Purina Pro Plan wet cat food review

Purina Pro Plan wet cat food review

Our Review Process

Our reviews are based on extensive research and, when possible, hands-on testing. Each time you make a purchase through one of our independently-chosen links, we’ll receive a percentage of the proceeds. Read more about how we’re supported here.

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 We’re All About Cats Standard—Rating Purina Pro Plan on What Matters

We’ve analyzed Purina Pro Plan and graded it according to the We’re All About Cats standard, evaluating the brand on species-appropriateness, ingredient quality, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. Here’s 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.

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, we’ll 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. They’re only available with a veterinarian’s 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

#1 Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Urinary Tract Health Formula Chicken Entree in Gravy Canned Cat Food Review

Purina Pro Plan wet cat food review

Buy on Chewy

Meat by-products appears to be the primary protein source in this wet cat food.

This food from the Focus line is formulated to support urinary tract health. It contains acidifiers to maintain a low urinary pH and has limited dietary magnesium. Both of these features can reduce urinary crystal formation.

Like many chunky foods, this canned food centers around a sort of chopped-and-formed meat product. The chunks consist of a mix of meat by-products, chicken, wheat gluten, added flavors, and added colors.

If you’re a stickler for a meat-based diet for your obligate carnivore, you might feel uncomfortable with the emphasis on plant-sourced proteins and thickeners. Those avoiding potentially harmful additives will also want to steer clear of this food’s artificial colors and flavors.

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

With multiple artificial ingredients, cheap animal by-products, and high carbohydrate content, this product has more than a few markers of sub-par cat food. Nevertheless, cats seem to love it and multiple reviewers say it helped their cats who are prone to urinary issues.

The food has 75 calories per 3-ounce can or 25 calories per ounce.

Ingredients

Water Sufficient for Processing, Meat By-Products, Chicken, Wheat Gluten, Corn Starch-Modified, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Soy Flour, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Added Color, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 12%

Crude Fat: 3.5%

Crude Fiber: 0.2%

Moisture: 78%

Ash: 1.5%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 54.55%

Fat: 15.91%

Fiber: 0.91%

Carbs: 21.82%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 47.43%

Fat: 33.6%

Carbs: 18.97%

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Wheat Gluten, Corn Starch-Modified, Artificial Flavors, Soy Flour, Added Color

Common Allergens: Chicken

Pros

  • Some reviewers say it helped improve their cats’ urinary tract health

Cons

  • High carbohydrate content
  • Contains artificial colors and flavors

#2 Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult White Meat Chicken & Vegetable Entree in Gravy Canned Cat Food Review

Purina Pro Plan wet cat food review

Buy on Chewy Buy on Amazon

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

This Savor recipe features chunks of chicken, wheat gluten, liver, and meat by-products set in a vegetable-sprinkled gravy.

Note the mix of clearly-named muscle meat and anonymous meats. The latter is sometimes indicative of a lower-quality product and poor digestibility values, but that’s not set in stone. Some meat by-products may be just as nutritious as any other muscle meat and organs. While meat by-products aren’t always bad for all cats, such vague labeling is a warning sign for allergic cats and those with food intolerances.

The ingredient list goes on to include a smattering of tomatoes and carrots, a touch of turkey, and added colors and flavors. It appears that the gravy is thickened with modified corn starch, which further boosts the carbohydrate content.

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

With plenty of plant ingredients, artificial additives, and potentially low-quality animal ingredients, this Pro Plan recipe doesn’t appear to be much different from the average canned cat food at the grocery.

The food contains 65 calories per can.

Ingredients

Water Sufficient for Processing, Chicken, Wheat Gluten, Liver, Meat By-Products, Tomatoes, Carrots, Turkey, Corn Starch-Modified, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Soy Protein Concentrate, Potassium Chloride, Added Color, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 10%

Crude Fat: 2%

Crude Fiber: 1.5%

Moisture: 82%

Ash: 3%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 55.56%

Fat: 11.11%

Fiber: 8.33%

Carbs: 8.33%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 61.14%

Fat: 29.69%

Carbs: 9.17%

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Turkey

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Wheat Gluten, Tomatoes, Carrots, Corn Starch-Modified, Artificial Flavors, Added Color

Common Allergens: Chicken, Liver, Meat By-Products

Pros

  • Cats seem to like this food

Cons

  • High carbohydrate content
  • Contains artificial flavors and colors

#3 Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Cat Food Review

Purina Pro Plan wet cat food review

Buy on Chewy Buy on 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 food’s calorie content than chicken.

But this kibble isn’t 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 doesn’t 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 it’s not particularly groundbreaking, this food has a few nice qualities. The addition of probiotics is a nice touch. The food’s carbohydrate content is a little bit lower than that of the average kibble. Otherwise, this food doesn’t appear to be much different from the typical kibble you’d find at the grocery.

The food has 492 calories per cup.

Ingredients

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).

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: 40%

Crude Fat: 16%

Crude Fiber: 2%

Moisture: 12%

Dry Matter Basis

Protein: 45.45%

Fat: 18.18%

Fiber: 2.27%

Carbs: 34.09%

Caloric Weight Basis

Protein: 36.75%

Fat: 35.7%

Carbs: 27.56%

Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Beef Fat

Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Soy Protein Isolate, Added Color

Common Allergens: Chicken, Fish

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 Purina’s 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 don’t 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. It’s not outrageously priced boutique food. Purina has strict testing done to it’s 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 he’s 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 don’t 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 Plan’s 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 you’d 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 doesn’t 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 you’d prefer to shop online, you can buy Purina Pro Plan through Amazon, Chewy, and PetSmart.

Click here to shop for Purina Pro Plan cat food on Chewy

Is Purina Pro Plan a good choice?

So, is Purina Pro Plan a good dog food? Purina Pro Plan is considered to be an average to slightly above average mainstream dry dog kibble. It comes in a wide variety of recipes for flavor and a dog's stage of life. It uses meat as a major protein source and is easily found in stores.
Yes, Purina Pro Plan is good for dogs. Backed by 400+ Purina scientists, including nutritionists, behaviorists, and veterinarians, Pro Plan dog food formulas offer advanced nutrition and the highest quality ingredients to nourish your dog's best life. Pro Plan is recommended by veterinarians.

What is better than Purina Pro Plan?

Winner. Purina ONE wins in the cost category. They are a lower-cost dog food, and don't have as many high-quality ingredients as the Pro Plan formulas. If budget is your primary concern, Purina ONE is a great option compared to other lower-cost brands like Pedigree or Iams.

How long does it take for Purina Pro Plan to work?

Pro Plan LiveClear takes around 3 weeks to have a noticeable effect as Fel d 1 will still be around your house even when it's neutralised in your cat's mouth. Pro Plan LiveClear takes around 3 weeks to have a noticeable effect as Fel d 1 will still be around your house even when it's neutralised in your cat's mouth.