Is Purina Pro Plan cat food safe

Purina Pro Plan Cat Food Review

Is Purina Pro Plan a safe, healthy, and high-quality choice for your cat? Find out in our unbiased Purina Pro Plan cat food review.

The Cats.com StandardRating Purina Pro Plan on What Matters

Weve analyzed Purina Pro Plan and graded it according to the Cats.com standard, evaluating the brand on species-appropriateness, ingredient quality, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. Heres how it rates in each of these six key areas.

Ratings

• Species-Appropriateness 6/10
• Ingredient Quality 5/10
• Product Variety 7/10
• Price 5/10
• Customer Experience 8/10
• Recall History 5/10

Overall Score: 5.8/10

We give Purina Pro Plan cat food a 36 out of 60 rating or a C+ grade.

About Purina Pro Plan

Sixty years after the company developed its first pet foods, Purina launched a brand called Purina Pro Plan. The brand emphasizes performance, excellence, and expertise. According to Purina, each formula is created with the combined expertise of over 400 scientists, including pet nutritionists, vets, and animal behaviorists.

In this article, well learn more about Pro Plan and its product selection to decide whether or not this brand delivers the quality it promises.

Sourcing And Manufacturing

Purina Pro Plan is manufactured in the United States in Purina-owned facilities. The company uses ingredients sourced around the world.

Has Purina Pro Plan Cat Food Been Recalled?

In 2016, tubs of Purina Pro Plan wet dog food were recalled due to inadequate levels of vitamins and minerals. Other Purina brands have been recalled multiple times.

What Kinds Of Cat Food Does Purina Pro Plan Offer?

Purina Pro Plan offers wet and dry cat food broken into five lines.

• The Savor line offers a variety of aromas, tastes, and textures.
• Focus provides nutrition geared towards specific health needs, including hairballs and urinary tract health.
• Like the Focus line, Veterinary Diets are formulated for cats with allergies, gastrointestinal problems, diabetes, and urinary tract problems. Theyre only available with a veterinarians prescription.
• The True Nature line emphasizes instinct-satisfying, meat-based foods.
• The Prime Plus line is developed for senior cats age seven and over.

Purina Pro Plan Cat Food Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

$27.08 At Chewy

$25.73 At Amazon

Chicken appears to be the primary protein source in this dry cat food.

This is a dry cat food from the Savor line. It sticks to the Purina Pro Plan promise to include meat, poultry, or fish as the first ingredient in every dry recipe. Chicken sits at the top of the ingredient list. Chicken is followed by brewers rice and corn gluten meal, both of which are denser, drier ingredients and may in fact represent a bigger chunk of the foods calorie content than chicken.

But this kibble isnt all plants. It contains poultry by-product meal and dried egg product as protein sources and beef fat as a primary fat source. Later on the ingredient list, it also contains fish meal.

For an added pop of flavor, the food contains natural liver flavor, which is most likely made from hydrolyzed liver. Chicken is a common source of the liver used in cat food, but beyond speculation, the source remains anonymous.

Like other Pro Plan foods, this product contains artificial flavors and colors. Though it doesnt appear that artificial flavor is harmful, some artificial colors are associated with health problems in both animals and humans.

In addition to the standard variety of added vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, this food contains added probiotics, which may support digestive health.

Overall, this food has moderate protein content, moderate fat, and high carbohydrate content.

Though its not particularly groundbreaking, this food has a few nice qualities. The addition of probiotics is a nice touch. The foods carbohydrate content is a little bit lower than that of the average kibble. Otherwise, this food doesnt appear to be much different from the typical kibble youd find at the grocery.

The food has 492 calories per cup.

Chicken, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Dried Egg Product, Beef Fat Naturally Preserved With Mixed-Tocopherols, Wheat Flour, Soy Protein Isolate, Fish Meal, Natural Liver Flavor, Brewers Dried Yeast, Inulin, Potassium Chloride, Added Color, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Phosphoric Acid, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, VITAMINS [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Biotin (Vitamin B-7), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K)], Taurine, Choline Chloride, MINERALS [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C).

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Beef Fat

Ingredients We Didnt Like: Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Soy Protein Isolate, Added Color

Crude Protein: 40%

Crude Fat: 16%

Crude Fiber: 2%

Moisture: 12%

Protein: 45.45%

Fat: 18.18%

Fiber: 2.27%

Carbs: 34.09%

Protein: 36.75%

Fat: 35.7%

Carbs: 27.56%

Pros

• Contains added probiotics
• Slightly lower carbohydrate content than other dry foods
• Relies on animal-sourced fat

Cons

• Contains artificial colors and flavors
• High carbohydrate content
• Low moisture content

What Do Customers Think of Purina Pro Plan Cat Food?

Purina Pro Plan is regarded as one of Purinas highest-quality brands and is well-accepted by most customers.

Most Purina Pro Plan product listings receive high ratings and positive feedback. On Consumer Affairs, the brand receives a mix of negative and positive reviews, with things leaning towards negativity. Most complaints are from people whose cats got sick after eating Purina Pro Plan, though there dont seem to be any clear connections between the illness and the food. One reviewer in 2017 found pieces of plastic in their Purina Pro Plan cat food. Another in 2015 said their bag was crawling with maggots.

