# I contacted Merrick....



## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

to ask about the rumors of them phasing out Before Grain and I'm devastated to say, it's true.

BG Beef was one of my main rotation foods and I fed it OFTEN. Their new line does NOT have a grain free/chicken free pate. All the beef flavors contain chicken except for the Cowboy Cookout which isn't a pate.

Looks like I need to find that Wild Calling or Dave's to replace Merrick in my rotation. :-|

Here is there response to my email:

Hello Kristina,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We did have a revolution with our products and upgraded many of our ingredients to even higher qualities to insure a better and healthier product for your pets. We are currently introducing our new Purrfect Bistro line of cat food. 

We do offer a before grain beef Pate but it does contain deboned chicken and chicken liver so I don’t believe this new food will work for you. I did look at all of the ingredients and they all both dry and wet contain some type chicken in them. I am very sorry. I would be happy to pass on your concerns about our new food line. If you need anything further, please contact us again. Have a wonderful day.

Have a wonderful day!

Respectfully,
Kathryn Platt

Pet Parent Relations, Merrick Pet Care, Inc.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

I contacted them about a month ago and got the same response, that's why I bought two cases of the quail/chicken. 

I asked specifically about the quail and if they had plans for anymore quail versions as they're the only company with quail and they do not plan on it. They cited it was too hard to come by/popularity as the issue (whether too popular or not popular enough I'm still undecided on, all my cats love it).

Very disappointing, they're getting rid of some of the Merrick foods too.

If you check here you can see everything they're eliminating:
New Recipes for Cat | Merrick Premium Natural Dog & Cat Food


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I just bought up a bunch of the before grain turkey at Petco yesterday, they had it all marked down to 1.00 a can, so I bought a ton of it. I have never even fed it to my cats, but it was such a good deal, I couldn't pass it up. Two of my cats are used to me rotating foods, and lately, I have fed Stephano some Halo chicken with no problems, so I'm thinking he will be ok, but I'll go slowly. They did not have any more of the quail or chicken, just beef and turkey. Hopefully it will go over well with my cats, they have been eating wellness grain free, but have eaten halo, natural balance, weruva and instinct with no problems, and they have had the occasional chicken pot pie from merrick also, which they loved. I did also get a few of the new stuff merrick is making now.....at least I think it is new, it looked like a can I had never seen, so I'm curious to try that out and see how the cats like it.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

This is encouraging. I get paid on Tuesday so I'll run over to Petco and see if they have any beef flavor on sale. I'll buy them out. Maybe I'll get a cheap month of food out of it to ease the sting of having to find a replacement.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

Yeah, unfortunately this has been more than a rumor for awhile.  As of when this discussion first came up on the forum, Merrick had already posted that chart of what's replacing what.

Last time I was at the pet food store I stocked up on the Chicken & Quail flavor. Losing the rest won't be a big deal for the boys because we can get it from other companies, but they really like that one and there aren't many places to buy quail.

The clerk at my store said there won't be a quail recipe in the new line because it's becoming too difficult and expensive to source. Based on the chart on the website, she seems to be right that quail is out of their lineup.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

When everyone started talking about it I was assuming it would be a good thing for us. That their might be more options I could feed my boys....it never occurred to me they would eliminate my options completely.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

MowMow said:


> When everyone started talking about it I was assuming it would be a good thing for us. That their might be more options I could feed my boys....it never occurred to me they would eliminate my options completely.


That's interesting, because I was instantly suspicious.  The way they were marketing it made it seem more like a replacement for BG than a complimentary line. I hate being right sometimes..


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

We love the quail, too ! I was unhappy when they changed from quail to quail/chicken, now it will be gone altogether. I did buy some of the Wild Calling pheasant, perhaps that will be a good substitute...

[And the way things go in the corporate world, I am surprised they didn't announce it as the "New 2013 Quail Enhancement Product Line"....*humph*.]

Fran


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## RockyandLily (Aug 2, 2012)

Our Petco store had all that is getting a new look/being phased out on clearance. The little cans were .88 and they still had tons of all the flavors, except the dry... someone bought up all the clearance chicken .


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## AaronR1074 (Dec 11, 2012)

Can somebody post the link to whats being dicsontinued? Ive been using BG chicken Pate and need to know if I can still get it.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Before grain is no more. The entire line is discontinued. They have a grain free chicken pate in the new line so you're good. Here is your new food: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consu...s=Cat-Purrfect Bistro-Wet&age=All_Life_Stages

I hit Petco today hoping to score a few cases of the BG Beef for MowMow. They had all the BG on clearance for .88/5.5 oz can. No Beef though, darnit.
I may go back and buy a few cases of the chicken for Book. It's so freaking cheap I should have got it for him.


