When choosing food for a cat, every owner looks for the optimal product that meets all the needs of the animal and is affordable. Pro Plan cat food from Purina has long been known and popular on the Russian market. Let's figure out how useful Pro Plan is, study its composition, cost and product line, as well as all its advantages and disadvantages.
About the food
Purina Pro Plan cat food is produced by the American company Nestle Purina PetCare under the Purina brand in factories in Italy, France, and Russia. It belongs to the premium class products, but if you take into account the presence of a veterinary line, then the class of food can easily be classified as super-premium. Purina is also a manufacturer of Purina One, Purina Cat Chow, Gourmet, Felix, Friskies, Darling food, and produces food products not only for cats, but also for dogs. The range of the famous brand includes dry, liquid food and vitamin and mineral supplements in the form of separate products.
According to the manufacturer, Pro Plan can be the cat's only food and there is no need to add other ingredients to the menu. All types of food are presented with a rationally balanced nutritional composition, and also contain vitamins, enzymes and beneficial probiotics to strengthen the immune system, maintain healthy teeth and coat. The Pro Plan product line is officially recognized as hypoallergenic. Moreover, each series of food has a wide range of flavors that can satisfy the most picky cats.
Premium food Purina Pro Plan
Any veterinarian will tell you that the best food for cats is “holistic”... but not every owner will be able to provide their pet with such an expensive diet. And then the Purina brand comes to the rescue - offering affordable, good quality food.
The main line of Purina Pro Plan food belongs to the premium class - the “brand philosophy” is that even owners with low incomes should have pets that are healthy and receive adequate nutrition.
Of course, there are no delicacies in these foods, and animal proteins are presented in the form of waste from meat and fish production (ground entrails, skin, cartilage and bones). But any brand product contains the required amount of fats, vitamins and microelements:
- kittens require a very nutritious diet - the line for babies contains up to 20% fat, as well as colostrum;
- Low-calorie diets are offered for elderly and sedentary animals.
For the production of feed are used:
- by-products of poultry and fish processing;
- animal and vegetable fats;
- eggs are added to some diets;
- grain crops (rice or wheat), sugar beets and corn act as fillers;
- Chicory helps normal digestion (it is not digested and is excreted from the intestines undigested, but it creates an environment favorable for the development of beneficial bacteria);
- yeast;
- vitamin and mineral supplements;
- antioxidants, improvers and flavor enhancers.
Diets for older animals are more rich in fatty acids, probiotics and vitamins.
Veterinary Diets are special “veterinary feeds” intended for animals with health problems, made from higher quality raw materials - they contain fewer chemical components and more animal proteins (in composition they can be classified as super-premium).
Purina Pro Plan food comes in three formats: dry (pellets) and wet (canned or portioned bags). And they can satisfy the taste preferences of almost any pet - the choice is really wide: beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck, salmon, cod, tuna...
It is difficult to say which form is better (even the opinions of experts on this issue vary). Each animal must be approached individually - you can only understand what your pet needs through experience. To do this, select a period when the cat feels well (does not shed, does not expect offspring and does not feed babies) and proceed according to the following algorithm:
- Carry out a full examination of the animal at the veterinary center;
- Get dietary recommendations;
- Feed your pet the selected product for a month;
- Repeat the examination and find out whether the cat’s condition has improved or worsened.
Pet owners have a lot of trouble cleaning their pets' teeth. Dry food labeled “Dental Plus” removes plaque and gradually destroys tartar.
If a cat loves to eat, but has a tendency to become obese, a small portion will not satisfy her. Try giving her low calorie food.
It is better to choose food from the “Veterinary Diets” line on the recommendation of a veterinarian. But if you know exactly the diagnosis of your pet, you can choose the appropriate product yourself.
Advantages:
- At a relatively low price, Purina Pro Plan food has a decent content of natural ingredients (if it says “salmon” on the package, it really does contain salmon (of course, it’s not fillet, but high-quality animal protein is also found in offal).