Positive Reviews

My 3 cats eat this food with no problems. Its not outrageously priced boutique food. Purina has strict testing done to its dog and cat foods. They follow WSAVA (.org) guidelines and are one of 4 companies that do this in the US. Queensnake88, reviewing Purina Pro Plan Savor Chicken & Rice Formula

My 20 year old cat loves the gravy and eats this right up. I can mix his medications in and know hes getting all of it. Jeanie, reviewing Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult White Meat Chicken & Vegetable Entree in Gravy

Negative Reviews

I have been ordering the chicken in gravy flavor for 2 years . Noticed the price went up significantly 3 of the cats ate the chicken in gravy every morning shared 1 can in separate bowls they used to eat the bowls clean . Now they sniff or take ome lick and walk away. I bought the smaller 12 pk variety pack (with the beef flavor pate, turkey pate ,chicken w/gravy ) to see if they were just tired of the flavor No All 3 refused to eat amy of the flavors including the chickens they are for 2 years Did they change the ingredients ? Source of ingredients ? Just rather odd they would alway finished their bowls and now snub walk away Onylme, reviewing Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Urinary Tract Health Formula Chicken Entree in Gravy

My cat loves the taste of this food, so I bought it. After reading the ingredients, I am sorry I did! It has no better nutrients than store brands or say, meow mix. Great price, good taste for a cat, but a list of ingredients that cats dont need to live. Too many carbs!! Pro Plan is NOT a premium ingredient food. Look for yourself. Pam67, reviewing Purina Pro Plan Savor Chicken & Rice Formula

How Much Does Purina Pro Plan Cat Food Cost?

Purina Pro Plan is a touch pricier than most other brands in the Purina family. On a day-by-day basis, it would cost about $3.55 per day to feed a 10-lb cat one of Purina Pro Plans wet foods and about $0.58 per day to feed her one of their dry recipes.

Overall, Is Purina Pro Plan a Good Choice?

Despite being more expensive and marketed to a quality-oriented consumer, Purina Pro Plan foods contain the same types of ingredients youd expect to find in Purina Cat Chow or Fancy Feast.

Some Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet foods may appeal to cats with certain health conditions. For example, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Kidney Function Advanced Care may be a good option for cats with kidney disease.

For the average buyer, however, Purina Pro Plan doesnt appear to be one of the best brands on the market.

Where To Buy Purina Pro Plan Cat Food?

Purina Pro Plan is sold in major pet retail chains and some independent pet specialty stores. Click here to find a Pro Plan retailer near you. If youd prefer to shop online, you can buy Purina Pro Plan through Amazon, Chewy, and PetSmart.

Purina LiveClear Cat Food Review

Weve rated Purina LiveClear cat food on ingredient quality, species-appropriateness, recalls, and more. Read our Purina LiveClear cat food review to learn how this brand stacks up.

The Cats.com StandardRating Purina LiveClear Cat Food on What Matters

Weve rated the brand on six key criteria for quality. Heres how it rates in each of these six crucial areas.

Ratings

• Species-Appropriateness 5/10
• Ingredient Quality 5/10
• Product Variety 5/10
• Price 5/10
• Customer Experience 8/10
• Recall History 5/10

Overall Score: 5.5/10

In total, we give Purina LiveClear Cat food a 33 out of 60 rating or a C grade.

About Purina LiveClear Cat Food

One of the oldest companies in the cat food industry, Purina is also among the largest. The company was originally founded in 1894 as the Robinson-Danforth Commision Company, an animal feed supplier. By 1926 the company had expanded greatly and was renamed Ralston-Purina.

Purina released their first pet food product in the 1950s Purina Dog Chow followed by Purina Cat Chow in 1963. The company merged with Nestle in 2001 and is currently known as Nestle-Purina PetCare.

LiveClear is one of the newest product lines, announced by Purina ProPlan in 2019. Geared toward people with cat allergies, this line of dry cat foods is scientifically shown to safely and effectively reduce allergens in cat hair and dander. The line represents the culmination of over a decade of research.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

Like most of Purinas pet foods, Purina ProPlan LiveClear cat food is produced in Purina-owned manufacturing facilities located in the United States.

Purina doesnt provide specific information about the sourcing of any of their ingredients other than to say that they use North American suppliers as much as possible.

Recall History

The LiveClear line itself is relatively new, so there are no product recalls to date. The same cannot be said for the ProPlan line or the Purina brand in general.

Since 2011, Purina has issued at least half a dozen product recalls affecting both dog and cat food products. Purina ProPlan specifically recalled 5 varieties of wet dog food in 2016 due to inadequate levels of vitamins and minerals.

What Kinds of Cat Food Does Purina LiveClear Offer?

Kate Barrington / Cats.com

Purina ProPlan LiveClear is a dry food-only line that includes seven different recipes one for kittens, five for adult cats, and one for senior cats. The line also includes an allergen-reducing rinse-free shampoo.

