What s going on with Purina cat food

The best dry cat foods of 2024, reviewed with advice from vets

What to look for in dry cat foods

When shopping for the best dry cat food for your kitten, adult, or senior cat, you'll want to consider the following criteria:

AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement: The most basic measure of nutritionally complete cat food is an AAFCO statement on the label. AAFCO is a nonprofit organization that defines the standard nutritional requirements for pet food and animal feed. Food with an AAFCO statement for growth or all life stages is guaranteed to be complete and balanced for kittens, while food with an AAFCO statement for maintenance or all life stages is guaranteed to be complete and balanced for adult cats.

Guaranteed analysis and nutrient profiles: The guaranteed analysis consists of the percentages of protein, fat, and other important nutrients in a food. Food for kittens should have a minimum of 30% protein and 9% fat, and food for adult cats should have a minimum of 26% protein and 9% fat. Food for cats of any age should also contain other essential nutrients, including amino acids like taurine, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins.

To compare the nutrients in wet food to those in dry food, convert the percentages of fat, protein, and fiber in wet food to a "dry matter basis." You can use these directions from the Tufts University Cummings Veterinary Medical Center, call the food manufacturer, or ask your vet for help.

Key ingredients: The ingredients on a pet food label appear in order of weight. Because cats are obligate carnivores, proteins in the form of whole meat or meat meal should come first on the ingredients list.

Expert formulations: For this guide, we prioritized brands with a dedicated nutrition expert on staff, which aligns with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) guidelines and our experts' guidance. We also opted for brands active in research on small animal nutrition, as well as brands that collaborate with universities and colleges.

Manufacturing standards: When selecting a cat food brand, consider a manufacturer's quality control measures and the types of facilities they use. For instance, manufacturers that own their plants have more control over the ingredients in the recipe and the food your cat consumes. Just keep in mind that it's not enough for a brand to say they conduct quality control. Pet food companies should also provide information about their quality control practices on their website or upon request.

Calorie content: The calorie content of cat food is listed in kilocalories (kcals). Your cat will have different calorie needs, depending on their age and activity level. Kittens grow quickly in their first year, and all that growth requires plenty of energy. Therefore, kittens should eat multiple meals per day without calorie restrictions. As your kitten approaches 9 to 12 months of age, talk to your vet about their ideal body condition, weight, and caloric needs.

Once cats reach their adult years, the amount of food they should eat depends on their weight, energy level, breed, and overall health. Your vet can offer more detailed and personalized guidance about how many calories your cat requires per day.

Purina says its pet food is safe as allegations about sick animals multiply on social media

Complaints that Purina pet food has sickened pets have been circulating on social media in recent weeks, sparking fear for dog and cat owners.

But Purina adamantly denies there are any issues with its products.

Pet parents continue to be understandably scared by an online rumor that there is an issue with Purina pet foods. This rumor is false, and we are saddened to see the confusion and fear that it has caused, the company said in an online statement Monday.

The claims got amplified in a Facebook group for pet owners, called Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time, in early December. Group administrator Kelly Bone wrote in a post that she had received multiple reports of dogs or cats becoming suddenly ill or dying after eating Purina Pro Plan, a pet food formula for dogs and cats that comes in wet and dry varieties.

I started noticing in my group that we started having quite a few pets getting sick, Bone said. When I would follow up with [owners] to say, Well, what are they eating? When were their most recent vaccinations, flea, tick medications, all that other stuff?, the common denominator was Purina.

Bone said she has received 969 reports of dogs or cats getting ill after eating Purina food, including 234 deaths. The symptoms have included lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness, seizures, rapid weight loss and rectal bleeding, she said.

The theory has also proliferated on TikTok, where users warned about Purina products, citing the Facebook conversations.

Purina said its quality assurance team investigated the rumor and found no data or trend that would indicate an issue.

There are no health or safety issues with our products, and they can continue to be fed with confidence, the company said in its statement.

This back-and-forth has left some pet owners searching for answers including James Diehl, a resident of Long Island, New York.

One of his dogs, Carly, suddenly lost her appetite in September, Diehl said. By the following month, the 14-year-old rottweiler was lethargic and had diarrhea, he added. Diehl said doctors discovered a blood clot in her heart but didnt think it had caused the gastrointestinal symptoms. Carly died in November.

The next month, Diehls dog Petri lost his appetite and was lethargic, he said. The 17-year-old dachshund died two days before Christmas.

Diehl still has two dogs, an 8-year-old dachshund named Bear and a 6-year-old rottweiler named Graham. Bear developed similar symptoms in December, Diehl said, and was in critical care. He is still struggling to eat back at home, Diehl added.