- These foods contain the complete vitamin and mineral complex a pet needs.
- Wide variety of release forms and recipes.
The packaging contains recommendations for which cats (age and other characteristics) this product is intended for. The exact composition is indicated. Even if you haven’t figured out in advance “what is best to choose for your cat?” – then on the package or jar you will see all the necessary information.
Flaws:
- The lack of meat is abundantly compensated for by soy protein.
- Vitamins and microelements, for the most part, are the result of “chemical synthesis”.
However, these “cons” are typical for all feeds in the “premium” segment.
Among all premium foods, Purina Pro Plan can be considered one of the best. With a properly selected diet (taking into account the health and age of the pet), no problems arise.
Purina Pro Plan food line
- Dry food in the form of small homogeneous granules. Introduced the Original Adult series for adult cats with rice additive and flavors: chicken, duck, turkey, salmon. Sold by weight and in individual packages.
- Soft food: canned food in jars and pouches in 85 g bags with flavors: chicken, turkey, lamb, salmon, sea fish in the form of jelly, pate, sauces.
- Pro Plan food for kittens of the Pro Plan Junior series, including dry food in packages from 0.4 g to 10 kg, as well as wet food in the format of pouches and cans of pate and stew. For kittens there is also a Baby Kitten series for the first feeding.
- Pro Plan for older and elderly cats: a special line of 7+ of all series has been developed for them: Adult, Original, Nutrisavour.
- Dietary general strengthening series: Pro Plan Delicate for cats with weak or sensitive digestion, Pro Plan Derma Plus for strengthening the skin, coat and making it silky.
- Purina Sterilized - for castrated and sterilized cats to maintain optimal weight and a healthy genitourinary system after surgery, and to prevent urolithiasis.
- Purina Pro Plan medicinal: veterinary line Veterinary diets for a maintenance and therapeutic diet for a wide variety of cat diseases. Includes the series: OM - to combat obesity; UR - for animals with urinary tract diseases; NF - for kidney pathology; Hepatic—for cats with liver disease.
This therapeutic line also includes food for a veterinary diet for diseases of the joints, gastrointestinal tract, diabetes, chronic allergies, food intolerance, etc. The series includes a special feed additive of the Fortiflora series with a probiotic to normalize the gastrointestinal tract.
Rulers and diets
The company has developed a wide range of food that allows you to keep your pet in good condition and maintain its health in ideal condition. Currently, the company offers more than two hundred types of food. Most of them are created taking into account the individual characteristics and needs of the domestic cat’s body.
All products of the brand can be divided into three lines. These are ProPlan dry cat food, Nutrisavour wet food and Veterinary Diets special food.
ProPlan dry food contains classic diets that are suitable for daily feeding. They are created taking into account the age, weight, living conditions and special needs of the four-legged pet.
For the smallest kittens, the developers offer Junior Delicate dry diets, which can be used for cats up to one year old, whose bodies have sensitive digestion and a tendency to develop gastrointestinal diseases.
ProPlan Adult is a food that was specially developed for cats over seven years old, whose body can no longer produce certain substances. Diets for senior cats are enriched with probiotics, vitamins, beta keratin and fatty acids.
ProPlan Housecat is intended for cats living near humans. It contains a number of components that help control digestion and elimination of hairballs, as well as significantly reduce the odor of the cat's litter box.
Nutrisavour wet food is presented in an updated series. This category helps add variety to your pet's diet and takes into account the individual needs of the animal.
Experts recommend using the type of food that will correspond to the age, general condition of the body and individual characteristics of the cat. The Nutrisavour line of food is represented by the following types:
- Junior - for kittens;
- Adult - for cats over one year old;
- Sterilized - for sterilized animals;
- Delicate - for cats prone to allergies;
- Dental Plus - to maintain dental health;
- Light - for overweight animals;
- Senior - for cats over 7 years old;
- Adult 7+ - for older animals.
