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.
CHARACTERISTICS AND COMPOSITION
The ProPlan series of cat food from Purina (France) is a premium product, has a balanced composition and is quite affordable. Unlike the Purina Cat Chow line, Proplan food is of higher quality and contains beneficial probiotics and enzymes that promote the animal’s digestion.
Thanks to the correct balance of food ingredients, Proplan food fully satisfies all the cat’s needs for proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements, has optimal energy value and is minimally allergenic
.
It was found out experimentally:
good tests in an animal after two weeks of feeding these foods are proof that Proplan can continue to be the basis of a cat’s diet and does not require any additional supplements. In other words, Purina ProPlan may well be the main and only cat food.
!But, as with many commercial foods, there are also pitfalls that cat owners need to be aware of. Let's look at them in order.
1. Purina Proplan contains a fairly high protein content (up to 40%). This is very good for a healthy animal, but not so good for sick or neutered cats. The quality of the protein component is determined by the nature of the protein sources from which this 40% is made up. Thus, natural chicken meat dominates in Proplan food. The label may indicate that the food contains duck or salmon, but this is nothing more than an advertising ploy. The true role of these products is to be a flavoring agent (no more than 3% of the total amount of meat), and the rest is chicken.
2. Also, these foods contain rice, which is the most beneficial plant ingredient for cats. But corn and soy, on the contrary, are completely unnecessary for the cat’s body and can cause allergies, hair loss, bald spots, etc. Poultry by-product meal is undoubtedly a harmful component. This is a derivative not from poultry meat or its internal organs, but from ground paws, heads and even feathers, which cannot be beneficial in any way.
3. Among the harmful components of Proplan, animal fat and liver can also be noted. The last ingredient, in principle, is undesirable for cats, and the true origin of animal fat is generally not indicated by the manufacturer.
4. Brewer's yeast and cellulose powder, found in some Purina Proplan foods, can provoke allergies. However, these foods still contain more useful components. For example, minerals and vitamins with high concentrations of magnesium, phosphorus or calcium help the cat's kidneys function properly.
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.
Feed range
The composition was developed by scientists, so they contain all the necessary components for the health of cats throughout their life. The range allows you to maintain optimal weight and strengthen all organs of animals. All dry food contains about 17 ingredients without indicating their percentage, except for the main one:
- 3 points relate to animal proteins, which is quite good;
- 5 points are cereals or their derivatives;
- fats of animal and fish origin;
- vitamins;
- egg powder;
- rice;
- corn.
The diet for adults over 7 years of age and kittens does not contain corn, and Elegant Adult does not contain rice.
| Name | Main component | % content | Additional components in addition to those listed above | |
| Sterilized | Salmon | 20 | Dietary fiber, amino acids, yeast, corn, preservatives. | – |
| Rabbit | 4 | – | ||
| Chicken | 20 | Dry chicory root. | ||
| Turkey | 20 | – | ||
| Sterilized 7+ | 14 | Soy flour and oil, dried chicory root. | ||
| Original Kitten | Chicken | 20 | Colostrum 0.1%. | |
| Original Adult | 21 | Dry chicory root. | ||
| Salmon | 18 | |||
| Original Senior 7+ | 18 | Soybean oil. | Dry beet pulp. | |
| 19 | – | Dry chicory root. | ||
| Turkey | 20 | |||
| Dental Plus | Chicken | 21 | ||
| Housecat | 20 | Dry beet pulp. | ||
| Light | Turkey | 16 | Amino acids. | |
| Elegant Adult | Salmon | 15 | ||
| Delicate | Lamb | 17 | Concentrated pea protein. | – |
| Turkey | 18 | |||
| Delicate Junior | 17 | Dried chicory root. | ||
Treats and wet food for cats
Wet or liquid food PRO-PLAN NUTRISAVOUR is prepared in several forms: jelly, sauce, pate. Combining dry and wet options in the diet provides variety. In this case, the cat receives all the elements it needs for healthy and normal development.
The manufacturer does not produce special delicacies, but there are delicious pates. To feed throughout the day, you need several of these jars, which are expensive, so owners use them as a supplement to their daily food.
Composition of treats and wet food for cats
Approximate ingredients: meat, fish, plant components, minerals, oils and proteins from plants, vitamins, antioxidants, thickeners, dyes. The composition may vary slightly depending on the type (for example, some types of jelly do not contain plant components).
