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The short answer: Instinct Original scores B/78; we haven’t scored Merrick’s current (2026) Purrfect Bistro recipe, so there is no score verdict here. Instinct bets on a raw coating of freeze-dried pollock and probiotics for gut health. Merrick counters with dried chicory root, a prebiotic fiber source. The right pick depends on what your cat needs most.

The scores

Instinct: B (78/100)
Merrick: not yet scored

We can’t compare their scores until Merrick’s current recipe is scored. The two formulas follow different philosophies — one leans raw-inspired, the other leans traditional.

Read our full reviews of Instinct and Merrick for complete ingredient breakdowns.

How the ingredients compare

Here are the key ingredients side by side:

Instinct: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Chicken Fat, Tapioca, Natural Flavor, Dried Tomato Pomace

Merrick: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Cassava Root Flour, Potato Protein, Dried Yeast, Beef Fat, Canola Meal, Dried Egg Product, Pea Starch

Both formulas lead with chicken and chicken meal — a solid animal protein foundation for obligate carnivores. After that, the strategies diverge. Instinct adds turkey meal and menhaden fish meal as supporting proteins, then distinguishes itself with a raw coating of freeze-dried pollock. Merrick follows with cassava root flour and potato protein. Both are grain-free, relying on pea ingredients and starchy carbohydrates instead of traditional grains — a shared weakness that contributes to the DCM conversation.

Where Instinct stands out

Freeze-dried raw coating. Instinct’s signature feature is a raw coating of freeze-dried pollock, listed after the vitamins and minerals.

Fish meal for omega-3s. Menhaden fish meal appears at #4, providing marine-sourced omega-3 fatty acids from the protein itself rather than relying solely on supplemental oils. This builds omega-3 content into the protein foundation of the food.

Probiotics. Instinct includes Bacillus coagulans, a shelf-stable probiotic that survives the kibble manufacturing process. For cats with sensitive digestion, this is a meaningful differentiator — Merrick’s formula doesn’t include any probiotic strains.

Named fats. Chicken fat is clearly identified as the primary fat source. Named fats tell you exactly what species the fat came from, which matters for cats with specific protein sensitivities. Shop on Amazon →

Where Merrick stands out

Dried chicory root. Merrick’s panel includes dried chicory root (#13), a prebiotic fiber source. Shop on Amazon →

The bottom line

Instinct Original scores B/78; Merrick’s current recipe hasn’t been scored. If your cat benefits from probiotics, Instinct is the better fit. Both share the same grain-free concern.

Corrected 2026-10-19: we removed claims we could not support; we corrected factual errors, and grades and score comparisons that did not match our current scores.