Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Real Duck Pate Recipe Canned Cat Food, 5-oz, case of 24

I chose this food a while ago because it is fish-free and carrageenan free. It seemed to be working well for my cat. However, as other reviewers have noted, the quality/formula is inconsistent between batches. The recent batch I ordered had a weird sticky consistency and after trying several cans, my cat just leaves most of his food untouched (as opposed to previous batches where he usually ate all or most of it). Unfortunately, I am now on the search yet again for a reasonably priced fish-free wet food.

My 15 year old cat has had IBD for almost three years. We have been feeding her Hills DD for most of that time on our previous vet's advice. I was unable to get DD wet food in 2020-it was out of stock everywhere. She was down to five pounds so I REALLY did not want to change her food but had no choice. I bought this kind and another kind of limited ingredient duck food. She preferred this one. I was shocked that she also started gaining weight and is much more lively after the switch! I can't promise you will have the same results but I wanted to share.

My cat loved this food and for a few years I was ordering this with no problem. I stopped when the cans kept coming dented. Like every can in the box. How is that possible? It happened twice until I decided to just stop purchasing it. The texture of the pate was also becoming inconsistent. Not sure what happened to this brand but I wouldn’t recommend it anymore.

I was looking for single-ingredient foods for my cats, per my vets' instructions. Nothing seafood-related, etc. I'm starting to feel like a cat nutritionist. It's not as fun as it sounds. (ha!) AND...it's stupidly expensive. I sure miss the old days when my barn cats ate what they caught and whatever cheap brand of food someone happened to pick up at the store. Of course, there was a difference. Their lifespans were half that of what our house cats are! So...single ingredient it is, but not this brand. They won't even touch it.

After a year of feeding this duck pate to my two allergenic cats, we have seen an end to their constant scratching but an incredible increase in cases with 75% very dented cans. And now I am receiving shipments of pourable puréed “Merrick duck soup for cats.” The food flows right out of the cans - no spooning necessary. Is water being used as a cheap “extender”, rather than throwing in more pea protein or alfalfa? And this slurry is supposedly “Moisture (max)78%”? Hard to believe. The search for a new brand begins.

So far the only cat food I found that has no fish or fish oil in it. My cat Isabelle is highly allergic to anything seafood including omega 3's. She also loves it.

I thought I hit gold with this food at first, as my senior cat has a couple of food allergies and is generally quite picky, but started noticing huge variations in smell and texture with every batch I received (varying from normal, to smelling and looking a little off, to noticeably rancid). Chewy has been incredible in their service and response to the questions and concerns I’ve raised, but as the issue has progressed through a number of autoship orders, I’m not sure I can trust Merrick’s quality control moving forward.

Chewy is always priced well, dependable and quick to deliver!!!

Very soft, mousse-like texture. My three cats liked it. Would be bad to hide pills in (too soft).

I am still trying to figure out how ALL 24 cans were smashed or dented when it's shipped w so much cardboard. Packed that way? For the price, it was unacceptable.