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

Interesting.
I bought 3 cases of the beef and 2 cases of the chicken some time back. My cats ate 2 cans of the beef, so I ordered the cases. Opened the first can out of the case and they wouldn't touch it. I finally donated a case of the beef and a case of the chicken. I still have several cases and DH was going to use it as crab bait...again.

I wish mfg. would "get" cat behavior and understand that altering formula and discontinuing things causes great angst for the felines AND their owners.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Well, it's time consuming to find a replacement for its spot in my rotation, but it's not causing any real "angst". This is one of the reasons I feed a rotation of different foods, so my boys don't become so obsessed with any one brand it's a crisis situation when it changes/is discontinued.

It just annoys me that I had to replace 2 foods in a month (BG and Evo).


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## molldee (May 19, 2013)

I work at a pet store, and I saved some BG Turkey for me! People must know they're stopping that line because all the cans are now gone, except for the Salmon.


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## Weezle (Mar 3, 2013)

I was about to switch to BG Dry. The wet is still up in the air regarding price point and if my cats will eat it. But now dry is up in the air as well. I don't know fi the purrrfect bistro is really what I want. I will see when I go to the store tonight, though. 

Thanks for the heads up. 


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

this sucks for me as i was going to try them!

But, as far as pate textures, that means no chunks right? Would it say so right on the label? ive just always bought the "classic" ones, with grain and chunks. Considering trying some other items in the merrick line too. They always eat around the chunks anyway...


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I came into a little extra money this week so I hit Petco and all the local mom and pop shops to see if they had BG on sale.

I cleared out the shelves at Petco (which were already pretty thinned out).
The 3oz cans were .79 and the 5.5oz were 1.10. I checked all the expiration dates to be sure we'd use them on time.

The first mom and pop store didn't have any of the BG beef but I scored a case of the chicken for Book for 15.00.

Second mom and pop store had ONE case of beef and I scored it for 16.00. I also talked to them about Wild Calling. He said they'd be getting it pretty soon and that he also questioned his distributor about the the liver on the labeling. His distributor told him that it is whatever protein is listed on the label. I'd still like verification from Wild Calling about it though.

At least I won't have to buy cat food for a few months AND I can stop feeding MowMow that **** California Naturals. He's starting to gas me out of the apartment eating that stuff.


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## Weezle (Mar 3, 2013)

I also went out and bought what I could get my hands on. The cats love it. Unfortunately, I will have to switch there something new soon.  


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

Our Petco is already all cleaned out, there were a total of three cans left, two Tuna and one Beef. The whole rest of the shelf was empty. 

Fran


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Not sure if it would be the same, but the new purrfect bistro ones do say grain free... Maybe a good substitute?


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

Perfect Bistro contains more non-meat ingredients than the old Before Grain line did - for example, most of them have alfalfa and some have potatoes. That's kind of disappointing.

However, it's still not a _bad_ food, it's just not as good as it was. I bought a few cans to see if my cats like them. I wouldn't personally feed Purrfect Bistro exclusively but I'm considering keeping it in my rotation from time to time.


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## marie5890 (May 18, 2011)

Consider canned cat food to continue to change as they try to keep prices down. I work in agriculture and the cost to raise poultry, beef, etc is becoming more and more expensive. Going thru the roof actually. Esp considering the weather patterns of severe flooding and severe drought. Raising feed to feed the poultry and herds is getting tough...

Thank you, global warming....


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## MB70 (Apr 1, 2012)

We've transitioned from the BG chicken and turkey pate's to the new Purrfect Bistro chicken and turkey pate's just fine. In fact, Inky goes NUTS when I open a can. I was initially bummed they were getting rid of the BG, but the new line is ( at least the 2 I feed) fine. Only a few ingredients I am not thrilled with, cranberries and alfalfa ( which I am not even sure what it does...guess I'll google it) but they did add salmon oil and I assume they have less fat. This line has less veggies than a lot of big brands like Wellness. 
Hopefully, the food gurus on here can do the carb count on this line


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

I wonder why cranberries? Hmm... or alfalfa? Wonder if the cranberries are supposed to be addressing urinary concerns? I think people drink/eat cranberries to avoid infections...


