Review Summary
We give Purina One cat food a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.
Purina has been a popular pet food company since it was founded in 1894. Since then, its recipes have changed dramatically. New research has come to the forefront of pet care that has defined healthy and unhealthy ingredients lists.
Purina diversified their recipes almost 30 years ago, splitting the foods into Purina Pro Plan and Purina ONE. Both these lines have recipes for various health requirements and life stages. The primary difference between the two is that Purina Pro Plan’s recipes span a larger range of recipes that are specific for certain kinds of health issues.
Purina ONE’s recipes are developed for both dogs and cats. Each recipe is tailored to the type of animal, their age, and their health. If you have been looking for affordable food focused on a specific aspect of your cat’s diet, certain recipes from Purina ONE could be perfect for you. Read on to get an in-depth breakdown of Purina ONE’s most popular recipes, their ingredients, and their pros and cons.
At a Glance: The Best Purina ONE Cat Food Recipes
| Image | Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best overall
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Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend with Real Chicken Dry Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
Best for sensitivities
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Purina ONE Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
Best for urinary health
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Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health Adult Formula Dry Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
| Best for healthy adults |
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Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Dry Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
| Best for kittens |
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Purina ONE Healthy Kitten Formula Dry Cat Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
Purina ONE Cat Food Reviewed
William H. Danforth developed Purina ONE in 1986. It was Purina’s doorway into the world of premium pet food, as pet ownership of dogs and cats began to gain huge popularity. The brand markets itself as natural and claims that Purina ONE utilizes unique, high-quality ingredients that will lead to your cat’s better health.
Purina has also developed the Pro Plan and Beyond series of pet food. Purina ONE has taken a bit of a backstage seat to these in recent years. It is better known for being the cheapest of the three and using more controversial ingredients than the Beyond line. It does seem to have the highest levels of protein more consistently than the other lines, however.
Ultimately, if you are trying to choose between the three series of formulas, you need to compare one recipe to the next. Their differences are subtle overall and can’t be accurately described and encompass all the varying product options.
Who Makes Purina ONE and Where Is It Produced?
Purina ONE is produced by Nestlé Purina Petcare. As a whole, this company is the largest manufacturer of pet food in the entire world. It is likely because of this that Purina has such a long list of pet recalls.
The headquarters for Purina ONE is in St. Louis, Missouri. Out of all of its food products sold in the US, 99% of them are also manufactured in the US. The company also tries to source its ingredients from the US. If an ingredient’s source is a concern for you, it is best to look up specific recipes and their ingredients.
Which Types of Cats Is Purina ONE Best Suited For?
Purina ONE products are best suited for almost any age group of cat. The company also provides formulas for cats that suffer from food sensitivities and issues with their urinary tract. If your cat does have a sensitivity to certain ingredients, like corn or soy, you should carefully examine a food since Purina ONE formulas semi-consistently incorporate these ingredients.
Want to see more cat food reviews? Check out our review page here!
Which Types of Cats Might Do Better With a Different Brand?
Purina ONE offers all kinds of recipes for various age groups and ailments that cats can have. Since the foods can incorporate certain controversial ingredients, it is sometimes best to keep cats with sensitive stomachs on more natural food, like Natural Balance’s Limited Ingredient Diet.
Discussion of the Primary Ingredients (Good and Bad)
Purina ONE doesn’t always use the same ingredients in all its food, so remember to look at the specific recipes that you have an interest in giving to your cat. Each one varies slightly and could include different ingredients that might help or harm your cat. Always reach out to a veterinarian if you are ever unsure of which food to choose for your cat.
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Being Specific Indicates Transparency
Many pet food manufacturers seem incredibly willing to supply you with a long list of the ingredients that they use in their formulas. However, when you dig in, you quickly realize that you don’t know where most of them come from or what they do.
Luckily, Purina ONE seems to understand that cat owners take their responsibility to care for and love their pets seriously. It tends to include the source animal of the meat and animal products that it uses. It does include controversial ingredients, like chicken by-product meal, but it names where the product comes from and what it supplies (glucosamine).
If a pet food company doesn’t make it obvious where they are getting the animal products that it puts in its food—for example, if it says, “meat by-product”—that is not a good sign.
Age and Health
Purina ONE makes its cat formulas specific to cats’ ages and health orientations, which is how it markets its food. You can get Purina ONE formulas for adult cats and kittens, and there are various options for senior cats because they typically have health problems that their food should take into account.
To Fill or Not to Fill?
Ingredients like rice flour, brewer’s rice, and ground brown rice are found in so many recipes for both cats and dogs. What purpose do they have in the food? What nutritional value do they add? Unfortunately, the answer is none.
The upside to the usage of ingredients like this is that they don’t have much of a positive or negative effect. They are there to make your cat feel full faster and therefore, help cut back on the amount of food that they will want each time. The downside is that the food they eat isn’t as nutritionally impactful as it could be.
The Controversy Over Soy
Soy ingredients have long created a heated discussion in the pet food industry. Soy is technically non-toxic for cats to consume. It gets added because the protein that soy provides is cheaper than the protein that you can get from meat and vegetables. Substituting soy for protein can cause problems for cats, though.