The food is produced in the form of canned meat, packaged in 85 g cans or bags. Portions consist of small pieces of heat-treated meat, sauce or gravy.
Manufacturers offer canned food that contains only natural meat from chicken, duck, turkey, beef, lamb, ocean fish and salmon. A wide range allows you to choose a specific taste or use different types.
Particular attention should be paid to storage conditions. Opened cans or bags of leftover food should be stored in the refrigerator, closed , as the sauce dries out quickly. This reduces the quality and taste of the feed.
Veterinary Diets are therapeutic foods that help maintain the health of pets suffering from various diseases. Properly selected formulations allow owners to independently organize nutrition for cats suffering from diseases of the urinary system, liver, gastrointestinal tract, as well as allergic reactions and obesity.
The segment is represented by a variety of options in the form of dry food or canned food. When choosing food for your cat, you should remember that its use should be agreed with your veterinarian. Medical nutrition Veterinary Diets is strictly contraindicated in animals with chronic renal failure. Diets are very often used as an addition to primary treatment, but not as a replacement for it.
ProPlan Sterilized - food is intended for organizing the nutrition of sterilized cats and animals suffering from urolithiasis. The food contains salmon meat as a source of protein and is rich in vitamin A and lanolic acid.
Derma Plus are intended for animals with sensitive skin. It is high in fiber, which normalizes digestion and keeps the coat in excellent condition.
ProPlan Housecat and Light are diets for animals suffering from obesity, as well as those prone to gaining excess weight. They contain a unique set of animal fats and fiber, which are low in calories and help reduce excess weight.
ProPlan EN is intended for kittens and adult animals with impaired functioning of the stomach and intestines, which is accompanied by loss of muscle mass, vomiting, stool disorders, and food intolerance.
Nutritionists and veterinarians are involved in the development of therapeutic diets. The company owns the patented formulas Optistart, Optirenal and Longevis, which are a unique combination of specially selected ingredients that normalize the intestinal flora, as well as the functioning of the kidneys and intestines.
Composition of Pro Plan food
Let's look at the main composition of Pro Plan using the example of standard dry food for adult cats and cats, Original Adult. The manufacturer guarantees that the food contains:
- proteins: 36%;
- fat: 16%;
- fatty acids: Omega-6: 2.5%; Omega-3: 0.4%;
- raw ash: 7%;
- crude fiber: 1%.
Let's study in more detail.
- The composition includes: chicken 21% and dried poultry protein. Compared to other premium brands, Pro Plan puts chicken meat first. The percentage of poultry protein is not indicated, and the word “meat” is not used, so it cannot be said that this is pure chicken meat. According to the American AAFCO standard, the ingredient called chicken also includes chicken bones, skin and offal.
- Wheat and rice are in second place. Both ingredients are sources of carbohydrates, with rice being the most palatable for cats.
- Corn and wheat gluten and corn. These are quite allergenic products, especially corn, which is almost always GMO. Corn is cheap and profitable for the manufacturer, but the most harmful product for cats: it often causes allergies in animals with hair loss, bald spots and scratching. Wheat gluten, like corn gluten, contains a lot of vegetable protein.
- Animal fat is a source of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, but the origin of the fat is not specified.
- Powdered eggs are an additional source of protein.
- Minerals: iron, copper, iodine, manganese, zinc and selenium.
- Vitamins: A: 37000 IU/kg, D3: 1200 IU/kg, E: 670 IU/kg, C: 160 mg/kg.
Also included in the composition, without specifying the percentage: dried chicory root, fiber, flavoring additive, yeast, preservatives, amino acids.
The manufacturer also claims that the food contains a natural probiotic, but what percentage it is and what exactly it is called is not provided.
