Purina Beyond Cat Food Review
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Purina is a name that most pet owners are familiar with. After all, the Purina family of brands has been around for more than 90 years.
Purina includes a number of different product lines, one of the more recent additions being the Purina Beyond line of natural pet foods.
Purina Beyond isn’t just a name – it is a nutritional philosophy and a commitment.
This brand is dedicated to offering thoughtfully crafted pet foods derived from nature that go beyond by using trusted ingredient sources to deliver targeted nutrition that supports vibrant life and wellness for pets of all ages.
Read on to learn more about the Purina Beyond brand and to see what we think of it.
- Fairly well-priced
- Can be found easily online and in major pet stores
- Real meat is the first ingredient
- Heavy use of plant proteins, by-products, and unnamed ingredients
- Fairly well-priced
- Can be found easily online and in major pet stores
- Real meat is the first ingredient
- Heavy use of plant proteins, by-products, and unnamed ingredients
How We Review Cat Food Brands?
When it comes to reviewing cat food brands, we always favor brands that utilize high-quality sources of real animal protein – especially as the first ingredient. Cats are obligate carnivores which means that they have a biological need for meet in their diets.
They have a limited ability to digest plant foods, so carbohydrates should be limited and highly digestible.
Some additional factors we consider when reviewing cat food are the variety of recipes available, the price per pound, the recall history of the brand, the availability, and customer reviews.
Here Are Some Of The Other Things We Look For In A Good Cat Food Brand:
- High-quality animal protein as the first ingredient
- Rich in healthy animal fats (ex: chicken fat or salmon oil)
- Few to no carbohydrate ingredients (especially within the top 5)
- Limited number of main ingredients plus supplements
- No low-quality fillers, grains, or by-products
It is important for a cat food brand to offer a variety of different product choices because cats tend to be picky eaters – having variety gives you and your cat more to choose from.
The brand’s recall history is a good way to gauge quality and safety as a whole while customer reviews provide insight into the brand’s quality and popularity.
Overview Of The Purina Beyond Brand
The history of the Purina Beyond brand dates all the way back to 1894 when William H. Danforth joined forces with George Robinson and William Andrews to found the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company.
A company dedicated to feeding farm animals, the company name changed to Ralston Purina in 1902. Ralston Purina remained fairly small until the first pet nutrition and care center was opened at Purina Farms in 1926.
The first line of extruded dog food products (kibble) was named Purina Dog Chow and released in 1956 with Purina Pro Plan being released in 1986. The Purina Beyond line of natural and grain-free cat food products was released in 2011.
The Purina Beyond line of products is designed to be all-natural, made with added vitamins and minerals and nutrients that go beyond your cat’s minimum requirements.
This brand uses carefully sourced ingredients and adheres to quality and safety measures, so things are never left up to chance. Purina Beyond doesn’t compromise when it comes to natural nutrition or quality.
They use real meat in all of their recipes as well as other natural ingredients to deliver complete and balanced nutrition that will nourish your cat’s body from the inside out.
According to the brand’s website, every ingredient Purina Beyond uses has a purpose. Their partners are carefully chosen to ensure that their ingredients are responsibly sourced, and everything is expertly prepared to deliver essential nutrition.
Purina Beyond choses their proteins to deliver a strong foundation for your cat’s nutrition and carbohydrates are chosen to deliver sustaining energy.
Fats and oils are nutrient-rich, and an assortment of other ingredients add taste, texture, and variety. Each recipe is also fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for nutritional balance.
What Kind Of Cat Food Products Do They Offer?
Purina Beyond offers a wide variety of different cat food products as well as a line of dog foods.
Their varieties can be broken into six different categories: dry cat food, wet cat food, grain-free, indoor, high-protein, and regionally sourced.
In the wet cat food category, there are more than 20 different recipes and you can choose from 8 wholesome dry food formulas.
You have more than 30 options to choose from in grain-free cat food, both wet and dry, and two dedicated indoor formulas. Purina
Beyond’s regionally sourced pet foods offer more than a dozen results and nearly 30 of their products fall into the high-protein category as well.
