Purina Cat Chow
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FOOD COMPARISON: PURINA CAT CHOW AND WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA
So many of our clients feed Iams, Purina, Purina One, Purina Beneful, Science Diet, and other foods that
are recommended to them, and which have slick advertising campaigns telling everyone how incredible
these foods are. This image gets in your mind, and makes it look like a great food choice… until you read
the label! We encourage you to read the front page of our food handout, which tells you how to
understand your pet’s food label. Once you learn what sounds good in an ingredient list, and what actually
is good, you’re better able to choose the right food for your pet.
Below, we compare Purina Cat Chow and Wellness Super5Mix Chicken & Rice, a higher-quality chicken-
based food. Questionable ingredients are in bold type, with explanation below.
PURINA CAT CHOW INGREDIENTS (Top 18 ingredients):
Ground Yellow Corn, Poultry By-Product Meal, Animal Fat, Corn Gluten Meal, Brewer’s Rice, Soybean
Meal, Animal Digest, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Phosphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine
Monohydrochloride, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate,
Added Color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Yellow 6)
Interpretation: “Ground Yellow Corn” is the entire ear of corn, including the cob but without the husk,
ground up. Corn is a leading source of allergies in pets. And more importantly, why would corn be the first
ingredient in any cat food? Cats are obligate carnivores. In addition, corn is very difficult to digest and
utilize. The official definition of “Poultry By-Product Meal” is as follows: “Consists of the ground,
rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and
intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing
practice.” Note that this is an inconsistent ingredient, because of the multiple organs used and their
constantly changing proportions. They are cheaper and less digestible than chicken or chicken meal. It is
also better to see a specific protein named, such as chicken, rather than the generic “poultry.” Anything
called a “by-product” means it is not deemed fit for human consumption, and may even contain diseased or
chemically tainted tissue. “Animal Fat” is obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the
commercial process of rendering. This can come from any type of animal in a rendering plant, including
road-kill, chemically tainted, diseased or euthanized animals. Clearly, animals fit for human consumption
are not sent to rendering plants. “Corn Gluten Meal” is the dried residue from corn after the removal of
the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran. Not only is this another corn
fragment, it is added to pet food to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats (think toxic waste!),
which then holds waste in, stressing the kidneys and liver. “Brewer’s Rice” is officially defined as “the
dried extracted residue of rice resulting from the manufacture of wort (liquid portion of malted grain) or
beer.” Brewer’s Rice is a low-quality rice fragment that is missing many of the nutrients found in the whole
rice kernels. “Soybean Meal” is obtained by grinding the flakes that remain after removal of most of the oil
from soybeans. Not only is it a fragment, it is a poor quality protein filler used because it is so cheap. It is
also believed that soybeans are a leading cause of allergies in pets. “Animal Digest” comes from the
chemical or enzymatic treatment of “clean and undecomposed” animal tissue (in a rendering plant). It says
it cannot contain hair, horns, teeth, hooves or feathers, except in trace amounts. Just as in “Animal Fat”
(above), it can come from any type of animal, and from the same questionable or even contaminated
sources. “Calcium Carbonate” is a source of calcium, but that is what raw bones are for! Calcium
Carbonate is also an ingredient in many antacids. “Salt” is not something we need to be adding to our
pets’ food! “Potassium Chloride” is used as a salt substitute and to replenish electrolytes, but it is also
used in fertilizer and in massive doses for lethal injections. “Vitamin E Supplement” sounds like a great
idea, but (just as with all the un-bolded mineral supplements listed) why is it needed if they are using good
ingredients, and how much of the nutrition survives the cooking process? “Added Color.” What needs to
be said? These are chemical additives, which some fear are carcinogenic, simply to make the food pretty
colors. Do cats care what color their food is???
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA (Top 18 ingredients):
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Liver, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Whole Oats, Canola Oil,
Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed, Eggs, Peas, Taurine, Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Norwegian Kelp, Whole Apples,
Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes
Interpretation: There are essentially no objectionable ingredients in the top 18 in this food. Lots of
specific chicken proteins to start. Brown Rice is a superior carbohydrate source, much better than
processed white rice (which loses key nutrients during processing). Brown Rice is rich in B vitamins.
Ground Whole Oats are a good carbohydrate source, rich in B vitamins, a high quality protein, and easy on
the stomach. By using Brown Rice and Oatmeal, this food avoids the wheat, corn, white rice (often just
fragments) and soy commonly used, which are difficult to digest and are leading allergens in pet food.
Cranberries are good for the urinary tract, Blueberries are high in antioxidants. Flaxseed is the whole
ground seed, not a “meal” or fragment of the seed. Flaxseed is rich in essential fatty acids and B vitamins,
and Taurine is an important addition to cat food. The other ingredients listed here are whole foods,
minimally processed, rounding out the variety of nutrition in the food. A Salmon, Turkey and Herring Oil
Formula is also available.
