Satisfy Your Cat's Wild Cravings with Merrick Backcountry

One of the hardest decisions a person must make when bringing felines into their home is what type of food to feed in order to maintain health, happiness, and proper nutrition for a cat's dietary needs. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they rely on nutrients found only in animal products. Cats evolved as hunters that consume prey that contains high amounts of protein, moderate amounts of fat, and a minimal amount of carbohydrates. The modern house cat still requires these general proportions today. Cats also require more than a dozen additional nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, 2017).

Brulee enjoying her Merrick® Backcountry™ Rabbit Recipe

We've been fans of Merrick cat food for a long time (back when Sweet Praline lived with Mom Paula).  We've tried many of the recipes from what is now the Purrfect Bistro® line of cat food and were excited to try some of the food from the Backcountry™ line when it was launched in 2016. At that time, we were eating the chicken, turkey, and duck recipes. Mom Paula has always said we eat a "feather" diet. We were introduced to the Real Rabbit Recipe Cuts at that time and liked it. Of course Truffle gobbled it up and Brulee lapped up the gravy and tended to leave the large cuts of rabbit. The wet formulas of Backcountry wet recipes were in pouches and included cuts of meat with gravy. Recently, Merrick began offering their Backcountry formulas in cans in the form of a pate.

Truffle waiting to see which recipe of Merrick Backcountry wet food will be opened.

The Merrick Backcountry Pate offers cats a complete and balanced nutrition that includes the necessary moisture they need. Real deboned meat is always the first ingredient because high-quality protein helps build and maintain healthy muscle tissue and energy levels. All Merrick recipes are crafted in Hereford, TX kitchen and cooked in USA facilities that uphold strict FDA guidelines. The Backcountry Pate recipes are available in rabbit, chicken, turkey, salmon, duck, and beef. The newest formulas are rabbit, salmon, turkey, kitten chicken, and mature chicken. 

The Backcountry recipes are formulated with prebiotics and probiotics to help with digestive tract health. They are grain-free and are made with natural ingredients that are free from artificial flavors and colors.

Truffle eating the Merrick Backcountry Real Rabbit Recipe Cuts

Even though Truffle and Brulee have eaten many varieties of the "feather" diet, I wanted to begin feeding them a rotation diet of a variety of proteins. They really don't like tuna or beef. I've tried some of the "wild game" type food with them and they weren't fans. They do like some brands/recipes of salmon, but I don't feed fish to them more than once a week. The newest protein in our home is rabbit. Very few companies carry rabbit recipes. I'd already fed the girls the Backcountry Real Rabbit Recipe cuts in the past and was wandering through the cat food aisles in a local pet food store and discovered Merrick had added canned pate recipes to their line of food and one of the recipes was rabbit. I purchased a couple of cans to try with the girls. To my delight, both Truffle and Brulee (Yay!) gobbled it up. Even though it was a pate, I've learned to use a fork to break it down for Brulee, and she loves it. The girls get rabbit food 1-2 times a week and it's usually a huge treat for them.

When I met up with the Merrick representatives at Global Pet Expo this year, I told them what a hit the new Backcountry canned pate recipes were with Truffle and Brulee and asked if I could review these new formulas with our readers. Since I'd worked with Merrick in the past, they were more than willing to send us some of the Backcountry pates to try. I chose to sample the real rabbit and the mature chicken recipes for this review.

Brulee enjoying the Merrick Backcountry Real Rabbit Pate cat food

I must say that every time I feed the girls any of the Merrick Backcountry recipes, whether it's the cuts or the pate, they immediately begin eating the food and usually clean their plates. This is one of the few brands/recipes of wet food that both Truffle and Brulee will eat. Truffle is still eating a prescription kibble to help prevent future bladder stones, but I must feed her a high-quality, high-protein wet diet to keep her hydrated and meet all of her nutritional needs to help maintain her beautiful Persian coat and other unique needs of Persian cats. The bonus is that both girls love the food.

I look forward to trying the other Backcountry pate recipes. I like there is such a variety that the girls can eat a different protein each day of the week. This helps ensure they get all of the nutrients, taurine, vitamins, and minerals they need and don't get bored with their food.

Merrick promises your cats will love the taste of their food and be happier and healthier. If you or your pet are not 100% totally satisfied with the Merrick food, you can return it and get your money back. 

Merrick partners with and supports local and national organization that share their passion for pets, including K9s For Warriors, PAWS Chicago, Austin Pets Alive!, Tree House Human Society, and San Antonio Pets Alive!.

Brulee examines the Merrick Backcountry Real Rabbit Pate

Giveaway

We're excited to announce that two of our readers (1 cat and 1 dog) have the opportunity to win a case of Merrick® Backcountry™ wet food (choice of flavor and recipe - cuts or pate).  No purchase necessary. The giveaway is open to residents of the United States 18+ years, except where prohibited by law. The giveaway will run from August 16-30, ending at 11:59 pm ET. The winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org) and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim her prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize and a new winner will be randomly chosen. To qualify for the giveaway, a comment must be left on our blog post.  Other entry options are available after a comment is left.  Please check your email and be sure to add sweetpurrfections@sc.rr.com to your address book! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone who enters! To stay up to date with Merrick®, make sure to follow them on social media. 

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Reference

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (July 2017). Feeding Your Cat. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/feeding-your-cat.