In this article
Review Summary
We give Pure Vita Cat food a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
Pure Vita Cat Food includes wet and dry food, but the wet food has higher-quality ingredients than the dry food. The dry food lacks some essential vitamins and minerals, while the wet food range is nutritionally well-balanced and species-appropriate. Pure Vita’s formulas do not contain artificial colorings or preservatives.
Pure Vita also produces grain-free foods, and the company has never had a recall, which is a positive sign. The ingredient lists are free of controversial ingredients, and the primary food sources are meat-based proteins.
Overall, Pure Vita produces nutritious formulas, and some get higher ratings compared to other manufacturers. However, you may want to stick to their wet food range and consider an alternative supplier of dry foods.
At a Glance: The Best Pure Vita Cat Food Recipes:
| Image | Product | Details | ||
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Best Overall
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Pure Vita Grain Free Salmon Canned Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
Best Value
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Pure Vita Grain Free Salmon Dry Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
Premium Choice
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Pure Vita Grain Free Chicken Entrée Dry Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
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Pure Vita Grain Free Chicken And Peas Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE | |
Pure Vita Cat Food Reviewed
Finding the right food for your cat can seem like an uphill struggle. There are hundreds of dry and wet food manufacturers, each claiming to offer the best food packed with the vitamins and nutrients your cat requires.
In reality, several commercial brands include highly questionable ingredients, including ones that are not only controversial for being cheap filler ingredients but could also harm the cats eating them.
We examined Pure Vita, including information on the company, its manufacturing processes, and some of its most popular food lines, to determine whether you should consider serving it to your cat. Below are our findings.
Pure Vita History
In 1947, Darrell “Tuffy” Nelson started an animal feed company called Pine Lakes Feed in Minnesota. Twenty years later, his son rejoined the company after studying away, and the two of them created the Tuffy’s Dog Food Company brand. The son, Kenny Nelson, still owns Tuffy’s to this day.
After 40 years of producing economy food, Tuffy’s turned their attention to manufacturing premium food. At this point, the new premium ranges were under the brand NutriSource Super Premium and, following on from its success, they launched the Pure Vita range of food.
Today, Tuffy’s ethos is to sell high-quality food made from natural ingredients without artificial ingredients. They pride themselves on the manufacture and supply of premium quality cat food.
Which Types of Cats is Pure Vita Best Suited For?
Pure Vita food includes wet and dry food and is suitable for young kittens and senior cats. The recipes are all grain-free, so they are ideal for cats with grain sensitivities, and the foods contain meat protein from a single meat source, making it much easier to manage food allergies.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and bad)
Because Pure Vita offers a wide range of dry and wet foods, it is difficult to rank and assess all ingredients. However, looking across the entire range, we see that most formulas contain meat protein from a single source of meat. For cats with food allergies, it makes them much easier to manage, and it also allows you to single out a specific meat source that might be causing an upset stomach or allergic reaction in your cat.
Among the most notable ingredients in Pure Vita food, we found:
Pea Protein
All of the foods that Pure Vita offers are grain-free. As with all grain-free recipes, the manufacturer has to use an alternative to bind the ingredients together. Peas are starchy and bind the kibble and dry ingredients together. It makes the food more palatable and ensures that it doesn’t crumble to dust while in the packet and transit. Pea protein or pea flour is used in the same way as soy or corn, but it is not a grain.
Later in the list of ingredients of some recipes, you will also find pea starch and pea fiber, which is considered ingredient splitting. Ingredients are listed in order by volume, so the first ingredient is the primary ingredient. Splitting an ingredient like peas down into pea flour, pea starch, and pea fiber enables the manufacturer to list them separately so that they appear further down the ingredient list than if they were to list peas.
Dried Tomato Pomace
Another ingredient in some Pure Vita recipes is dried tomato pomace. Some people consider it a cheap filler because it adds fiber and carbs and costs very little. It is made as a by-product of the manufacturing process of tomatoes but contains B vitamins, Lycopene, and vitamin A. Therefore, while it might be an inexpensive ingredient, we believe it offers some benefits to cats.
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex
One ingredient in several wet food recipes from Pure Vita that is considered controversial is menadione sodium bisulfite complex, which is a synthetic vitamin K. It has been linked to liver toxicity, and some experts have warned that it is also toxic to the lungs, kidneys, and mucous membrane. Therefore, you may want to avoid this ingredient in your cat’s food.
Named Meat
Several inexpensive pet foods include unnamed meat ingredients. They can come from almost any animal, but Pure Vita does not use them. In fact, Pure Vita recipes are usually made with a single meat source as the primary ingredient.
