Purina ONE Cat Food Review
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The Purina brand has a long, 90-year history of developing nutritious pet food products.
The brand claims that their passion for pets goes well beyond advancing the science of pet nutrition into forging partnerships with pet organizations and raising awareness of what pets truly need for long-term health and wellness.
The Purina name precedes a number of different product lines including Purina ONE, Purina Cat Chow, Fancy Feast, Friskies, and more. Read on to learn more about the Purina ONE brand and what we think of it.
- High-quality animal protein as the first ingredient
- Rich in healthy animal-based fats
- Affordably priced
- Some recipes include by-products as well as corn, wheat, and soy ingredients
- High-quality animal protein as the first ingredient
- Rich in healthy animal-based fats
- Affordably priced
- Some recipes include by-products as well as corn, wheat, and soy ingredients
How We Review Cat Food Brands
Cats are obligate carnivores which means that they have a biological requirement for meat in their diets. Dogs are scavenging carnivores which means that they eat whatever is available and they can subsist on plant foods for a limited time.
When reviewing a cat food brand, we heavily favor those that include high-quality sources of animal-based protein. We also favor recipes that contain a low concentration of carbohydrates, limited to digestible sources like whole grains and fresh vegetables.
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
When reviewing a cat food brand, some of the additional factors we consider include the variety of recipe choices available, the price per pound (or ounce), the recall history of the brand, the availability, and customer reviews.
Cats can be picky eaters, so it is important for a brand to offer a variety of products. 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 ONE Brand
The history of the Purina brand dates back to the late 1890s when William H. Danforth partnered with George Robinson and William Andrews to found the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company. The company was in the business of feeding farm animals until the company name changed to Ralston Purina in 1902.
The brand remained fairly small until Purina established the first pet nutrition and care center at Purina Farms in Missouri in 1926. This location has since evolved into the Nestle Purina Pet Care Center located in Northwest Missouri.
In 1956, Purina Dog Chow became the first extruded pet food that came to be known as kibble and less than a decade later, the Purina Cat Chow brand was born.
Over the years, the Purina brand continued to grow, developing new products and perfecting their processes. In 2001, the company was acquired by Nestle and, as of 2012, it had become the second-largest pet food company around the world and the largest in the United States.
To backtrack a little, the Purina ONE brand was released in 1986 as Purina’s first super-premium pet food brand. The name is an acronym for Optimal Nutrition Enhancement or ONE and most products in this line contain some type of meat as the first ingredient. Today, the Purina ONE product line includes over twenty different dry food and wet food recipes.
What Kind of Cat Food Products Do They Offer?
The Purina brand has been around for over 90 years and, over the decades, numerous product lines have come and gone. When it comes to their cat food products, the top Purina brands include Beyond, Deli-Cat, DentaLife, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Kit&Kaboodle, Muse, Purina Cat Chow, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets, Purina Pro Plan, Whisker Lickins’, and of course,
Purina ONE. The Purina One line includes a variety of dry food and wet food products for kittens, adults, and senior cats. They offer a variety of grain-free and grain-inclusive recipes as well as formulas designed to address specific nutritional needs for indoor cats, weight management, sensitive stomach, and more.
Products Included in This Review |
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| Name | Type | Protein % | Fat % | Top 5 Ingredients |
| Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Dry Cat Food | Dry | 38% | 8.5% | Turkey, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, soybean meal |
| Purina ONE Turkey Recipe Pate Grain-Free Canned Cat Food | Wet | 11% | 5% | Turkey, liver, turkey broth, chicken, pork lungs |
| Purina ONE True Instinct Natural Real Chicken Plus Vitamins & Minerals Grain-Free Dry Food | Dry | 35% | 14% | Chicken, chicken meal, pea starch, cassava root flour, soy protein isolate |
Compare Purina One Cat Food
3. PURINA ONE True Instinct Natural Real Chicken Plus Vitamins & Minerals Grain-Free Dry Food |
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Type of Food
Dry |
Type of Food
Wet |
Type of Food
Dry |
|
First 5 Ingredients
Turkey, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, soybean meal |
First 5 Ingredients
Turkey, liver, turkey broth, chicken, pork lungs |
First 5 Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, pea starch, cassava root flour, soy protein isolate |
|
Guaranteed Analysis
38% protein, 8.5% fat, 4.3% fiber, 12% moisture |
Guaranteed Analysis
11% protein, 5% fat, 1.5% fiber, 78% moisture |
Guaranteed Analysis
35% protein, 14% fat, 2% fiber, 12% moisture |
|
Calories per Cup
398 calories/cup |
Calories per Cup
95 calories/can |
Calories per Cup
356 calories per cup |
|
Price Per Pound/Ounce
$1.29/pound |
Price Per Pound/Ounce
$0.29/ounce |
Price Per Pound/Ounce
$1.92/pound |
PURINA ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Dry Cat Food
Product Info
- Type of Food: Dry
- First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, soybean meal
- Guaranteed Analysis: 38% protein, 8.5% fat, 4.3% fiber, 12% moisture
- Calories per Cup: 398 calories/cup
- Price Per Pound/Ounce: $1.29/pound
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Turkey, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Fish Meal, Dried Yeast, Powdered Cellulose, Soy Protein Isolate, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols, Soybean Hulls, Animal Liver Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Caramel Color, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Spinach, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Sodium Selenite.
This Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Dry Cat Food is designed to support optimal health in indoor cats.
This means helping your cat maintain a healthy weight and reducing hairballs. You’ll also be glad to know that this recipe contains real turkey as the #1 ingredient, and it contains no fillers or artificial additives.
The bag suggests that this product provides “purposeful nutrition for lifelong whole body health.” In reviewing the ingredients list, we found it to be true that real turkey was the first ingredient.
Unfortunately, the next five ingredients were of questionable quality.
Brewers rice, the second ingredient, offers limited nutritional value and corn gluten meal is a low-quality source of plant-based protein. This recipe also contains several by-products as well as other corn and soy-based ingredients.
The total protein content of the recipe is very high at 38%, though the fat content is very low at 8.5%. There are vitamins and mineral supplements as well, but the minerals are not chelated.
PURINA ONE Turkey Recipe Pate Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
Product Info
- Type of Food: Wet
- First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, liver, turkey broth, chicken, pork lungs
- Guaranteed Analysis: 11% protein, 5% fat, 1.5% fiber, 78% moisture
- Calories per Cup: 95 calories/can
- Price Per Pound/Ounce: $0.29/ounce
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Turkey, Liver, Turkey Broth, Chicken, Pork Lungs, Fish, Natural Flavors, Guar Gum, Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Salt, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Vitamin E, Choline, Vitamin B-1, Vitamin B-3, Vitamin B-5, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-2, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin B-7, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3), Taurine. D432318
In the description of this Purina ONE Turkey Recipe Pate Grain-Free Canned Cat Food, it reads that “Purina ONE believes that real ingredients are the first step in providing your cat with balanced nutrition.” This recipe is supposedly a premium pate blended with high-quality ingredients.
When reviewing the ingredients list ourselves, we didn’t find any glaring red flags like by-products or corn, wheat, or soy ingredients. Turkey is the first ingredient and both chicken and fish provide supplemental sources of animal protein.
Two ingredients – liver and fish – raise minor concerns because they are not named ingredients (for example, salmon would be a named fish ingredient).
We don’t mind that this product contains a fairly limited list of ingredients and the guaranteed analysis looks fine. Converted to dry matter basis, this recipe contains 50% protein and nearly 23% fat. Overall, it is a decent product and highly affordable, though you could easily do better for your cat.
PURINA ONE True Instinct Natural Real Chicken Plus Vitamins & Minerals Grain-Free Dry Food
Product Info
- Type of Food: Dry
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, pea starch, cassava root flour, soy protein isolate
- Guaranteed Analysis: 35% protein, 14% fat, 2% fiber, 12% moisture
- Calories per Cup: 356 calories per cup
- Price Per Pound/Ounce: $1.92/pound
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Chicken, Poultry By-Product Meal (Source of Glucosamine), Pea Starch, Cassava Root Flour, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols, Soy Protein Isolate, Dried Egg Product, Pea Protein, Canola Meal, Dried Yeast, Animal Liver Flavor, Soy Protein Concentrate, Chicken Meal, Glycerin, Phosphoric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Sodium Bisulfate, Taurine, Choline Chloride, 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)], L-Cysteine, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], DL-Methionine. A-4152.
This Purina ONE True Instinct Natural Real Chicken Plus Vitamins & Minerals Grain-Free Dry Food features real chicken as the main ingredient and is advertised as being free from poultry by-product meal and artificial additives.
In reviewing the ingredients list on the Chewy product page after reading these claims, we were surprised to see poultry by-product meal listed as the second ingredient.
Upon further investigation, however, we found that the ingredients list on the Purina ONE website were different and did not include poultry by-product meal but chicken meal as the second ingredient.
We are still concerned about some of the other ingredients, however, such as soy protein isolate, soybean meal, and pea protein.
