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Purina Cat Chow vs Purina Pro Plan

Purina Cat Chow vs. Purina Pro Plan

In this comparison article for Purina Cat Chow vs Purina Pro Plan, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Purina Cat Chow and Purina Pro Plan, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Purina Pro Plan vs Purina Cat Chow comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Purina Cat Chow Review Page or Purina Pro Plan Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Purina Pro Plan vs. Purina Cat Chow

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Purina Cat Chow Cat Food vs. Purina Pro Plan Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodPurina Cat ChowPurina Pro Plan
Crude Protein38.4%44.2%
Crude Fat12.9%17.0%
Crude Fiber4.3%3.8%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.

The table shows that Purina Cat Chow provides far less protein than Purina Pro Plan. The difference in protein content is roughly 5.83%.


Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

  • Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
  • Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
  • Maintain healthy blood pressure
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Fats improve the taste/texture of food.

Our analysis shows that Purina Pro Plan guarantees 4.05% more fat than Purina Cat Chow dry cat food recipes.


As you can see, Purina Pro Plan and Purina Cat Chow guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber.

Purina Cat Chow Pet Food Ingredients vs. Purina Pro Plan Pet Food Ingredients

Purina Cat Chow and Purina Pro Plan both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Canola Meal
Pea Protein
Brewers Rice
Ground Wheat
Soybean Flour
Soybean Hulls
Corn Gluten Meal
Whole Grain Corn
Whole Grain Wheat
Ground Yellow Corn
Powdered Cellulose
Chicken By-Product Meal
Poultry By-Product Meal
Animal Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Purina Cat Chow.

Corn Meal
Turkey By-Product Meal

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Purina Pro Plan.

Liver
Poultry
Canola Oil
Corn Grits
Wheat Gluten
Animal Digest
Caramel Color
Garlic Powder
Vegetable Oil
Corn Germ Meal
Poultry Giblets
Meat By-Products
Chicken By-Products
Poultry By-Products
Soybean Protein Isolate
Soybean Protein Concentrate

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Purina Cat Chow and Purina Pro Plan both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Yellow 5
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Purina Cat Chow.

Blue 2
Red 40

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Purina Pro Plan.

Bha
Bht
Corn Oil
Added Color
Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex
Pork Fat (Preserved With Tbhq And Citric Acid)
Animal Fat (Preserved With Tbhq And Citric Acid)

Product Safety: Recall History of Purina Cat Chow & Purina Pro Plan?

According to our records, Purina Cat Chow has never been recalled.

Purina Pro Plan has been recalled once.

  • March 9, 2016: Incorrect Vitamins and Minerals

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodPurina Cat ChowPurina Pro Plan
Per Pound$1.38$3.10
Per Calorie$0.0008$0.0017
Dry Cat FoodPurina Cat ChowPurina Pro Plan
Per Pound$2.03$4.67
Per Calorie$0.0013$0.0025

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Purina Cat Chow or Purina Pro Plan, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Purina Cat Chow or Purina Pro Plan will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Purina Cat Chow and Purina Pro Plan. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Purina Cat Chow Pet Foods

You can purchase Purina Cat Chow pet foods from the following stores:


8 Recipes In-Stock Today

3 Recipes In-Stock Today

7 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Purina Pro Plan Pet Foods

You can purchase Purina Pro Plan pet food products from these retailers:


122 Recipes In-Stock Today

70 Recipes In-Stock Today

121 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductPurina Cat ChowPurina Pro Plan
Dry Dog Food1 Recipes53 Recipes
Wet Dog FoodNone43 Recipes
Dog TreatsNoneNone
Dry Cat Food8 Recipes31 Recipes
Wet Cat FoodNone84 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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