Products Included in This Review |
||||
| Name | Type | Protein % | Fat % | Top 5 Ingredients |
| Purina Beyond White Meat Chicken & Egg Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food |
Dry | 35% | 14% | Chicken, chicken meal, pea protein, pea starch, cassava root |
| Purina Beyond Grain-Free Alaskan Cod Recipe Wet Food | Wet | 10% | 5% | Cod, chicken, fish broth, liver, dried egg product |
| Purina Beyond Simply Salmon & Whole Brown Rice Dry Cat Food | Dry | 33% | 15% | Salmon, chicken meal, dried egg product, pea protein, whole barley |
Compare Purina Beyond Cat Food
|
Type of Food
Dry |
Type of Food
Wet |
Type of Food
Dry |
|
First 5 Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, pea protein, pea starch, cassava root |
First 5 Ingredients
Cod, chicken, fish broth, liver, dried egg product |
First 5 Ingredients
Salmon, chicken meal, dried egg product, pea protein, whole barley |
|
Guaranteed Analysis
35% protein, 14% fat, 4% fiber, 12% moisture |
Guaranteed Analysis
10% protein, 5% fat, 1.5% fiber, 78% moisture |
Guaranteed Analysis
33% protein, 15% fat, 4% fiber, 12% moisture |
|
Calories per Cup
454 calories per cup |
Calories per Cup
92 calories/can |
Calories per Cup
428 calories per cup |
|
Price Per Pound/Ounce
$2.87/pound |
Price Per Pound/Ounce
$0.53/ounce |
Price Per Pound/Ounce
$2.65/pound |
PURINA BEYOND White Meat Chicken & Egg Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Product Info
- Type of Food: Dry
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, pea protein, pea starch, cassava root
- Guaranteed Analysis: 35% protein, 14% fat, 4% fiber, 12% moisture
- Calories per Cup: 454 calories per cup
- Price Per Pound/Ounce: $2.87/pound
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pea Protein, Pea Starch, Cassava Root Flour, Dried Egg Product, Beef Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols, Dried Yeast, Canola Meal, Pea Fiber, Natural Flavor, Dried Carrots, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Bisulfate, Salt, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Folic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Selenite.
Featuring real, recognizable ingredients, this Purina Beyond White Meat Chicken & Egg Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food goes above and beyond minimal nutrition for cats.
This recipe features real USDA-inspected white-meat chicken as the first ingredient along with other sources of protein like chicken meal and eggs. It is worth noting that pea protein is the third ingredient, so it is safe to assume that a significant portion of the 35% protein content for this recipe comes from plants rather than animals.
Other than that, however, we don’t see many questionable ingredients. This recipe contains beef fat as the primary source of essential fatty acids with several sources of fiber to support healthy digestion without going overboard.
Overall, this recipe delivers 35% protein and 14% fat which are perfectly adequate values at a moderate calorie content of 454 calories per cup.
PURINA BEYOND Grain-Free Alaskan Cod Recipe Wet Food
Product Info
- Type of Food: Wet
- First 5 Ingredients: Cod, chicken, fish broth, liver, dried egg product
- Guaranteed Analysis: 10% protein, 5% fat, 1.5% fiber, 78% moisture
- Calories per Cup: 92 calories/can
- Price Per Pound/Ounce: $0.53/ounce
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Cod, Chicken, Fish Broth, Liver, Spinach, Egg Product, Carrots, Inulin, MINERALS [Potassium Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide], Guar Gum, Taurine, Salt, Choline Chloride, VITAMINS [Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Vitamin A Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Biotin (Vitamin B-7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin D-3 Supplement]. C427520.
This Purina Beyond Grain-Free Alaskan Cod Recipe Wet Food features regionally sourced Alaskan cod as the first ingredient. It comes from a sustainable fishery and is cooked into a scrumptious seafood feast.
This product delivers high-quality, natural nutrition paired with essential vitamins and minerals for a wholesome, well-rounded meal that is packed with natural flavor.
Not only is cod the first ingredient, but it is followed by only 5 other primary ingredients – chicken, fish broth, liver, dried egg product, and carrots.