| Name | Basic Gradient | % | Humidity | Protein | Fat | Dry | |
| Ash | Cellulose | ||||||
| IN % | |||||||
| Sauce | |||||||
| Sterilized | Duck | 4 | 78-79 | 12-13 | 3,3-4 | 2-2,4 | 0,5 |
| Beef | |||||||
| Chicken | |||||||
| Ocean fish | |||||||
| Delicate* | 0,3 | ||||||
| Lamb | |||||||
| Turkey | |||||||
| Adult | |||||||
| Junior | |||||||
| Beef | |||||||
| Adult 7+ | Duck | ||||||
| Derma Plus | Cod | 0,9 | |||||
| Housecat | Salmon | 1,1 | |||||
| Pate | |||||||
| Junior | Turkey | 4 | 78 | 12,5 | 4 | 2,4 | 0,3 |
| Light | 8 | 80 | 12 | 3,5 | 2,2 | 0,07 | |
| Delicate** | 20 | 75 | 11,5 | 8,1 | 2,7 | 0,4 | |
| Adult 7+** | Tuna | 4 | 10,2 | 9,4 | 2,8 | 0,2 | |
| Adult | Chicken | 14 | 76,5 | 12,5 | 5,5 | 3 | 0,3 |
| Sterilized | Tuna | 4 | 77 | 13 | 4,5 | 0,35 | |
| Jelly | |||||||
| Sterilized | Ocean fish | 4 | 81-82 | 9,9 | 3,3 | 2,4 -2,5 | 0,7 |
| Turkey | |||||||
| Housecat* | 9,2 | 3,4 | 1,9 | ||||
| Adult | 3,8 | 0,4 | |||||
| Junior | Chicken | 5 | 10,1 | 4,2 | |||
*Delicate sauce and Housecat jelly additionally contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
**Delicate and Adult 7+ pates also contain vegetables and their products.
Veterinary ruler
All Proplan foods are designed as specialized food for every day. There are also special veterinary foods represented by the Veterinary Diets line. They are prescribed by a doctor in addition to the main treatment. They have nutritional characteristics and composition necessary for a specific disease. Available only in the form of dry food:
- HP Hepatic – in case of liver disease.
- DH ST/OX Dental Health (Dental) - promoting oral health and preventing dental diseases. Provided thanks to the large size of crispy granules designed for thorough chewing.
All options include:
- NF Renal Function (Renal Function) - for the treatment of kidney disease (chronic stage), with their pathology.
- DM ST/OX Diabetes Management (Diabetes) - to lower glucose in diabetes mellitus.
- UR ST/OX Urinary (Urinari) - ailments in the lower parts of the urinary tract and prevention of their occurrence, urolithiasis.
In addition, in two variations (dry and wet) are presented:
- EN ST/OX Gastrointestinal (Gastro Intensinal) - digestive disorder.
- OM ST/OX Obesity Management (Obesity) - the desire to reduce the weight of the pet and to comply with a mandatory diet.
If necessary, restore the cat's health by giving CN Convalescence pate. There is also a probiotic supplement Diets Fortiflora, which is used to normalize the balance of microflora.
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.
OWNERS' REVIEWS
The opinions of cat breeders regarding ProPlan food are absolutely diametrical. Below are a few such reviews found on the Internet:
Irina (owner of a British breed cat):
“After eating this food, my Plush started to have gas, the cat suffered from constipation, and then he vomited”...
Another review contained suspicions that ProPlan contained attractants (addictive substances).
Elena (breeder of Siberian cats):
“The cat attacked this food with unnatural greed and refused to eat anything else...
Other owners, on the contrary, praise these products in every possible way and note the improvement in the well-being of their pets, their healthy appearance and high activity.
Most likely, such discrepancies in the “testimonies” once again confirm the opinion that nothing ideal exists.
Before you finally make your choice in favor of this food, visit a veterinary clinic with your cat and make sure that such food will not harm it.
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 2022, 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 |
Daily feed requirements
To properly feed your pet, you need not only to choose the appropriate food, taking into account all its features, but also to calculate the dosage. The package usually contains a table indicating the daily value, based on the age and weight of the animal. Super premium food contains all the necessary substances, so you need less of it than cheaper ones. The daily portion is divided into equal shares using scales or a measuring cup and given 2 times a day to adults, 3 times a day to kittens and pregnant cats.
| Weight, kg | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 or more |
| Age | Norm in g | ||||
| Adult | – | 25 | 40 | 55 | 12 per 1 kg |
| Kitty | 35 | 50 | 70 | 85 | |
| Pregnant cat | 55 | 12 per 1 kg | |||
For older individuals, the dose is reduced. It seems that this is not enough for feeding, but increasing the norm is not recommended to avoid health problems. It is also undesirable to alternate between professional food and natural products.
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.
general characteristics
ProPlan food is a brand. Available in several versions: dry - in different packaging weights, wet - in small bags and cans. You can purchase it not only in specialized stores, but also in ordinary ones. Manufactured in factories in France, Italy and Russia.
Several types are available:
- For daily consumption.
- For regular use with special properties: hypoallergenic (HA ST Hypoallergenic), with gastrointestinal diseases (EN ST/OX Gastrointestianal), overweight (OM ST/Oxobesity Management), Delicate for chronic diseases and Derma for sensitive skin .
- For treatment and diet. Use as recommended by a doctor.
The food is created for all age categories:
- Junior (Junior) - kittens.
- Adult - for adult animals up to 7 years old.
