Merrick built its reputation on real deboned meat at the top of the ingredient list, back when that was less common than it is now.
Then Nestlé Purina bought the company, and a lot of owners assumed the food would quietly get worse.
That is the interesting question here, and the answer is more reassuring than the internet generally allows.
- Merrick Purrfect Bistro recipes list deboned meat first, followed by chicken meal, turkey meal, and dried egg product.
- The Purrfect Bistro cat line has a clean recall record.
- Merrick recalled treat products twice in 2011 for possible salmonella, and dog treats in May 2018 over elevated beef thyroid hormone.
- Nestlé Purina acquired Merrick Pet Care in 2015, and the Purrfect Bistro formulation has not visibly changed since.
- Some Merrick recipes contain salmon and dried egg, which are among the more common feline allergens.
Our Top Picks
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Cat Food, 12-lb bag
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy Adult Chicken Cat Food, 12-lb
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Savory Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe in Rich Gravy Wet Cat Food, 3-oz can, case of 24
Merrick Purrfect Bistro range compared
| Product | Best for | Size | Price | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Cat Food, 12-lb bag | Best overall | Dry bag | $42.99 | Grain-free chicken |
| Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy Adult Chicken Cat Food, 12-lb | Best with grains | Dry bag | $43.98 | Healthy Adult |
| Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Cat Food, 12-lb bag | Best fish recipe | Dry bag | $42.99 | Grain-free salmon |
| Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Lamb & Carrots Recipe Dry Cat Food, 12-lb bag | Best novel protein | Dry bag | $42.99 | Grain-free lamb |
| Merrick Purrfect Bistro Savory Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe in Rich Gravy Wet Cat Food, 3-oz can, case of 24 | Best wet food | Case | $42.99 | Wet salmon |
| Merrick Purrfect Bistro Simmered Beef, Tomato & Wild Rice Recipe Grilled Wet Cat Food, 3-oz can, case of 24 | Best red meat option | Case | $47.92 | Wet beef |
Did Purina ownership change the food?
Nestlé Purina acquired Merrick Pet Care in 2015, and this is the first thing owners ask, usually expecting bad news.
On the evidence, the formulation has not visibly changed. Purrfect Bistro still opens with deboned meat, still uses named meat meals rather than generic ones, and still avoids the corn-led structure that characterises Purina’s budget brands. Large companies buy premium brands to access that market segment, and gutting the recipe would destroy the reason for the purchase.
There is a reasonable counterargument: corporate ownership means cost pressure over time, and formulations can drift slowly in ways that are hard to notice. That is worth watching rather than assuming, and the way to watch it is to read the ingredient panel on the bag you actually buy rather than trusting a review written years earlier, including this one.
The practical upside of the acquisition is that Merrick now benefits from Purina’s manufacturing and quality-control infrastructure, which is genuinely extensive.
The recall record, split properly
Merrick’s recall history needs separating between cat food and everything else, because the headline number is misleading.
- Purrfect Bistro cat food: clean record.
- 2011: two separate recalls of treat product lines over possible salmonella contamination.
- May 2018: multiple dog treats recalled over potentially elevated beef thyroid hormone.
So the cat food line itself has not been recalled, while the treat and dog sides have. That is a meaningfully better position than a brand with cat food recalls, and a fair thing to weigh against brands like Acana and Farmina with no recalls at all. Check current status yourself in the FDA recall database.
The 6 Merrick products, reviewed
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Cat Food, 12-lb bag: best overall
Purrfect Bistro grain-free chicken and sweet potato is the flagship. Deboned chicken leads, with chicken meal, turkey meal and dried egg near the top, which is a genuinely meat-forward opening to an ingredient list. Priced in the upper-middle rather than the premium tier, which makes it good value for the formulation.
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy Adult Chicken Cat Food, 12-lb: best with grains
The Healthy Adult chicken recipe includes grains rather than avoiding them. Worth saying that grain-free is a preference and not an automatic upgrade for most cats, and a well formulated grain-inclusive food is not a compromise. Choose on your cat rather than on the label.