This recipe seems to be very low in carbohydrate content and rich in both protein and healthy fats.
It also contains essential nutrients to deliver complete and balanced nutrition.
PURINA BEYOND Simply Salmon & Whole Brown Rice Recipe Dry Cat Food
Product Info
- Type of Food: Dry
- First 5 Ingredients: Salmon, chicken meal, dried egg product, pea protein, whole barley
- Guaranteed Analysis: 33% protein, 15% fat, 4% fiber, 12% moisture
- Calories per Cup: 428 calories per cup
- Price Per Pound/Ounce: $2.65/pound
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Salmon, Chicken Meal, Dried Egg Product, Pea Protein, Whole Barley, Whole Oat Meal, Whole Brown Rice, Dried Yeast, Beef Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols, Dried Beet Pulp, Natural Liver Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Bisulfate, Whole Cranberries, Dried Tomatoes, Dried Spinach, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Sodium Selenite.
Purina Beyond believes that nutrition should be pure and simple. The best cat food is made from real, recognizable and natural ingredients plus essential nutrients.
That is exactly what this Purina Beyond Simply Salmon & Whole Brown Rice Dry Cat Food delivers. It features real salmon as the #1 ingredient along with other high-quality sources of protein like chicken meal and eggs.
This recipe does contain pea protein as a main ingredient which leads us to wonder how much of the protein comes from animal sources, but it may not be a problem.
We also liked that this recipe included wholesome sources of digestible whole grains like barley, oatmeal, and brown rice with cranberries for urinary tract health and dried tomatoes and spinach for fiber.
What Do Customers Think Of Purina Beyond Cat Food?
Most customers love Purina Beyond products, as much for the quality of the ingredients as the affordable price tag.
There are some customers whose cats simply didn’t like the food, but that seems to happen with most brands to some degree.
There were no major complaints we could find when reading reviews for this brand as a whole.
Positive Customer Reviews
“My cat was a chronic vomiter for the first 3.5 years of his life. We tried every diet, every prescription food, steroids, anti-nausea medicine – nothing helped. Until we tried this food. It smells awful to me, but both of my cats absolutely love it. My chronic vomiter has been on this food and the similar wet food for six months and is a brand new and healthy cat that never gets sick.”
– Haley, reviewing Purina Beyond White Meat Chicken & Egg Recipe Grain-Free Food
“I received a can for free in exchange for my honest review. I had to immediately run out and buy more. My cats eat it so fast and there just wasn’t enough. This is definitely something they loved, and I will add it in as part of their wet food feedings. I’m happy that it’s grain-free and overall healthy for my babies!”
– TracyJm30, reviewing Purina Beyond Grain-Free Alaskan Cod Recipe Wet Food
“I started buying this for one of my male cats after searching and researching dry cat foods, since he was having a problem with passing stones. After much research, I started him on this food, and not only does he love it, urinary tract problem is gone, but it’s the only dry food my other babies will eat.”
– CatDogMom, reviewing Purina Beyond Simply Salmon & Whole Brown Rice Dry Cat Food
Negative Customer Reviews
“My cats were eating this food well when I bought it one bag at a time locally but since I received my order, they don’t seem to like it as well. I appreciate the pricing, it makes buying this food for 6 cats less of a burden on my wallet, but it doesn’t help if they won’t eat it. I really don’t understand.”
– Nita, reviewing Purina Beyond White Meat Chicken & Egg Recipe Grain-Free Food
“My two older cats were not fans of this. I received a free sample can and knew right away when I opened it that they wouldn’t be interested. They like a lot of liquid in their wet food which makes sense that they didn’t care for this pate style.”
– Thenaifes, reviewing Purina Beyond Grain-Free Alaskan Cod Recipe Wet Food
“My cat developed an allergy to this food within the first week and lost a portion of her belly hair. The cats did love to eat the food, but the consequences are not good. I just wanted to let people know because it gets good reviews most places, but if you investigate deeply, and have sensitive cats, this food is not the best.”