- Adult 7+ - for older pets. Contains prebiotics necessary to increase life expectancy.
- Sterilised (Sterilized) - for cats and female cats after castration or sterilization. Available in versions for both adults and seniors.
Class
Proplan is classified as premium. It has increased the percentage composition of meat products by 20-30% and reduced by-products. The content of cereals is high, in particular rice and corn flour (this is a big minus).
From the author: if Pro Plan dry food can still be classified as a premium class, although there are options in this category of better quality (in particular, without corn) and at a lower price (for example, Carmi, Probalance, Brit), then I would rather classify wet food as to the economy, although they contain more vitamins. Why? Let's compare the compositions of the two foods:
- Whiskas jelly with turkey and vegetables: meat and offal (including turkey at least 4%), vegetables (carrots at least 4%), cereals, taurine, vitamins, minerals.
- Pro Plan pieces in jelly for adult cats with turkey: meat and meat products (including turkey 4%), fish and fish products, minerals, sugars, vitamins.
On the plus side: there are no grains in the Pro Plan, but there are no vegetables either, but cats still need them. The first components, as we see, are identical, and there is only 4% turkey, which is not enough and looks like economy. The rest of the compositions are also very similar. By the way, many Pro Plan wet foods contain vegetable protein extracts in second place; it is not entirely clear what is hidden behind this word.
Advantages and disadvantages
The benefits include:
- A large assortment. You can choose for any age and weight of the animal. There are types both medicinal and for regular nutrition.
- Widely spread. Sold in many stores.
- Good quality. Made only from high quality ingredients with vitamins and minerals.
- Various tastes. You can always find what suits your particular cat best.
- Various shapes. In addition to dry food, they produce wet food and canned food.
- Highly appreciated by veterinarians. Test results confirmed that the food is suitable for daily use.
There are the following disadvantages:
- The benefits of some ingredients are unclear. You need to carefully study the composition so as not to harm the health of the animal.
- Contains components that can cause an allergic reaction.
- There are no recommendations for which breeds to use, so the condition of the coat may deteriorate in some of them.
- Overpriced compared to other foods in this class.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of PRO PLAN are confirmed by numerous reviews:
- a large selection of dry and wet diets, with different tastes, taking into account all possible categories of cats and kittens, as well as the availability of food for kittens;
- balanced composition;
- a line of therapeutic diets, including hypoallergenic food.
The use of Proplan for cats, however, has certain disadvantages:
- soy, wheat and corn are actively used in the composition;
- opaque composition, ingredients are simply listed;
- The recipe changes periodically, not for the better.
Is Proplan food good for cats?
Before purchasing such a product for your pet, it is worth finding out what class of Proplan food for cats is. This high-quality nutritional mixture does not require any further action to saturate the animal’s diet with useful additives. It contains everything a cat needs, provided that it is healthy and does not need a special menu. Proplan food for cats is considered a premium product, and its veterinary category is generally classified as super-premium, which means that its composition is superior to conventional diets.
Composition of cat food Proplan
The manufacturer claims a balanced amount of nutrients in the diet. Composition of Proplan feed:
- Squirrels
. In first place are chicken, turkey, salmon, and rabbit, their number reaches 21%. Another protein component is dried poultry protein and powdered eggs. - Carbohydrates
. Represented by grains: wheat, wheat gluten, rice, corn and corn gluten. They contain vegetable protein. The most harmless of these components is rice. Corn and corn gluten are allergens and can cause adverse reactions in pets. - Fats
. The food includes animal and fish oil, which is produced from the tissues of various animals. - Useful supplements
. The food pleases with a variety of useful elements. Chicory - strengthens the immune system, supports the intestines and sugar levels, yeast - improves metabolism and contains vitamins, probiotics, antioxidants - improves digestion and prevents aging of the body.
Wet food
Wet food - meat, fish in sauce or jelly - is not inferior to dry food in taste and nutritional content.
The line includes ProPlan wet food for cats:
- with duck in sauce;
- with salmon or cod in sauce;
- with turkey in sauce or jelly;
- pates - with chicken, turkey, tuna;
- with ocean fish in jelly or sauce.
Separately presented are spiders for kittens aged 2 to 12 months, and food for adult cats over 7 years old.
Veterinary diets
ProPlan medicinal food for cats is a specially developed diet to maintain the health of animals suffering from various diseases.
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Proper nutrition recommended by veterinarians will prolong the life of pets.
The line of special diets includes foods that are used:
- for diseases of the liver, kidneys;
- for diet therapy for food allergies;
- to maintain dental and oral health;
- with inflammation of the urinary tract;
- with diabetes mellitus.
Of particular note are veterinary diets designed to reduce weight and maintain normal body weight, recommended for animals suffering from obesity, food for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and maintenance nutrition that animals need during the recovery period after surgery, serious infectious and viral diseases, and injuries. .
It is up to the veterinarian to choose the right diet. Some animals with chronic pathologies require special nutrition throughout their lives.