Soy is not a high-quality protein. Since cats are obligate carnivores in the wild, scientists argue that plants’ protein doesn’t break down as well in their systems. Eventually, it can cause issues due to its inefficiency.
Feeding your cat a high-quality diet is important for keeping them healthy and happy. But it goes beyond the food you choose; the dishes they use also matter. The Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is our favorite for its unique, five-star design that protects from whisker fatigue and promotes good posture which also aids in better digestion. As an added bonus, it’s beautifully crafted and offers a modern take on the traditional cat bowl that fits seamlessly with all home stylings. Learn more about the NomNom by clicking here. At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company! 
A Quick Look at Purina ONE Cat Food
- The company is transparent with its animal products.
- Purina tries to source as many ingredients as possible from the US.
- Purina ONE foods are budget-friendly.
- There are plenty of formula options in this series of food.
- Purina ONE foods include quite a few controversial ingredients, like rice flour, corn gluten meal, wheat flour, and soy products.
- The formulas typically have a higher carbohydrate content than we would like.
Recall History
Purina has a long list of recalls for all of its cat food and formulas. However, Purina ONE has only had two recorded recalls. One was in July 2011, when it had to recall its Vibrant Maturity 7+ Adult Dry Cat Food due to a risk of salmonella poisoning. The other recall is not as well documented but seems to have been shortly after this first cat food recall.
Reviews of the 3 Best Purina ONE Cat Food Recipes
There are many different pet formulas to choose from if you decide to go with Purina ONE cat food. To help narrow down the choices, these are reviews of the top three cat food recipes that the company currently manufactures.
1. Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend With Real Chicken Dry Cat Food
Purina ONE Tender Selects is the most popular food blend of dry cat food in the Purina ONE food series. Chicken is the primary source of protein in the food and is one of the first ingredients on the list, a good indicator of the ratio of chicken to other ingredients.
The protein, fat, and fiber levels in this food are all quite good, giving your cat a balanced meal overall. There is a minimum of 34% crude protein, a minimum of 13% crude fat, and a maximum of 2% fiber.
Even though chicken is the number-one ingredient on the list, the ingredients that follow are relatively controversial. These include rice flour, corn gluten meal, and chicken by-product meal. The bag does come in sizes from 3.5 to 22 pounds, all with an affordable price tag.
Calorie Breakdown:
- Well-balanced levels of crude protein and fat
- Affordable
- Multiple size options
- Includes controversial ingredients
2. Purina ONE Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Cat Food
The Purina ONE Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Cat Food is an essential addition to the Purina ONE line-up. It is one of the best-selling products because it is specifically made for cats with more sensitive stomachs and other health problems that might lead to dandruff and skin sensitivities. Purina makes this food better for cats with sensitive stomachs by using fewer ingredients, although these still include many of the controversial ingredients that you can find in many other recipes. That includes chicken by-product meal, rice flour, corn gluten meal, and soybean meal. In other words, if your cat is sensitive to gluten, this will still be hard for them to digest.
The first ingredient and primary source of protein in this cat food is turkey. That accounts for the 34% minimum crude protein that needs to be in the food. There is also a minimum of 13% fat and 4% maximum fiber. The fiber level is slightly higher in this food because it helps the food get digested smoother and faster.
Calorie Breakdown:
- Made for sensitive cats
- Fewer ingredients
- Higher fiber level
- Still includes gluten
3. Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health Adult Formula Dry Cat Food
The Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health Adult Formula Dry Cat Food is meant to support cats that suffer from problems with their urinary tract. It does this by reducing the pH in the urinary tract, and it has a low magnesium level. This food has been reported by cat owners to be quite effective.
Unfortunately, the way that Purina reduces the amount of magnesium in this food is by reducing the amount of protein from animal products. A bit of chicken is included, but the first ingredient in the recipe is corn gluten meal, followed by ground yellow corn.
The protein levels are still high even if the chicken isn’t the first ingredient. The minimum amount of crude protein in the recipe is 31%. The minimum amount of fat is 12.5%. Finally, the maximum amount of fiber is 2%, which is plenty to keep digestion working smoothly without disruption.
Calorie Breakdown:
- It helps promote urinary tract health
- Well-balanced protein and fat levels
- Corn gluten meal is the first ingredient
What Other Users Are Saying
Quite a few good things are being said by users of Purina ONE for their cats.
- Chewy Customer: “This was recommended by my vet. One of my cats was having problems with urine crystallization, and the vet said that this would help him just as much as the much more expensive Hills Rx brand.”
- All About Cats: “Millions of people buy and feed their cats Purina cat food every day. Most customer reviews are positive, saying that Purina food is affordable and tasty.”
- Amazon: As pet owners, we always double-check Amazon reviews from buyers before we buy something. You can read these by clicking here.
Conclusion
Purina ONE cat food comes with plenty of positives for your feline friend, but there are specific considerations for those with cats that are more sensitive to products with gluten in them. Purina ONE is more affordable and comes from a company with many decades of experience making pet food to back them up. Although a few of the ingredients are controversial, none are toxic for your cat, and the many choices of recipes can give you the solution that you need to have your cat feeling healthy.
See also:
Review Summary
