Is Purina “complete” dry cat food the most nutritious brand for adult cats?

alicia acconcio

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
Molokai Hawaii
Is Purina “complete” dry cat food the most nutritious brand for adult cats?

Alicia Acconcio

Molokai Hawaii
 

ducman69

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
3,232
Purraise
47
Location
Texas
Its not poison, but it definitely isn't the most nutritious food out there.  

The ingredients are sorted by their quantity in the recipe:
Primary ingredients:

Poultry by-product meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal, ground whole wheat, brewers rice, soy flour, animal fat preserved with mixed tocopherols (form of vitamin E), fish meal, meat and bone meal, brewers dried yeast, phosphoric acid, animal digest, calcium carbonate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, salt, 

Guaranteed analysis:

Crude protein (min) 34.0%, crude fat (min) 13.0%, crude fiber (max) 4.5%, moisture (max) 12.0%, linoleic acid (min) 1.25%, arachidonic acid (min) 0.02%, calcium (min) 1.1%, phosphorus (min) 0.9%, selenium (min) 0.30 mg/kg, vitamin A (min) 10,000 IU/kg, vitamin E (min) 70 IU/kg, taurine (min) 0.15%.
1) Poultry by-product meal:    This is undefined meat, and by-product at that, meaning it has very loose regulation and should be considered an inferior primary protein source.

2) Corn meal:  This isn't even concentrated corn gluten, but rather plain jane corn meal which is even worse to be listed as a second ingredient.

3) Corn gluten: Cheap inferior replacement for actual meat protein.

4) Ground whole wheat:  Cat's aren't vegetarians, there is no need for this much plant material.

5) Brewers rice is worse than regular or brown rice, as its a byproduct and devoid of nutrients

6) Soy flour is a common allergen. 

7) Bone meal, meat meal, animal digest are all rather poor ingredients. 

An online calculator I use estimates the formula to be around 34% carbohydrates, which is much too high according to most nutritionists.
 
Last edited:

ducman69

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
3,232
Purraise
47
Location
Texas
BTW, if looking for alternatives, my two enjoy Blue Wilderness Duck formula for their dry (but also only eat half their calories in dry food, the other half is wet food):
Blue Wilderness Duck: Deboned Duck, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potato Starch, Fish Meal(source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Peas, Whole Potatoes, Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Natural Chicken Flavor, Alfalfa Meal..
Crude Protein40.0% min
Crude Fat18.0% min
Crude Fiber3.5% max
Moisture10.0% max
Magnesium0.08% min
Taurine0.15% min
Omega 3 Fatty Acids*0.8% min
Omega 6 Fatty Acids*3.5% min
As you can see, the primary ingredients are all named quality meats, its high protein and fat as a cat diet should be according to most, and while its not the lowest carbs (likely due to the potato), its quite reasonable and the food is manufactured for an ideal urinary PH.  

There are plenty of other great manufactures if you want to list what is available by you.   




That is Wesley, my quality control and product taste tester, and he takes his job very seriously.  
 
Last edited:

feralvr

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 30, 2010
Messages
18,474
Purraise
689
Location
Northwest Indiana
Welcome to the Forums!!!! Glad you found us and hope you enjoy your time on TCS :clap::clap: :wave2: There are higher quality dry foods on the market than Purina , but it depends on how much you want or can spend on feeding your cat/cats. Then there are the dry foods with grains and without grains as well. You will get many opinions on the subject of what to feed your cat and we will try to help you in any way possible on the subject. :wavey:;)
 
Last edited:

StefanZ

Advisor
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Sep 18, 2005
Messages
25,999
Purraise
10,648
Location
Sweden
Is Purina “complete” dry cat food the most nutritious brand for adult cats?

Alicia Acconcio

Molokai Hawaii
It depends on what you do have where you live.  Compared with many cheap brands it is good.  And thus - it MAY be the best dry food you can get at your local food shop.

A tip:  it is easier to make a decent wet cat food, than a decent dry food. Thus, if your cats do eats wet food - consider wet food.

Next tip, is, if you only do have your local food shop and want good quality dry food - look after the versions for Kittens or for Active Cats.

Dont take the versions for  Adult cats or Indoor cats.

But as my collegues says, compared with many other brands, Purina its so so. There are many betters.

Welcome to the TCS site (look at the article part!)  and the Forums!

Good luck!
 
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

alicia acconcio

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
Molokai Hawaii
Ducman69, thanks for your very helpful and detailed reply.  I frequently find stray cats near my work and home, and some of these are wild.  I put out dry food and water, get them better, and then take them in for spaying or neutering.  So I need some brand of dry food, but I want it to be nutritious, as many of these cats are quite ill when I find them.  I was going to ask what brand of dry cat food you would recommend for an adult cat that would fit my purposes, but see you already thought to post that information too.  Loved seeing Wesley check out the supplies so attentively!

