Merrick Backcountry Wet Cat Food Review

Merrick Backcountry wet cat food receives the Cat Food Advisor rating, 4.5 stars.

Merrick Backcountry wet cat food uses high-quality protein, freshly-caught fish in its products. The recipes are grain free with added vitamins, minerals and taurine. An essential amino acid for cats associated with the healthy function of the heart muscle and eyesight.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Merrick Backcountry wet product line has 11 wet cat foods.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Grain Free Kitten Recipe Cuts with Chicken & Duck in Gravy Wet Recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is deboned chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”. ¹

Chicken is naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.

The second ingredient is chicken broth. Chicken broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a cat food, they are a common component in many wet products.

The third ingredient is duck broth. Duck broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a cat food, they are a common component in many wet products.

The fourth ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fifth ingredient is deboned duck. Duck is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of duck”. ²

Just like chicken, duck is also naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.

The sixth ingredient is dried egg whites. Eggs are highly digestible and an excellent source of usable protein.

The seventh ingredient is potato starch. Potato starch is a gluten-free carbohydrate of only modest nutritional value to a cat.

The eighth ingredient is natural flavor. Natural flavors doesn’t give us much information about the particular ingredients included in this cat food for flavoring purposes.  

We’re pleased that the flavorings used are natural, but more details are required to give any further information about these natural flavoring ingredients. Flavorings are used to make the foods more appealing and tasty for our cats.

From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.

This recipe receives a 4.5–star rating.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Kitten Recipe Cuts with Chicken & Duck in Gravy recipe looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 50%, a fat level of 21.1% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 20.9%, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 42%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 47.7% and a mean fat level of 17.4%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 26.9% for the overall product line, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 37%.

This means the Merrick Backcountry wet product line contains above-average protein, below-average carbs and above-average fat when compared to typical wet cat food.

Has Merrick Backcountry cat food been recalled in the past?

Yes, Merrick has had two recalls, these were limited to its treats. You can read the full details on the Dog Food Advisor but in summary:

In January 2010, the company issued a voluntary recall out of fear that its beef treats were contaminated with salmonella. No animals were reported sick as a result of eating the treats, but Merrick issued subsequent recalls for the same reason several times that year and into 2011.

In 2018, it recalled a wide range of treats due to elevated levels of a naturally-occurring beef thyroid hormone. This wasn’t a life-threatening issue, but one dog became ill as a result of eating the treats (that animal later made a full recovery).

You can view a complete list of all cat food recalls since 2021 here.

To stay on top of any cat food product recalls, sign up for our free email alerts, here.

About

Merrick was founded in 1988 in Garth Merrick’s family kitchen in Hereford, Texas. Garth began home cooking for his beloved dog, Gracie, to make sure she was eating the most nutritious and wholesome food possible. 

Nestle Purina Petcare purchased Merrick in July 2015.