it just every now and then buy a can of something different, try it out, see what happens without stress.   I'm sure Bo will let you know.    I think my cats enjoy the occasional "taste tests".

I have literally tried everything, that is the issue.
He says to take care of the creatures in your ownership and I do that. I may keep on with the Merrick but I am wary now...

 

[bluebo]

Bluebo, you may say this... but wouldn't you feel bad knowing that your cat's death was premature? That possibly by feeding wet, you could have prevented his death? Sure pets might not be people to you, but you still take on the responsibility to take care of them, just as you do when you have children.
I have been feeding Merrick for a year and I absolutely trust them. I think if you can afford Merrick, 100% go back to feeding it.
:nod:

No I would not feel bad. I have other things that I am much more concerned about and as long as I do my personal utmost, that is ALL I am required (all I WANT) to do.
I feel awkward and strange when people believe that pets are rated the same as children ..... they are not.
The responsibility I have to my children is much more and much different then the responsibility I have to my pets. I DO take care of my pets and I will take care of them until their final breath. The implication that I don't is kind of rude and unfounded..?
I will not go into debt for my pet, I will not put my life savings into my pets, I will not mourn long periods for my pets, and I will no longer be obsessed with my pet's needs. I WILL feed my pets, I will provide basic veterinary care for my pet, I will provide affection and love for my pet and if there is a situation where my pets quality of life is seriously affected: I will end their lives.
Ironically, the longest lived cats on record have been fed kibble their entire lives.... there is no "preventing death", it is something we will all succumb to.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Hi Bluebo. I certainly understand your feelings about your pets vs your children. Pets are animals, not people, I agree. I do want to say, I hope you find a solution to the feeding issue that works for your cat.
Nothing is 100 percent foolproof. I think you will make the right decision based on your cats needs and your cat will love you for it.:nod:

 

[smitten4kittens]

I still trust Merrick. Obviously I won't be feeding the BG line while it has mold, but if I stopped feeding any company that ever had a recall there wouldn't be much left.

I think it also depends on the nature of the recall. It's not like they were using toxic ingredients to make more money. I will check into this recall to make sure it was just a specific batch and go from there on my decision. I'm not saying this mold doesn't make me nervous because it does, but nothing I feed them is guarenteed to be free of problems (even homemade).

 

[Willowy]

I've found mold/spoilage in packaged/canned human food, too, really anything can happen between the canning/packaging plant and my house. If we gave up on every product that has ever arrived at the consumer's house spoiled, we'd probably starve :tongue2:.

 

[bluebo]

I've found mold/spoilage in packaged/canned human food, too, really anything can happen between the canning/packaging plant and my house. If we gave up on every product that has ever arrived at the consumer's house spoiled, we'd probably starve :tongue2:.

That IS true Willowy. I suppose maybe I get too paranoid lol. I'll keep feeding Merrick but if I see mold on my cans, I'll probably freak out lol

 

[bluebo]

Hi Bluebo. I certainly understand your feelings about your pets vs your children. Pets are animals, not people, I agree. I do want to say, I hope you find a solution to the feeding issue that works for your cat.
Nothing is 100 percent foolproof. I think you will make the right decision based on your cats needs and your cat will love you for it.:nod:

Thank you for not crucifying me for being frank. Don't get me wrong- I love my boy, but I am actually losing sleep over this now. I had about 2-3 hours last night lol.

 

[smitten4kittens]

I've found mold/spoilage in packaged/canned human food, too, really anything can happen between the canning/packaging plant and my house. If we gave up on every product that has ever arrived at the consumer's house spoiled, we'd probably starve

.

Exactly. Mold is a natural occurance and could grow on any food, human or pet. It doesn't mean they are a bad company.

 

[carolina]

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!

Are they having problems nationwide, or is this that isolated case from California Susan Thixton posted on her blog?
Because IMHO mold can happen, and it has happened to me with another brand.... all it takes is the package to have a minuscule damage on shipping..... and voila. Mold starts growing.

 

[bluebo]

Are they having problems nationwide, or is this that isolated case from California Susan Thixton posted on her blog?
Because IMHO mold can happen, and it has happened to me with another brand.... all it takes is the package to have a minuscule damage on shipping..... and voila. Mold starts growing.

Very true.

 

[minka]

No I would not feel bad. I have other things that I am much more concerned about and as long as I do my personal utmost, that is ALL I am required (all I WANT) to do.
I feel awkward and strange when people believe that pets are rated the same as children ..... they are not.
The responsibility I have to my children is much more and much different then the responsibility I have to my pets. I DO take care of my pets and I will take care of them until their final breath. The implication that I don't is kind of rude and unfounded..?
I will not go into debt for my pet, I will not put my life savings into my pets, I will not mourn long periods for my pets, and I will no longer be obsessed with my pet's needs. I WILL feed my pets, I will provide basic veterinary care for my pet, I will provide affection and love for my pet and if there is a situation where my pets quality of life is seriously affected: I will end their lives.
Ironically, the longest lived cats on record have been fed kibble their entire lives.... there is no "preventing death", it is something we will all succumb to.

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.