Feralvr, enjoyed your pictures of your cats and thanks for the welcome and suggestions. too.  StefanZ, appreciate the many tips.  I checked on Amazon.com and they sell Ducman69’s recommendation for Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck, so looks like I’m not limited to our rural supplies.  

This site is a great resource, thanks.

Alicia Acconcio

Molokai Hawaii
 
Last edited:

StefanZ

Advisor
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Sep 18, 2005
Messages
25,999
Purraise
10,648
Location
Sweden
I frequently find stray cats near my work and home, and some of these are wild.  I put out dry food and water, get them better, and then take them in for spaying or neutering.  So I need some brand of dry food, but I want it to be nutritious, as many of these cats are quite ill when I find them.

This site is a great resource, thanks.

Alicia Acconcio

Molokai Hawaii
Splendid and well done!

Do visit also frequently our forum for Feral and stray cats. Tell about your experiences, learn from others experiences. We do have members there also from Hawaii.

Tx a lot!

Good luck!   *many vibes*
 

Willowy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
31,886
Purraise
28,287
Location
South Dakota
I feed my ferals Purina Cat Chow. Of the cheaper brands, I find it's the best. Alley Cat, Meow Mix, Whiskas, and the store brands are just junk, IMO--my ferals looked unhealthy on those foods. Friskies is also acceptable, but I HATE artificial colors in pet foods so it sort of annoys me (yeah, Cat Chow has coloring, too, but not nearly as much). There's just something wrong with purple and green striped kibble, LOL. But I will buy Friskies if the sale price is a lot lower. Cat Chow is an all-life-stages food, so it'll be fine if there are any kittens or pregnant/nursing mothers.

Now, if price isn't an issue, I think Purina ONE is better. I got a really good price on it so I fed it to my ferals for a while, and they got such shiny fur and looked really healthy. It is nearly twice the price of Cat Chow, but I try to mix some in with their Cat Chow now and then, especially when it's cold. If you have a CostCo membership (if Hawaii even has CostCo), I hear that their Kirkland Premium food is fairly high-quality and is about the same price as Cat Chow.

For housecats I'd recommend something better like Wilderness or Taste of the Wild. But since cost is usually a factor in feeding ferals, that could really get to be a problem. Besides, for some reason it seems like outdoor ferals don't do as well on the premium foods. I think they're mainly designed for housecats.
 
Last edited:

ducman69

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
3,232
Purraise
47
Location
Texas
Online might be pretty pricey, at least it is compared to what we have locally in Texas.  If your local guys just carry all the Purina recipes, Purinas good stuff is called "ONE beYond".   Basically, try to pick one that is high in protein and fat, and check that the first ingredients are named meats that way you know the protein percentage is from quality meats and not byproducts or corn gluten (gluten is concentrated protein, but it has incomplete amino acids and isn't as readily digested as proper meat protein) and the like.  

Blue has other formulas, Wellness makes good stuff, Natural Balance Ultra Premium, Innova Cat and Kitten, By Nature, Simply Nourish, Royal Canin and others. 
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

alicia acconcio

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
Molokai Hawaii
Thanks for all the tips I received about other brands of nutritious dry cat food other than Purina Complete.  I agree that it might not have enough protein content, though I 'm glad that Purina doesn’t use ingredients from China.  On the other brands recommended (Alley Cat, Meow Mix, Whiskas, Blue, Wellness, Natural Balance Ultra Premium, Innova Cat and Kitten, By Nature, Simply Nourish, and Royal Canin), does anyone know if they contain ingredients from China that might be harmful to my cats?  
 

Willowy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
31,886
Purraise
28,287
Location
South Dakota
I think you may have misunderstood. . .I said I very much DON'T recommend Meow Mix, Whiskas, and Alley Cat (and Kit and Kaboodle). They really are very junky. As for ingredients from China, I don't know where to find that information. How did you find out that Cat Chow doesn't have ingredients sourced from China?
 

sevenwonders

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Messages
411
Purraise
24
Location
North Carolina
As for ingredients from China, I don't know where to find that information. How did you find out that Cat Chow doesn't have ingredients sourced from China?
I would like to know about "The China Connection" as well.

Not to step on any toes, but as far as I know, Royal Canin was better than most - many YEARS ago...

these days, there are many options that are much better for the same or less $$$. In fact, I think RC still uses corn...  


Yes - Here are the first ingredients on Royal Canin 27 for example...

Ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, rice, corn, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, chicken (Finally, some meat!), natural chicken flavor, pea fiber, rice flour, rice hulls, wheat gluten, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), soya oil, sodium silico aluminate, dried brewers yeast...

Perfect example of "Ingredient Splitting" - wonder what the total % would be if you add the 4 types of Rice and 2 types of corn together?    


Blue Wilderness uses Potato Starch, but it is Grain Free and MUCH better than RC - for less money.
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Purina - actually, Nestle Purina PetCare Company - is the largest pet food manufacturer in the world. They absolutely source some ingredients from China.
 
Top