Diehls wife, Irene Nunes-Diehl, said the three older dogs consumed Purina products all their lives. Carly and Petri had been eating Purina Pro Plan wet food when they developed symptoms, she said, and Bear had been eating Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NeuroCare. Graham, however, was adopted from a shelter last month and has not gotten Purina food, Diehl said, nor has he had health issues.

Diehl said his veterinarian couldnt explain why the other dogs got sick. But a friend told the couple about the Purina rumors, and the two now attribute the illnesses to the food.

This is the only explanation I can come up with, Diehl said. I mean, God, to lose two dogs in a month and almost lose a third, theres got to be some correlation. But proving it? I dont know. I dont know if Im ever going to be able to prove it.

Lorie Westhoff, a Purina spokesperson, said Nunes-Diehl filed a complaint with the company on Monday, and it has reached out. Purina plans to request more information, including veterinary records, Westhoff added.

She said the Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time group has not given the company details about the complaints it received.

For example, Westhoff said, Purina spoke with one person from this group who had shared her story and was unwilling to provide us with vet records or food samples and would not allow us to contact her veterinarian.

Without more information, we simply cannot investigate despite being more than willing to do so, she said.

Westhoff further suggested that two people who helped spread the allegations have promoted brands that compete with Purina in the past. One is TikTok creator Rachel Fusaro, who has more than 276,000 followers on the platform and posted videos about Purina that have since been taken down. Fusaros Instagram has featured several paid partnerships, and according to her Amazon page, she may earn commissions on purchases of certain dog food brands. She did not respond to a request for comment.

Westoff also named Dr. Judy Morgan, a veterinarian who partners with a particular dog food brand and is a moderator for the Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time group. Morgan warnedabout Purina products on YouTube and Instagram earlier this month.

There seem to be clear benefits to them promoting this rumor, Westhoff said.

But Morgan told NBC News she has not profited from her warnings to pet owners. She recommends multiple dog food brands on her social media accounts and e-commerce site, she said, adding that she is paying to get Purina food tested in an independent laboratory.

I am not trying to make money off of this. I am actually spending my own money to get this problem solved, Morgan said.

She said she grew concerned about Purina pet food after reading reports in the Facebook group, as well as customer reviews on sites like Chewy and Amazon.

Purina has not recalled any product on the market, and the Food and Drug Administration has not requested or mandated that it do so. The FDA said pet owners and veterinarians can report illnesses via a form online.

While the agency cannot comment on specifics of these particular illness reports at this time, generally speaking when the FDA becomes aware of pet illnesses, we will evaluate them and determine what if any FDA action may be warranted, an FDA spokesperson said.

Kenneth Simpson, a professor of small animal medicine at Cornell University, said he had not heard from colleagues or pet owners about problems related to Purina products.

In my experience the vast majority of commercial pet food producers are ethical and rank diet safety as their top priority, Simpson, who serves on Purinas scientific advisory board, said, adding: If a pet food manufacturer becomes aware of an issue after manufacture when a food is in the marketplace, they will issue a recall.

Purina voluntarily recalled a prescription dog food, Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental, early last year due to potentially elevated levels of vitamin D. The nutrient is essential to dogs, but excess amounts can be toxic.

That recall has no known link to the illnesses recently reported on social media.

Our cat food

Our cats are part of our families and as pet owners, we understand that you want to make sure that your feline is getting the best possible nutrition that also tastes irresistibly good. This is why weve developed a wide range of diets to suit all felines and their unique requirements. Weve got everything from dry cat food, wet cat food, special diets and even treats, all from the Purina brands you know and love. Browse our full range of cat food today!With more than a third of all cats in the UK regularly eating and enjoying Felix, the quality and safety of our products is our number one priority. We carry out 300 tests every day on the raw materials and packaging materials that enter our factories. A further 1,100 checks a day are carried out across the production process and finished products to ensure our strict quality and safety criteria are met. This is why you can be confident that Felix foods are completely safe for cats to eat. If you are worried by online comments about Felix, get the facts on these misleading claims and the actions we take to support cat owners.

Is cat food cooked?

Yes, wet cat food is cooked! To make the delicious taste that your cats love, the carefully selected ingredients are blended with cooked meat and then mixed in with jelly or gravy. Of course, this could also be blended into a delicious cat food pt.

Is cat food halal?

Purina cat food is not certified as Halal. This categorisation is applied mainly to human foods.

Should cat food and water be together?

Its a good idea to keep water and food separately. Your cat might not like the smell of their food whilst theyre drinking water and they also wont like anything in their water (like bits of wet food or dust).

Should cat food be refrigerated?

Open packets or cans of cat food can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days as this helps keep them fresh. Unopened cans and packets of cat food, however, can be kept at room temperature as the seals ensure that the food stays fresh.

Can cat food go off?

Yes, cat food can go off. Its important to check the expiry date that is printed on the packets of dry and wet cat food. Once a packet is opened, store the wet cat food in the fridge for up to 2 days.