tracmd's Full Review: Merrick Pet Foods Grammy's Pot Pie for Cats
During the frightening and lengthy time when it seemed like pet foods were being recalled left and right, I began to fully take stock of what my precious Boo-Boo eats. Boo-Boo is my feline child, and I was scared by the news stories day after day mentioning cats and dogs dying. I scoured the internet, to find out what foods were and were not made by Menu foods (a supposed leading culprit), and what foods did and did not contain glutens (also a supposed culprit). Since Boo-Boo was on dry and canned foods manufactured by companies that had some foods recalled, I wanted to opt for things that were entirely different. Luckily, I came across Merrick Pet Foods canned soft food for cats. One of the flavors that I chose was Grammy's Pot Pie.
Why I felt safe going with Merrick
According to thepetfoodlist.com, an exceedingly helpful website during my exploration of safe pet foods, Merrick stood out as a clear potential winner. The information on the site was verified by Merrick on 3/07. The information was:
-Their only brand is Merrick
-No products made by Menu Foods
-All Merrick foods, dry, canned, and treats are made in their own facility.
-All ingredients are from the US
-Products do not contain wheat gluten
After reading this, I decided to do some more investigation, and promptly went to the merrickpetcare.com website. This is the website for Merrick foods. As I read page after page, I became further intrigued by the company. The company is family owned, and tries to keep their processing as simplistic as possible. They also stated on their website that they do not use any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The ingredients are considered human grade, and the resulting products are categorized as "gourmet." I'm by no means a gourmet myself, but I felt that Boo-Boo deserved the best. So, off I went to the local Cutter's Mill (a natural pet supply store).
Just to reaffirm my thoughts on Merrick, I decided to ask one of the employees what she knew about the product line, and what other customers seemed to say about it. She said that it is an extremely popular food line, has a significant following, and is great, high quality food. Well, that sealed the deal for me, so I picked up a few 3.2 cans of Grammy's Pot Pie for my furry baby. I don't recall what I paid for that size, but I now spend $1.09 per 5.5 oz. can.
Nutrition
As I mentioned, Grammy's Pot Pie for Cats has human grade ingredients. The label on the can states that it is for cats and kittens. It also states that it is a Low Glycemic food, as certified by the Glycemic Research Institute in Washington D.C. Here are the rest of the nutritional facts:
"Grammy's Pot Pie is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food nutrient profiles for all life stages."
I was very impressed when I read the ingredients on the label. Frankly, it seemed like it was a healthier and more balanced meal in some respect than what I sometimes eat. Plus, it actually seemed tasty to me, as sick as that may sound. A couple of things jumped out at me, too. First, the first ingredient is Chicken, not Chicken Meal. Secondly, I liked that there was no gluten in it, period. My husband and I often joke that Boo-Boo thinks he's a dog. Whenever a speck of food falls from the kitchen table while we're eating, he's there to eat it up. I thought that this would be a great opportunity for him to try something that would be good for him, and resembles human food.
The Experience (the human perspective)
The can is very easy to open, with a pull tab lid. When I first opened the can, I was immediately impressed with the smell. With past soft foods, I would sometimes get nauseated by their strong odor. It just never seemed appealing to me. This food has a much milder smell. Does it smell like a pot pie I would eat? No. But, it definitely smells much more appealing than the more easily found soft foods. In fact, it smells a bit like a slightly less appetizing chicken soup.
The food is a light tan color and is much less dense than other foods we had tried. Instead of being like a pile of mush, this food has definite pieces in it. I could see small pieces of carrots and peas. Also, the food is bumpier and has more liquid in it. It is what I would envision if I took the insides of a chicken pot pie and put them in the blender.
I scooped up some of the food, put it on a plate for Boo, and stood back to let it do its magic (hopefully).
The Experience (the cat perspective)
Ok, so I don't really know what Boo Boo actually thought of the food. However, I do know this. Boo-Boo ate that food up so quickly that if I turned my head for less than a minute, I would have missed it. He cleaned that plate almost as well as my dishwasher. I deduced that he loved it. Now, the key was to see if he had any adverse reaction to it. Boo-Boo reacted fine to the food, and it appeared to rest calmly in his belly.
Because he loved the food so much, I decided to buy more, and went for the larger 5.5 oz cans after we used up what I had already bought. We started to give him 1/4 of the larger can each morning. Well, now we are up to 1/3 of a can first thing in the morning, and another 1/3 in the evening after our dinner. He loves the stuff! Every morning, when our alarm goes off, Boo-Boo jumps on our bed and begins his meowing. He will meow until he gets his Grammy's Pot Pie. Yeah, he's a tad bit spoiled. OK, a bit more than a tad. But, we don't mind so much.
Results on Boo-Boo's health
Prior to Boo-Boo's food switch, he was 11 lbs. and had a problem with his anal glands. His anal glands would get build-up in them, and would have to be expressed every few months. Let me just say, this was extremely unpleasant for him, and very upsetting for me to watch. Since he has been on his new foods, he has lost 1 1/2 lbs. (so he looks more lithe), and his anal glands have cleared up. His vet said just last month at his annual visit that "he actually looks like he has a normal butt now." Plus, it seems that he is less lethargic. He has more bouts of kitten-like behavior, which really makes me happy to see.
Since we switched Boo-Boo's soft and hard foods, it is impossible for us to determine if it is one food over the other, or the combination that helped his health. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if it is the combination.
Overall Assessment
I am extremely satisfied with Grammy's Pot Pie by Merrick, as is my cat. The ingredients are top notch, it is apparently tasty, and it seems to have contributed to Boo-Boo's improved health. It is pricey, but I feel it provides terrific value and is hence worth it.
Each signature dish combines a human grade protein source as the number one ingredient, which is paired with vegetables and fruits along with whole gr...More at J-B Wholesale Pet Supplies, Inc
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