So many of our clients feed Iams, Purina, Purina One, Purina Beneful, Science Diet, and other foods that
are recommended to them, and which have slick advertising campaigns telling everyone how incredible
these foods are. This image gets in your mind, and makes it look like a great food choice… until you read
the label! We encourage you to read the front page of our food handout, which tells you how to
understand your pet’s food label. Once you learn what sounds good in an ingredient list, and what actually
is good, you’re better able to choose the right food for your pet.
Below, we compare Purina Cat Chow and Wellness Super5Mix Chicken & Rice, a higher-quality chicken-
based food. Questionable ingredients are in bold type, with explanation below.
PURINA CAT CHOW INGREDIENTS (Top 18 ingredients):
Ground Yellow Corn, Poultry By-Product Meal, Animal Fat, Corn Gluten Meal, Brewer’s Rice, Soybean
Meal, Animal Digest, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Phosphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine
Monohydrochloride, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate,
Added Color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Yellow 6)
Interpretation: “Ground Yellow Corn” is the entire ear of corn, including the cob but without the husk,
ground up. Corn is a leading source of allergies in pets. And more importantly, why would corn be the first
ingredient in any cat food? Cats are obligate carnivores. In addition, corn is very difficult to digest and
utilize. The official definition of “Poultry By-Product Meal” is as follows: “Consists of the ground,
rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and
intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing
practice.” Note that this is an inconsistent ingredient, because of the multiple organs used and their
constantly changing proportions. They are cheaper and less digestible than chicken or chicken meal. It is
also better to see a specific protein named, such as chicken, rather than the generic “poultry.” Anything
called a “by-product” means it is not deemed fit for human consumption, and may even contain diseased or
chemically tainted tissue. “Animal Fat” is obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the
commercial process of rendering. This can come from any type of animal in a rendering plant, including
road-kill, chemically tainted, diseased or euthanized animals. Clearly, animals fit for human consumption
are not sent to rendering plants. “Corn Gluten Meal” is the dried residue from corn after the removal of
the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran. Not only is this another corn
fragment, it is added to pet food to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats (think toxic waste!),
which then holds waste in, stressing the kidneys and liver. “Brewer’s Rice” is officially defined as “the
dried extracted residue of rice resulting from the manufacture of wort (liquid portion of malted grain) or
beer.” Brewer’s Rice is a low-quality rice fragment that is missing many of the nutrients found in the whole
rice kernels. “Soybean Meal” is obtained by grinding the flakes that remain after removal of most of the oil
from soybeans. Not only is it a fragment, it is a poor quality protein filler used because it is so cheap. It is
also believed that soybeans are a leading cause of allergies in pets. “Animal Digest” comes from the
chemical or enzymatic treatment of “clean and undecomposed” animal tissue (in a rendering plant). It says
it cannot contain hair, horns, teeth, hooves or feathers, except in trace amounts. Just as in “Animal Fat”
(above), it can come from any type of animal, and from the same questionable or even contaminated
sources. “Calcium Carbonate” is a source of calcium, but that is what raw bones are for! Calcium
Carbonate is also an ingredient in many antacids. “Salt” is not something we need to be adding to our
pets’ food! “Potassium Chloride” is used as a salt substitute and to replenish electrolytes, but it is also
used in fertilizer and in massive doses for lethal injections. “Vitamin E Supplement” sounds like a great
idea, but (just as with all the un-bolded mineral supplements listed) why is it needed if they are using good
ingredients, and how much of the nutrition survives the cooking process? “Added Color.” What needs to
be said? These are chemical additives, which some fear are carcinogenic, simply to make the food pretty
colors. Do cats care what color their food is???
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA (Top 18 ingredients):
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chicken Liver, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Whole Oats, Canola Oil,
Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed, Eggs, Peas, Taurine, Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Norwegian Kelp, Whole Apples,
Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes
Interpretation: There are essentially no objectionable ingredients in the top 18 in this food. Lots of
specific chicken proteins to start. Brown Rice is a superior carbohydrate source, much better than
processed white rice (which loses key nutrients during processing). Brown Rice is rich in B vitamins.
Ground Whole Oats are a good carbohydrate source, rich in B vitamins, a high quality protein, and easy on
the stomach. By using Brown Rice and Oatmeal, this food avoids the wheat, corn, white rice (often just
fragments) and soy commonly used, which are difficult to digest and are leading allergens in pet food.
Cranberries are good for the urinary tract, Blueberries are high in antioxidants. Flaxseed is the whole
ground seed, not a “meal” or fragment of the seed. Flaxseed is rich in essential fatty acids and B vitamins,
and Taurine is an important addition to cat food. The other ingredients listed here are whole foods,
minimally processed, rounding out the variety of nutrition in the food. A Salmon, Turkey and Herring Oil
Formula is also available.