This product line is the result of over ten years of research during which Purina scientists discovered the primary cat allergen can be reduced when cats eat a diet containing a specific protein found in eggs. Fel d1 is the protein in question and it is produced in a cats salivary and sebaceous (skin) glands then transferred to the skin and hair during grooming. The allergen can then be dispersed into the environment through shed hair and dead skin cells called dander.

The protein in eggs binds and blocks Fel d1, rendering is inactive. According to Purinas research, 97% of cats fed LiveClear food showed decreased levels of active Fel d1 in their hair and dander. Within three weeks of starting the diet, cats showed a 47% reduction in active Fel d1.

What Do Customers Think of Purina LiveClear Cat Food?

Generally speaking, Purina ProPlan is well-liked by customers and offers higher quality than other brands in the Purina family. The LiveClear line of products is even more well-liked.

Because these products are still somewhat new, the best place to find reviews is on the product pages on Chewy and Amazon. LiveClear products on Chewy have between 60 and 450+ reviews and most recipes are rated 4.5 or higher. On Amazon, Purina ProPlan LiveClear has over 2,400 global ratings and an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5.

Customers seem to appreciate the small kibble size which makes the food appropriate for cats of all ages and many cat owners comment that the product yields a noticeable reduction in allergy symptoms. Negative reviews tend to focus on the questionable quality of some of the ingredients and some picky cats simply not liking the food.

Lets take a look at a few reviews from some of the most popular recipes from Purina LiveClear.

Positive Reviews

Im allergic to cats and all cats other than my own since hes on this. I have to wash my hands after petting other peoples cats or I start getting a runny nose, sneezing, and itching. My cat sleeps in bed with me near my head. He routinely flops right onto my face and I routinely give him kisses. No issues at all. I highly recommend this food. My ex was allergic to cats and had no reaction either. His vet says hes healthy other than being a little chubby but hes an indoor cat. Digestive wise hes never had any issues. by Kennedy Reviewing Purina ProPlan LiveClear Probiotic Dry Cat Food on Jul 23, 2022

The pieces are very small, so its easy to swallow for old cats. My cat (she is 14 years old) loves seafood flavor wet food, but she loves to eat this chicken flavored dry food as well. Hopefully this long life formula helps her to live longer! by Yuka reviewing Purina ProPlan LiveClear Adult 7+ Dry Cat Food on Jul 5, 2022

Negative Reviews

My one BIG complaint is the quality of the ingredients is not what I typically feed. Would love a grain free and meal by product free version. It does seem to be working at keeping allergens at bay. But I am torn between feeding a food that is good for them and keeping my husband off the allergy medicine. by Jodi reviewing Purina ProPlan LiveClear Adult Indoor Dry Cat Food on 7 Jul 2021

Im sorry to report that Daisy, who Im trying to find a healthy senior cat food, would not try this. Even our fat kitty sniffed and walked away, would not even try it. by Daisy reviewing Purina ProPlan LiveClear Adult 7+ Dry Cat Food on Jul 5, 2022

What Did Our Test Cats Think?

Kate Barrington / Cats.com

In order to test Purina ProPlan LiveClear cat food, I ordered three recipes two adult cat formulas and one recipe for senior cats.

Unfortunately, my capacity to test the food was somewhat limited by two factors. First, one of my cats is severely allergic to chicken and all LiveClear formulas appear to contain either fresh chicken or chicken meal. Second, I am not allergic to cats and am not close to anyone who is.

The two cats who were able to safely taste test LiveClear cat food found it perfectly palatable and I can confirm what other customers say about the kibbles they are very small and should be easy for both kittens and senior cats to manage.

Purina LiveClear Cat Food Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

How Much Does Purina LiveClear Cat Food Cost?

As is true for other ProPlan products, LiveClear cat food is more expensive than other products in Purinas lineup. These foods range from about $0.29 to $0.46 per ounce. To feed the average 10-pound cat, LiveClear dry food you would spend about $0.56 per day.

Overall, Is Purina Liveclear Cat Food a Good Choice?

The main question cat owners considering Purina ProPlan LiveClear cat food is whether it works. The answer appears to be yes, but given the fact that the only research supporting this claim was funded and conducted by Purina, this answer is best taken with a grain of salt.

Its also worth noting that Purina doesnt seem to have published the results of their research in any peer-reviewed journals.

All we have to go on is a single statistic featured on the Purina LiveClear page stating that the product is shown to reduce the allergens in cat hair and dander by an average of 47% starting in the third week of daily feeding. That being said, a wealth of positive customer reviews seems to support the efficacy of LiveClear cat foods for reducing cat allergens.

While Purina ProPlan LiveClear may be a good option for pet owners who suffer from allergies, the same may not be true for all cats.

All seven LiveClear products contain multiple protein sources namely chicken and fish both of which are among the more common cat food allergens. Several recipes also contain vaguely-named animal by-products which could trigger allergies or sensitivities in some cats.

Where Is Purina Liveclear Cat Food Sold?

You can find Purina products in major pet food retailers both in-store and online. When it comes to LiveClear products in particular, however, you may need to shop in specialty pet stores. As an alternative, you can always buy the food online from Chewy and Amazon.