Let's summarize: if you analyze the origin of the protein in the amount of 36-40% (this is the norm for a healthy cat), declared by the manufacturer, you can understand that animal proteins contain exactly more than 20%. But since the amount of dry poultry protein is completely unknown, the remaining 16-20% of proteins are most likely of plant origin.
Regarding the dosage of dry food:
| Cat weight, kg | Feed rate per day, g |
| 2 – 4 | 35 – 65 |
| 4 – 6 | 65 – 95 |
| 6 – 8 | 95 – 125 |
According to reviews, 1.5-2 kg of dry food for a month is enough for one adult medium-sized cat. For example, with a cat weighing 3.5 kg and a norm of 50-55 g, 1,500 to 1,650 g of food will be enough for her per month. There is no need to buy vitamins and mineral supplements separately. Each product in a separate line has its own feeding recommendations.
General information
Manufacturer information
In its laboratories, the company constantly creates more and more new types of high-class food containing all the beneficial substances necessary for cats. Pro Plan food has high nutritional value, so a cat only needs a small amount of it per day. The composition of this food contains meat in the first place, that is, protein, which is an immediate advantage.
In second place are cereals - carbohydrates, the main source of energy, animal fat and fish oil - sources of fatty acids. Then come minerals, flavoring feed additives, yeast, preservatives, antioxidants, vitamins, the downside is that it is not specified which ones.
At every stage of life, cats have special needs. Taking into account the needs, several lines of Pro Plan food have been developed, allowing cat owners to choose the most suitable food for their pet. Even the best food may not be suitable for some cats. However, the majority of pet owners who use Pro Plan food for their nutrition believe that they have made a good choice.
Advantages and disadvantages of food
The advantages include the fact that Purina produces Proplan in different forms. According to consistency, it is divided into dry and wet.
There is a series of medicinal foods that should be introduced into the animal’s diet only on the recommendation of a veterinarian. The medicinal series includes real meat and a large percentage of animal protein.
You can purchase Proplan at affordable prices and can easily be found on sale. Among its beneficial properties, enzymes and probiotics should be noted. The food ingredients are balanced, no nutritional supplements are required. According to experts in felinology, Proplan is an easily digestible food.
Disadvantages include:
- harmful ingredients: offal flour, animal fat and liver;
- a meager amount of vegetables in the composition;
- a lot of plant proteins, for example, from soy and corn, which cause allergies.
All of the above ingredients cause rapid weight gain due to the formation of fat. In addition, they complicate the digestion process. Therefore, when introducing Proplan food into a cat’s diet for the first time, it is recommended to monitor its well-being. If signs of deterioration in her health have been noticed, then you should choose a different food.
Important: The animal should be fed only one type of food, without mixing natural products and food. This disrupts the natural digestive process.
Feed cost
Pro Plan is sold in any pet store and supermarket with a small selection both online and offline. The price varies depending on the weight purchased and the type of feed. In 2021, average prices for Pro Plan for the Adult series ranged from 480 to 700 rubles. for 1 kg of dry food:
| Feed package weight | Price per package, rub | Cost per 1 kg, rub |
| Dry 0.4 kg | 280 | 700 |
| Dry 1.5 kg | 990 | 660 |
| Dry 3 kg | 1890 | 630 |
| Dry 10 kg | 4810 | 481 |
| Wet in pouches 85 g | 49 – 65 | 576 – 765 |
Pro Plan Pros and Cons
The benefits include:
- accessibility and availability in many stores;
- high percentage of protein content;
- rich in vitamins and beneficial microelements;
- a huge range of flavors;
- availability of a treatment line for cat diseases;
- balanced composition, the presence of medicinal enzymes and probiotics.
Disadvantages include:
- overpriced compared to other higher quality analogues: Acana, Royal Canin, Go Natural, NOW, Felidae;
- the presence of allergens in the composition and the increased content of vegetable protein, an increased proportion of carbohydrates in the diet;
- vague statements of the constituent components without indicating the percentage;
- use of flavoring fillers and preservatives.