Grain-Free Diet
Cats are obligate carnivores, and grains are not considered a natural part of their diet. In the wild, the only exposure a cat would have to a grain would be in their prey’s stomach, which would be minimal. However, all Pure Vita recipes are grain-free.
Nutrisource Super Premium Nutrition
This blend of nutrients and vitamins forms the basis of every cat food recipe from the company. After the meat, ingredients include barley and rice, followed by omega oils, selenium, vitamin C, and antioxidants. This combination helps ensure your cat gets the vitamins they need.
No Artificial Colorings
Pure Vita states that it does not use artificial colorings. There is no need for artificial coloring in cat food because cats will eat food regardless of color. The only reason to color cat food is to make it more appealing to pet parents.
No Animal By-Products
Animal by-products are the largely undesirable leftovers that remain after an animal has been processed for meat. It can include any part of the animal, and while some of these can be considered nutritional and beneficial to a cat, they can consist of some less-than-desirable ingredients. Pure Vita does not list animal by-products in its ingredients.
High In Carbs
Cats do not need carbohydrates, but a moderate amount in cat food isn’t harmful. While Pure Vita is widely considered a good food source with plenty of benefits, many recipes are high in carbohydrates. They use pea flour and pea ingredients as cheap fillers, which add to the carbohydrate content.
A Quick Look at Pure Vita Cat Food
- No animal by-products
- No artificial colorings
- Grain-free food
- No recalls
- Contains menadione sodium bisulfite complex
- High in carbs
- Uses pea flour
- Not a wide range of flavors
Recall History
Neither Pure Vita nor its parent company, Tuffy’s, has had a recall of pet food in its 70 years of manufacturing.
Reviews of the 3 Best Pure Vita Cat Food Recipes
1. Pure Vita Grain Free Salmon Canned Cat Food
Pure Vita Grain Free Salmon Canned Cat Food is a grain-free wet food. Its primary ingredient is salmon, it has no controversial ingredients and does not contain by-products or fillers within its top ingredients.
Salmon is an allergen, and the ingredients include fish broth, which is also on the list of allergens, but if your cat is not allergic to fish, it should be fine. The formula has average protein but less fiber and more fat than the average wet food.
Pure Vita’s salmon recipe is expensive, but, like all wet foods, it provides hydration and appeals to finicky cats.
Calorie Breakdown:
- 0% carbs
- Salmon as the primary ingredient
- High in calories
- Contains menadione sodium bisulfite complex
2. Pure Vita Grain Free Salmon Dry Cat Food
The Grain-Free Salmon and Pea Entrée Dry Cat Food is a dry kibble that lists salmon and salmon meal as the main ingredients. Both of these ingredients are considered high quality. However, the recipe contains pea flour high in its list of ingredients.
While it is considered a cheap filler, it is often used in grain-free recipes like this one because it helps maintain the kibble’s shape and ensures that it retains its form. Unfortunately, the recipe is low in protein and high in carbohydrates. It has average fat and fiber content and contains roughly average calories compared to other foods.
Calorie Breakdown:
- 10% moisture is reasonable for dry food
- Salmon and salmon meal are the primary ingredients
- 31% protein
- 35% carbs
- Contains pea flour
3. Pure Vita Grain Free Chicken Entrée Dry Cat Food
Pure Vita Grain Free Chicken and Pea Entrée Dry Cat Food is another dry food with meat as its primary ingredient. In this case, it lists chicken and chicken meal.
It is another recipe that uses pea flour and pea starch to bind the ingredients, and it contains dried egg product, which is a known allergen and should be avoided if your cat is sensitive to it. Like the salmon dry food, it is low in protein and high in carbs.
Calorie Breakdown:
- Decent moisture levels for a dry food
- Chicken and chicken meal are the primary ingredients
- 32% protein
- 5% carbs
- Contains pea flour
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What Other Users Are Saying
To see what others think of Pure Vita cat food, check out these quotes and reviews:
- AllAboutCats – “If you can stomach the price tag, Pure Vita wet cat food is among the best you can buy.”
- MyPetNeedsThat – “The Pure Vita Range is packed with wholesome ingredients and has a single source of animal protein. There is also an emphasis on taste.”
- Amazon – You can also see what other buyers and pet owners have to say about Pure Vita cat food products on Amazon. Read the reviews.
Conclusion
Pure Vita is made by a family-run company in Minnesota with more than 70 years of experience and is known for producing cat food with high-quality ingredients. Their primary recipes use a single meat source as their main protein source and use very few, if any, controversial or potentially dangerous ingredients.
Although they use pea filler, we believe it ensures that the kibble retains its shape and that all of the company’s recipes are grain-free. Although the dry foods leave a little to be desired in terms of protein and carb content, the wet food is very good quality and suitable for all cats.
