Our Verdict
PureVita dry cat food receives the Cat Food Advisor rating, 3.5 stars
This range of food lists the first ingredient as animal meat and has plant based proteins. Even with multiple protein sources, the protein content is only near average when compared to other dry foods. It is grain free, contains low moisture levels but also includes several controversial ingredients.
Pros
- Grain-free
- Contains animal based protein
- No artificial colourings
Cons
- Low moisture content
- Plant based protein
- Medium to high carbohydrate content
- Contains multiple controversial ingredients
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
The PureVita product line includes three dry cat foods.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| Grain-Free Chicken & Peas Entrée | 3.5 | A |
| Grain-Free Duck & Red Lentils Entrée | 3.5 | A |
| Grain-Free Salmon & Peas Entrée | 3.5 | A |
Recipe and Label Analysis
PureVita Grain-Free Chicken & Peas Entrée recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
PureVita Grain-Free Chicken & Peas Entrée recipe
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Chicken, chicken meal, peas, pea flour, chicken fat (preserved with tocopherols and citric acid), natural flavors, dried egg product, pea fiber, flax seed, brewers dried yeast, phosphoric acid, pea starch, dried tomato pomace, salt, dl methionine, potassium chloride, dried carrots, sunflower oil, choline chloride, minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate), dried cranberries, dried apricots, dried cherries, taurine, turmeric, inulin, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, D-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), lactic acid, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), inositol, yucca schidigera extract, rosemary extract, yeast culture, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, dried bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dried bacillus licheniformis fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, and dried bacillus subtilis fermentation extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.8%
Red denotes any controversial items
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”. 1
Chicken is naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.
The second ingredient is chicken meal, which is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third and fourth ingredients are peas and pea flour.
Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. Like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber. Pea powder is made from roasted yellow peas.
Both contain as much as 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this cat food.
The fifth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The sixth ingredient is natural flavors. Natural flavors doesn’t give us much information about the particular ingredients included in this cat food for flavoring purposes.
We’re pleased that the flavorings used are natural, but more details are required to give any further information about these natural flavoring ingredients. Flavorings are used to make the foods more appealing and tasty for our cats.
The seventh ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The eighth ingredient is pea fiber, a mixture of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber derived from pea hulls. Aside from the usual benefits of fiber, this agricultural by-product provides no other nutritional value to a cat.
From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.
However this recipe contains brewer’s dried yeast and dried tomato pomace. Brewers dried yeast can be a controversial item. Although it’s a by-product of the beer making process, this ingredient is rich in minerals and other healthy nutrients.
Fans believe yeast repels fleas and supports the immune system.
Critics argue yeast ingredients can be linked to allergies. This may be true, but (like all allergies) only if your particular cat is allergic to the yeast itself.
In any case, unless your cat is specifically allergic to it, yeast can still be considered a nutritious additive.
What’s more noteworthy here is that brewers yeast contains about 48% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.
Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.
Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
This food also contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better cat foods.
We also note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added as probiotics to aid with digestion.
Recipe star rating 3.5
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, PureVita Grain-Free Chicken & Peas Entrée recipe looks like an average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 36.9%, a fat level of 21% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 34.1%.
As a group, the brand features a below-average protein content of 34.6% and an above-average fat level of 18.3%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 39.1% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 53%.
This means this PureVita range contains lower than average protein, higher than average carbohydrate, higher than average fat, when compared to typical dry cat food.
Final Word
This range of food contains good quality animal protein, although protein levels are below average versus other dry foods. There are also plant based proteins and the carbohydrate content is high.
Has PureVita cat food been recalled in the past?
No. Neither PureVita nor its parent company, Tuffy’s, has had a recall of pet food in its 70 years of manufacturing.
You can view a complete list of all cat food recalls since 2021 here.
To stay on top of any cat food product recalls, sign up for our free email alerts, here.
About
Tuffy’s was founded by Darrell Nelson in 1947 and launched PureVita in 2007. The food is manufactured in Perham, Minnesota, USA.
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Article reviewed by
Veterinarian
Dr Georgia Jeremiah has a first class honors degree in comparative pathology with field experience in anatomic and clinical pathology, studying disease processes in a multitude of species.
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