With an overall protein content of 35%, we wonder how much of that comes from animal versus plant sources. Overall, this is one of the better Purina ONE products, but it still leaves something to be desired as a healthy and natural cat food.
What Do Customers Think of Purina ONE Cat Food?
After reading our reviews of three Purina ONE products, you might expect to learn that many customers complain about the brand. In truth, however, customers seem to love Purina ONE cat food products as most recipes sold on Chewy have at least a 4-star rating. Though some customers are concerned about the quality of the ingredients, most complaints come from cat owners whose pets simply refuse to eat the food for one reason or another.
Positive Customer Reviews
“I had to transition my cats from kitten food to adult food last month and I went from Purina ONE Kitten to Purina ONE Indoor Advantage dry food. My two cats had no real problem transitioning. One had a little gas for a couple days, but now has no problem. They love this food and it agrees with them.” – Jama, reviewing Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Dry Cat Food
“I’ve been searching for a good wet food option that ALL my feral cats would eat and every one of them likes this turkey pate. It has a great pate texture and smell. Stocking up for the winter on this one!” – DZJO, reviewing Purina ONE Turkey Recipe Pate Grain-Free Canned Food
“I have 5 cats, a few of them had horrible gas and foul smells in the litter box. They all love it and very happy to say, the gut issues seem to be improving nicely since I switched to grain-free.” – HappyCatsHere, reviewing Purina ONE True Instinct Natural Real Chicken Plus Vitamins & Minerals
Negative Customer Reviews
“I went back to Purina products thinking they are a big company, must know what they are doing. However, if you read the ingredients it is full of corn, soy, fish, and powdered cellulose. I switched to Iams original regular instead. Cats didn’t think a whole lot of this one anyway.” – Ouimcm, reviewing Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Dry Cat Food
“This food is completely nasty – it doesn’t even pass the smell test of my cats. It’s dense, definitely not the color of other food that is turkey. I wish I’d never ordered it.” – Kimber, reviewing Purina ONE Turkey Recipe Pate Grain-Free Canned Food
“I purchased this dry food because I figured it was a well-known brand and it didn’t have the fillers and bad ingredients as a lower price food. When I opened the bag, the scent was unpleasant to me. I put a cup of it in my cat’s bowl and all three just sniffed and walked away. The food sat in the bowl untouched for several days. Finally, it took me not giving the babies any wet food for them to pick at this.” – BossiandCaliAreMyBabies, reviewing Purina ONE True Instinct Natural Real Chicken Plus Vitamins & Minerals
Product Recall History
The Purina name is shared among a variety of different product lines including Purina ONE. Because the Purina family is so varied, there are a number of product recalls to consider. In reviewing the recall list from the last decade, however, we only found two recalls that applied specifically to Purina ONE products. Here are the details:
- August 2013 (Possible salmonella risk) – This recall applied to 3.5-pound bags of Purina ONE beyond Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food.
- July 2011 (Possible salmonella risk) – This recall applied to 3.5-pound and 7-pound bags of Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food.
As you can see, the list of product recalls affecting the Purina ONE brand over the last decade is very short, and only one product was a cat food product. For more information about Purina pet food recalls, check out this guide from Petful.
How Much Does Purina ONE Cat Food Cost?
When it comes to shopping for cat food, you will often find that price is correlated with quality. For the most part, high-quality brands cost more than low-quality brands.
The Purina ONE line of products is certainly not the worst line on the market, but it is far from the best.
As such, it should come as no surprise that the products in this line are fairly affordable. The two dry food recipes reviewed above are priced under $2.00 per pound and the wet food recipe costs under $0.30 per ounce.
To give you a better idea how Purina ONE 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 ONE Cat Food?
Purina products are very easy to find, though you have to remember that there are a wide variety of product lines under the Purina name. The easiest way to purchase Purina ONE products is from Chewy or Amazon where you have a large selection and you can save money by subscribing for regular deliveries.
You can also find Purina ONE products in national, regional, and sometimes local pet stores and chains as well as other online retailers like Amazon, PetCo and PetSmart. Unlike some pet food brands, you can also purchase Purina ONE products directly through the Purina website.
Our Final Thoughts: Is Purina ONE a Good Brand?
Overall, we are not particularly impressed by the Purina ONE brand but our in-depth analysis revealed that some products are actually fairly decent. Though many recipes include by-products as well as corn, wheat, and soy ingredients, some do not.
The overall protein content of many recipes is quite high, and the price of most recipes is very affordable. Though this is far from our favorite brand, it may be a good choice for cat owners with a low cat food budget.
