Purina Pro Plan Kitten Dry Food Review

Purina Pro Plan dry cat food recipe receives the Cat Food Advisor a rating, 2.5-stars.

Purina Pro Plan cat food is made with real chicken which is a good, quality ingredient, helping to support a kitten’s growth and development in the first year.  However, the range also includes several controversial ingredients such as animal by-products.

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

The Purina Beyond Dry Food product line includes four dry cat foods.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Purina Pro Plan Kitten Dry Food Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice Formula 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 chicken, which 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 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.  And less costly plant-based products like this 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 third 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 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.

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.  And less costly plant-based products like this 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 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 seventh ingredient is poultry by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of slaughtered poultry after all the prime cuts have been removed.  In addition to organs, this item can also include feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs and almost anything other than prime skeletal muscle.  

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

The eighth ingredient is soy protein isolate.  Soy protein isolate is a highly refined form of soybean protein with a protein content of about 90%.  In this case, the soy protein has been hydrolyzed which means it has been broken down into its individual amino acid components.  Hydrolyzed protein is valued by veterinary professionals because of its proven and effective  properties.

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 caramel color, a natural coloring agent made by caramelizing carbohydrates. It’s used by pet food manufacturers to impart a golden brown tint to the finished product.

However, the concentrated version of this ingredient commonly known as caramel coloring has been more recently considered controversial and found to cause cancer in laboratory animals.²

In any case, even though caramel is considered safe by the FDA, we’re always disappointed to find any added coloring in a pet food.

That’s because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans — not your cat. After all, do you really think your cat cares what color their food is?

It also contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

The company appears to have applied friendly bacteria to the surface of the kibble after cooking. These special probiotics  are used to enhance a cat’s digestive and immune functions.

This recipe receives a 2.5-star rating.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Purina Beyond dry cat food looks like an below average product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 47.7%, a fat level of 21.6% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 22.7%.

As a group, the brand features an above average protein content of 47.7% and an above average fat level of 21.6%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 22.7% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 45%.

This means the Purina Pro Plan Dry Food product line contains above average protein, below average carbs and above average fat when compared to typical dry kitten 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.