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## Mar (Jun 22, 2013)

oh no! before grain was going to be one of my cat food choices! this is such a disappointment...

however, cosette hates beef and really enjoys chicken, so maybe this won't be that bad...


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

MB70 said:


> This line has less veggies than a lot of big brands like Wellness.


It may have less types of veggies, but the actual amount could be the same....especially since the protein, fat, fiber and moisture are exactly the same for both foods. 

I really don't understand why people are so hung up on a little fruits and veggies in a cat food. Sure they strictly don't need them, but the amount is minute and it certainly won't hurt them as some other ingredients will. Yes, there is such a thing as too many fruits and veggies. But I certainly wouldn't let the amount that are in a food like Wellness be any influence over my choice.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

Well, it turns out my cats _love_ Purrfect Bistro! I was kind of surprised - they actually seem more enthusiastic about it than they were for Before Grain. So, good reviews from our house and I'm keeping it in my rotation.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

MowMow said:


> BG Beef was one of my main rotation foods and I fed it OFTEN.


I stopped by the local PetCo and they had clearance BG. I bought some chicken and some quail/chicken (I think?) for the girls just based on what I've heard on this forum. If they don't like it, it'll go to good use at the shelter.

MowMow, they had at least a dozen 5.5 oz cans of BG beef at $1.09. If it's one of the boys' faves and you're willing to split shipping costs (I'm sure it won't be cheap), I could send some out. Just cuz Book rocks.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I just bought 20 cans of bg and merrick cat food for 70 cents a can! I'm super excited, now I have food for a long while!


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## Julz (Feb 17, 2011)

Sorry to bump an old thread but I had a question about this. I had no idea this was happening and I was feeding my boys BG chicken kibble as a supplement to the Nature's Variety Instinct canned. I stopped into Petco on my lunch half hour today to pick up more as I was out and this Bistro stuff was all they had. I'm hoping I'm doing the math wrong but is it really two pounds less but the same price as the 6lb bags were? I'm not really pleased about that part. It's bad enough my boys won't eat any canned food that doesn't cost $2.50+ but now their kibble went up too. I was sad. What brand would be considered comparable to BG chicken that's a bit cheaper?


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I'm not sure, but if you're not already, get on the petco PALS card. I just got a 5 dollar coupon on any dog or cat food and wait for a sale . my dogs food is on sale for $6 off already, and with the coupon, I'm going to get it for $11 off! I don't need food yet, but guess what I'm getting with my next paycheck 
They have excellent sales.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

I just bought a turkey pate and tuna pate can of the new bistro ones to try. The small cans (all they carried, theyre just starting to carry it) were just about the price of the bigger "classic" cans!

Can someone refresh my memory, why is grain not a good idea for cats? These new bistro pates dont contain grain... i just cant remember why thats a good thing?

I was also curious, in comparison, do cats need the peas, carrots, apples etc that are in the classic ones? (may be in these new ones too, not sure need to read the label). Or maybe they supplemented the vitamins and minerals that were found on those fruits and veggies?


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

I am also just thinking, should I be concerned with allergies at all with it having that alfalfa herb in it? or is it a common ingredient in other cat foods?


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Alfalfa is high in vitamins... nothing really wrong with it...

Grains are not necessary in a cat diet, they are cheaper than meat so companies load foods up with them instead. This throws off the protein percentage on the food, since ideally you'd want food high in animal-based protein instead of plant based protein. Cats don't digest plants as well as meats... obviously, since they're obligate carnivores.

Feline Nutrition


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Carmel said:


> Alfalfa is high in vitamins... nothing really wrong with it...


Ok, so shouldnt have any issues then?

i havent tried it yet, im still using up one of my older cans, dont want it to go bad!


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## MB70 (Apr 1, 2012)

So I've been feeding the turkey and chicken pates....they are a big hit. However, reading another forum someone mentioned they are 17% carbs. I did the math and got the same number. If I did it right! Can anyone help? If it's true, that's quite a jump from the BG cans.
Thanks!!


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## Torbie (Jan 21, 2013)

I was looking at this line on Merrick's website and it seemed pretty nice, dissapointed to see it go. I might be able to go to Petco and see if I can still pick some up, especially if it's on clearance. The Quail flavor looks interesting and I wonder if my cat would like it. I saw some on Chewy.com, wonder if it's worth picking up a case or two.


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