Purina ONE Dry Cat Food Review

Purina ONE dry cat food recipe receives the Cat Food Advisor rating of 2.5 stars.

Purina ONE dry cat food includes prebiotic fiber which can help your cat if it has a sensitive stomach.  It is made from meat and other high-quality ingredients and has no artificial flavors or preservatives. It also has added vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

The Purina ONE dry cat food product line includes 13 recipes.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Purina ONE +Plus Sensitive Skin & Stomach Turkey 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.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is turkey.  Although it is a quality item, raw turkey contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.  finished product.

The second ingredient is chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the choice cuts have been removed.

On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.  The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.

The third ingredient is rice flour.  Rice flour is made from either white or brown rice and is considered a gluten-free substitute for wheat flour.

The fourth ingredient is rice.  Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.

The fourth ingredient is corn gluten meal, Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it. Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.  

The fifth ingredient is soybean meal, a by-product of soybean oil production more commonly found in farm animal feeds.  Although soybean meal contains 48% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.  

Less costly plant-based products like these can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.

The sixth ingredient is oatmeal, a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber and can be (depending upon its level of purity) gluten-free.

The seventh ingredient is whole grain corn.  Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a cat.

The eighth ingredient is beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, Beef fat (or tallow) is most likely obtained from rendering, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.  

Although it may not sound very appetizing, beef fat is actually a quality ingredient. 

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, there are two notable exceptions:

Taurine, an essential amino acid for cats associated with the healthy function of heart muscle and eye sight, and is crucial for maintaining good health in cats.

We view the presence of taurine in this recipe as a positive addition.

This recipe also contains menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isn’t required by AAFCO in its nutrient profiles, we question the use of this item in any feline recipe.

This recipe receives a  2.5-star rating.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Purina ONE dry cat food looks like a near average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 38.6%, a fat level of 15.9% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 37.5%.

As a group, the brand features an above average protein content of 40.4% and a near average fat level of 15.6%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 36% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 39%.

This means the Purina ONE dry cat food product line contains above average protein, near average carbs and near average fat when compared to typical dry cat food.

Has Purina cat food been recalled in the past?

Yes, Purina has had a number of cat food recalls over the years.

The last one was in July 2021 when cans of Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Tuna Entree in Sauce Wet Cat Food were recalled as they may have contained plastic.

In March 2019, Purina issued a recall of one of its Muse cat foods.

In 2012, a single lot of Purina Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management Feline Formula was recalled due to low levels of thiamine. Production Code #11721159.

In June 2011, Friskies issued a small recall due to the potential risk of salmonella contamination. This recall only affected a small range of Friskies products, – the Friskies Grillers Blend dry cat food recipe in 3.15lb and 16 lb bags with best-by dates of August 2012.

In the same year, some other Purina dry cat foods were recalled due to suspected salmonella contamination. The products affected were: Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ dry cat food, 3.5 lb. and 7 lb. bags, with a “Best by” date of May 2012 and Production Code #03341084 or #03351084 and Purina Cat Chow Naturals, 6.3 lb., Production Code #10331083 13, with “Best by” date of August 2012.

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

Nestlé Purina PetCare is an American subsidiary of the Swiss corporation Nestlé, based in St. Louis, Missouri. It produces and markets pet food, treats, cat and dog litter. 

The cat food brands owned by Purina are: Beyond, Breeze, DenaLife, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Kit & Kaboodle, Petivity, Purina Cat Chow, Purina ONE, Purina Pro Plan, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets, Tidy Cats and Whisker Lickin’s.