They’re made by one of the world’s leading pet food manufacturers but deciding between Purina One vs Purina Pro Plan cat food is still rather tricky. The former is the company’s mid-range line while the latter is high-end but while both are complete and balanced meals delivering on flavor and nutrition, one must surely be better than the other?
To find out, we’ve put these meals head-to-head, acknowledging that they offer some of the best cat food money can buy. In fact, Purina is known for creating some of the best dry cat food and best wet cat food with meals that cater for every budget and feline health, age and stage. So let’s take a look at which is preferable by considering the pros and cons of Purina One and Purina Pro Plan. That way, you can ensure you’re fueling your fur baby in the best possible way.
About Purina One
Purina One was developed in 1986 with the goal of producing a formula that would improve a cat's health within 28 days. The brand reports that after just seven days of eating Purina One, you'll likely notice your cat's energy levels increasing. After 14 days they should have improved digestion and after 21 days have brighter eyes and a shinier coat.
Reviews across the Purina One range of wet and dry options reveal that pet parents notice the difference, which is probably why the team at Purina are so confident in their formulas ability to deliver positive changes that they're prepared to knock $5 off your first purchase if you sign up to take the Purina One 28-day challenge. You'll also find specially tailored blends to suit older cats, help control hairballs and aid digestive issues.
About Purina Pro Plan
If you're looking for a truly advanced formula, Purina Pro Plan is without a doubt one of the most innovative on the market, offering advanced nutrition and more than 100 specially formulated blends across six different categories: indoor/sedentary, weight management, urinary tract health, hairball control, sensitive skin and stomach, and allergen-reducer.
This is an incredibly impressive wet and dry range that comes backed by more than 500 Purina scientists, nutritionists, animal behaviorists, and vets, which means you can be sure that you're feeding your feline friend the highest quality nutrition that's currently available.
What’s good about Purina One?
Let’s start with Purina One. It stacks up well against its competitors in terms of ingredient quality and it's a great choice if you're looking for dishes that are free from fillers, use real meats as the first ingredient and include plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Overall, we find the vitamin and mineral content to be impressive across the entire line, with plenty of calcium for strong bones and an antioxidant blend to ensure the immune system stays strong. There's also a good dose of protein for a radiant coat and healthy energy levels.
Because Purina One is free from a lot of the unnecessary ingredients you might find in cheaper brands, it's highly digestible, which makes it a solid choice if you have a cat who suffers from gastrointestinal issues, such as vomiting and diarrhea. You'll also find grain-free options well suited to cats with allergies, as these are incredibly soothing for sensitive stomachs.
Overall, the formulas are low fat and low in calories and many of their wet food blends have a higher moisture content than some competitors, clocking in at an impressive 78%. Purina One is also usually the cheapest of this brand’s premium range and it’s vet-approved, which is another big tick in its favor.
What’s good about Purina Pro Plan?
So now let’s turn our attention to Purina Pro Plan. As you'd expect, real meat features heavily as the first ingredient and includes the likes of salmon, poultry and lamb. Purina Pro Plan apart from Purina One also has lots of live probiotics that feature across all of their dry blends, which are great for gut and digestive health.
There’s a slightly lower carbohydrate content in this range, mostly sitting below 35%, and a high protein percentage at 40%, which makes this a good choice for all felines regardless of age and stage or whether they're active or sedentary. The wet food range also does well, with a high moisture content of 78% and protein and fat coming in at 12% and 6% respectively – a really good ratio.
Now, if you have a cat with allergies, Purina Pro Plan is definitely a line to consider as the LiveClear allergen-reducing range was named the 2021 product of the year by the Consumer Survey of Product Innovation! It has been proven to reduce the major allergen in cat hair and dander by an average of 47%.
Again, as with Purina One, the vitamin and mineral count across the range is impressive, but we see a lot more Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids featuring in the Pro Plan range, which is really good for heart health and keeping the skin and coat healthy and shiny.
We also love that the Purina Pro Plan dry range omits the use of the artificial colorings and animal by-products used in Purina One, opting instead for more natural alternatives.
What’s not so good about Purina One?
Now onto the bad. Although there's a lot to love about the Purina One range, one of the biggest drawbacks is the high carbohydrate content, which isn't great if you have an overweight kitty who needs to lose a kilo or two.
According to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, cats evolved as hunters that consumed prey that contained high amounts of protein, moderate amounts of fat, and a minimal amount of carbohydrates – a ratio they believe is still important today.
In fact, research conducted by scientists from the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition found that the optimal dietary macronutrient intake target for cats is 52% protein, 36% fat and 12% carbohydrates. It's worth pointing out that most commercial cat foods are going to struggle to reach those targets with a raw food diet most likely to provide that kind of ratio.
However, even allowing for this, Purina One tends to have a carb content that clocks in at over 40% and, while this is unlikely to be an issue for healthy cats who are within their ideal weight range, it's not a range we would recommend for sedentary cats as they'll be taking in more energy than they're able to burn off!
While Purina One doesn't use artificial preservatives and focuses on high-quality ingredients, they do use artificial caramel colouring in their dry food range, which is both unnecessary and problematic for cats with allergies. Corn and soy pop up fairly frequently too as do animal by-products, none of which offer any nutritional value to your cat.
What’s not so good about Purina Pro Plan?
So what about Purina Pro Plan? The biggest drawback is the higher price tag. Unfortunately, with the exception of the LiveClear range which offers allergy suffers some very real benefits, we don't see enough in this line to justify the inflated cost.
Take the indoor range as an example. While ever so slightly higher in protein, fat, and fiber, the vitamin and mineral content is almost identical, with Purina One containing a broader range. Pro Plan also contains the same use of soy and corn, which has been genetically modified, and while the dry range steers clear of animal by-products, the wet range doesn’t.
So, unless your cat suffers from allergies, your pet won't be getting any additional benefits to their health relative to the extra cost. Purina One is definitely the better choice if you're looking for a budget-friendly buy that still checks a lot of boxes.
The verdict
Purina One is a solid choice for kittens and adult cats. Nutritious and vet-approved, the majority of pet parents say their cats give both the wet and dry formulas a huge paw up.
We love that this range is budget-friendly but doesn’t compromise on health, with quality ingredients and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Because it provides 100% complete and balanced nutrition, you don’t need to supplement with anything else, and they have a variety of different blends, so whatever the needs of your cat, you’re bound to find a formula to suit.
Purina Pro Plan, meanwhile, has high quality ingredients and great nutritional value. The ratio of protein, fats, and carbohydrates, is balanced, and it’s great to see real meat topping the ingredient list. But here, the Purina Pro Plan LiveClear formula is the shining star across this range and it has the potential to make a huge difference in your life if you’re an allergy sufferer.
So, if your wallet can justify the big price tag, you’ll be getting a high-quality product that contains everything your kitty needs to thrive, but having compared it closely to it’s cheaper sibling, we feel Purina One offers better value for money with roughly the same level of nutrition.
If you’re interested in how Purina stacks up against other brands, check out our piece on Purina vs Royal Canin cat food, where we put two of the best cat food brands in the ring to see who comes out on top.