– Amanda, reviewing Purina Beyond Simply Salmon & Whole Brown Rice Dry Cat Food
Product Recall History
A product recall occurs when a pet food manufacturer removes a product from pet store shelves and recommends that consumers stop using it. It typically affects a specific run of the affected product and may involve any number of issues ranging from formulation issues to packaging problems.
Here Is A List Of Purina Recalls Over The Last Decade:
- March 2019 (Might contain rubber pieces) – In this product recall, a limited run of Muse wet cat food products was recalled due to concerns that they might contain pieces of rubber.
- March 2016 (Inadequate vitamin and mineral levels) – This recall affected certain runs of Purina Pro Plan Savory Meals in 10-ounce tubs as well as some Beneful products.
- August 2013 (Potential salmonella) – In this recall, 3.5-pound bags of Purina ONE Beyond Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food were affected by potential salmonella contamination.
- May 2012 (Potential low thiamine) – Cans of Purina Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management cat food were recalled due to possible low thiamine levels.
- June 2011 (Potential salmonella risk) – In this recall, 3.5-pound and 7-pound bags of Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food were recalled.
- July 2011 (Potential salmonella risk) – Bags of Purina Cat Chow Naturals were recalled due to possible risk of salmonella contamination.
The fact that Purina has had a few recalls doesn’t necessarily make it a bad brand. Product recalls can happen to any brand at any point in its existence. Referring to the list above, only one product recall affected the Purina Beyond brand in particular. Read more about product recalls affecting the Purina brand at DogFood.Guide.
How Much Does Purina Beyond Cat Food Cost?
When it comes to pet food, price and quality are often correlated. High-quality ingredients cost pet food companies more money, so the price of their products goes up.
Purina Beyond uses natural ingredients like real animal proteins, so you should expect to pay a little more than you might for the average kibble.
Even so, these products are fairly well-priced. Both dry food recipes reviewed above cost between $2.50 and $3.00 per pound and the wet food recipe is priced just over $0.50 per ounce.
To give you a better idea how Purina Beyond stacks up against other cat food brands, here is a quick chart to show you some average prices:
| Brand/Recipe | Type | Quality | Price/Ounce | Price/Pound |
| Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Food | Dry | Low | X | $0.90/pound |
| Friskies Classic Pate Mixed Grill Canned Food | Wet | Low | $0.07/ounce | $1.16/pound |
| Blue Buffalo Indoor Health Chicken & Brown Rice Adult Dry Cat Food | Dry | Moderate | X | $2.53/pound |
| Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Real Chicken Pate Recipe Canned Cat Food | Wet | Moderate | $0.36/ounce | X |
| Instinct by Nature’s Variety Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken | Dry | High | X | $3.45/pound |
| Ziwi Peak New Zealand Venison Recipe Canned Cat Food | Wet | High | $1.21/ounce | X |
Where Can You Buy Purina Beyond Cat Food?
The Purina company has been around for more than 90 years and is a very well-known brand in the pet food industry. As such, you can find Purina pet foods in just about every pet store, whether it is a local or regional chain or a specialty pet food store.
The thing you need to remember is that different Purina product lines appeal to different audiences, and the Beyond line of products is Purina’s natural pet food lineup.
You can shop for Purina Beyond products online at Chewy and Amazon as well as major chains like Petco and PetSmart. You can also purchase Purina products directly through the brand’s website.
Our Final Thoughts: Is Purina Beyond a Good Brand?
Generally speaking, Purina Beyond is one of the better product lines within the Purina family. Purina has been around for decades and they played a role in pioneering and perfecting a number of pet food processes including extrusion.
They also get credit for being the first pet food brand to use real meat as the first ingredient in their recipes (the Purina Pro Plan line).
Unfortunately, they still make heavy use of plant proteins, by-products, and unnamed ingredients in many of their products. These ingredients were less highly concentrated in Purina Beyond recipes, however.
Out of all the Purina product lines we’ve reviewed thus far, Purina Beyond is one of our favorites.
You can certainly find a better-quality product at the same price point, but these cat foods are decent for the price range, so we can recommend them.