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Cat Food, 12-lb bag: best fish recipe
Grain-free salmon and sweet potato. Note that deboned salmon and dried egg are among the more common feline allergens, so if your cat has shown a sensitivity this is not the recipe to start with. For a cat with no known issues it is a good rotation option.
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Lamb & Carrots Recipe Dry Cat Food, 12-lb bag: best novel protein
Grain-free lamb and carrots. Lamb is uncommon enough in cat food to be genuinely useful in a rotation, or as part of an elimination trial run with your vet. Same meat-led structure as the rest of the Purrfect Bistro dry range.
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Savory Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe in Rich Gravy Wet Cat Food, 3-oz can, case of 24: best wet food
Savory salmon and sweet potato in a can. Merrick’s wet range carries the same philosophy as the kibble and adds the moisture that dry food cannot. Adding wet food to any dry diet is the single highest-value change most owners can make.
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Simmered Beef, Tomato & Wild Rice Recipe Grilled Wet Cat Food, 3-oz can, case of 24: best red meat option
Simmered beef with tomato and wild rice. Beef is less common than poultry or fish in cat food, which makes it useful for variety. The most expensive item here, and worth buying as part of a rotation rather than as the everyday can.
The allergen point worth knowing
Several Merrick recipes include deboned salmon and dried egg product. Both are nutritious and both are among the more commonly reported feline food allergens.
This matters only if your cat has shown signs of a food sensitivity: itching, recurring ear problems, or persistent digestive upset. In that case start with the lamb recipe rather than the salmon, and run any elimination trial with your vet rather than guessing. The Cornell Feline Health Center explains how food allergy trials are structured.
For a cat with no history of sensitivity, neither ingredient is a reason to avoid the food.
Who should buy Merrick
Buy it if you want meat-led food without paying top-tier prices. Merrick sits in a useful gap: better formulated than the mid-market brands, cheaper than Orijen or Ziwi, with a clean cat recall record.
Skip it if you specifically want a brand with no recalls anywhere in its history, or if your cat reacts to salmon or egg. Compare with our best dry cat food picks and the best wet options.
The bottom line on Merrick
Merrick is a good food that has held its standards through a corporate acquisition, which is more than can be said for some brands in the same position. Deboned meat first, named meat meals, both grain-free and grain-inclusive options, and no recall on the cat line.
It is not the meatiest food available and it does not have a spotless company-wide record, but at this price neither of those is a serious complaint. Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Cat Food, 12-lb bag is the sensible starting bag. This article is educational rather than veterinary advice.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Merrick a good cat food?
Merrick is a good upper-middle cat food. Purrfect Bistro recipes lead with deboned meat followed by named meat meals and dried egg, offer both grain-free and grain-inclusive options, and the cat line has a clean recall record.
Q: Has Merrick cat food been recalled?
The Purrfect Bistro cat food line has a clean recall record. Merrick recalled treat products twice in 2011 over possible salmonella, and dog treats in May 2018 over potentially elevated beef thyroid hormone.
Q: Who owns Merrick cat food?
Nestlé Purina acquired Merrick Pet Care in 2015. The Purrfect Bistro formulation has not visibly changed since, still leading with deboned meat and named meat meals rather than the corn-led structure of Purina’s budget brands.
Q: Did Merrick get worse after Purina bought it?
On the evidence of the ingredient panels, no. Purrfect Bistro still opens with deboned meat and uses named meat meals. Corporate ownership does create long-term cost pressure, so reading the panel on the bag you buy is sensible with any brand.
Q: Is Merrick grain-free cat food better?
Not necessarily. Merrick makes both grain-free and grain-inclusive recipes, and grain-free is a preference rather than an automatic upgrade for most healthy cats. What matters more is overall protein quality and carbohydrate level.
Q: Does Merrick cat food contain allergens?
Several Merrick recipes contain deboned salmon and dried egg product, both of which are among the more commonly reported feline food allergens. This only matters if your cat has shown signs of a sensitivity, in which case the lamb recipe is a better starting point.
Q: Is Merrick better than Acana?
Acana carries a higher percentage of animal ingredients and has never been recalled anywhere in its history, while Merrick is cheaper and has a clean record specifically on its cat line. Acana is the stronger formulation; Merrick is better value.
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