Premium dry cat food comparison test 2022 – Purina One vs MeatCrisp

Premium dry cat food comparison test 2022 – Purina One vs MeatCrisp

In this test, I compare two completely opposite philosophies on cat food composition. The classic cat food suppliers are on one side, which mainly include the brands of Mars Petcare (including Royal Canin, Whiskas, Kitekat and Sheba) and Nestlé Purina PetCare (including Purina One, Beyond, Felix and Pro Plan). According to their philosophy, it’s the nutritional composition that matters for the health of cats, not the ingredients. You could also say that it matters less what the cats eat, as long as there is a near-optimal nutrient composition. In this context, the terms “state-of-the-art technologies” and “scientific research” often come up, implying that the perfect cat food can be created in alaboratory. This philosophy has a large following among cat owners, as confirmed by the sales figures of Mars Petcare and Nestlé Purina PetCare.

In contrast, a growing group of young companies and, of course, the BARF community are taking a stand with the philosophy that values species-appropriate ingredients and a nutrient composition that is as close to nature as possible. This philosophy is also about nutrient composition, but this is attained through species-appropriate ingredients.

Representing the two philosophies, I test and compare Purina One and Platinum’s new cat food, MeatCrisp.

Purina One

Purina One belongs to the Nestlé Purina PetCare Deutschland GmbH. Its history began back in 1894 with the Ralston Purina company, which produced pet food for farms in particular. In 2001, Ralston Purina was bought by the Swiss food company Nestlé and renamed Nestlé Purina PetCare.

There are about 33 different varieties of dry and wet food from the Purina One brand. I chose the variety “Purina One Adult rich in chicken and whole grain cereals”. However, the variety “Purina One Wild Sense rich in chicken” also seemed interesting to me, because it is advertised that it contains 73% animal protein. Here I took a look at the ingredients list.

The composition of “Purina One Adult cat food rich in chicken and whole grains”:

chicken (17%) (including bones, meat, skin), dried poultry protein, whole grain wheat (16%), corn, soy flour, wheat gluten, pork fat, corn protein meal, dried chicory root (2%), corn meal, minerals, autolysate (enriched with 0.025% heat-treated Lactobacillus Delbrueckii and fermentum powder), and yeast.

Evaluation of the composition

As is known, all cats are uncompromising carnivores who would hunt in nature and often eat their prey completely. From the perspective of a cat, 17% chicken is quite little. It also contains almost the same amount of whole wheat (16%). For a strict carnivore, all non-animal ingredients are of no value, i.e.fillers, and this variety of Purina One Adult contains quite a lot of such fillers.

Remember that poultry protein is not meat!

Poultry protein is derived from poultry meal. Poultry meal is produced only after multiple rounds of heating under high pressure from waste products of the meat industry. Multiple rounds of heating are required by law to kill disease-causing germs. Compared to fresh poultry meat, poultry meal has fewer nutrients, a higher ash content and lower protein digestibility.

Beware: Meat meal in cat food is often hidden behind terms like “dried meat, ground” or “dried meat.”

Purina One Wild Sense rich in chicken

As advertised, I also looked at the “Purina One Wild Sense rich in chicken” variety because it is advertised as having 73% animal protein.

The composition of “Purina One Wild Sense rich in chicken” is as follows:

Chicken (incl. bones, meat, skin) (19%), dried poultry protein, barley (4.2%), rice, dried chicken protein, pea protein, animal fats, millet (4.2%), dried egg, dried chicory root, pea pods, minerals, yeast, and autolysate.

Evaluation of the composition of “Purina One Wild Sense rich in chicken”

However, a look at the ingredients list reveals only 2% more chicken. The other 71% of animal protein comes mainly from meat meal.

What do cat owners say about “Purina One Adult cat food rich in chicken and whole grains”?

“My cats love it and it’s priced within reason, too.”

“Good dry food. It seems addictive.”

Opinion: Cats are often very picky about food. Changes that are not noticeable to us humans quickly cause cats to refuse food. How is it possible that such sensitive animals do not notice that they are eating a food composed almost entirely of a meat substitute?

Evaluation “Purina One Adult cat food rich in chicken and whole grains”

Purina One is gladly and constantly eaten by cats. Although they are strict carnivores, they do not notice that they are eating a food that contains almost no meat. This does not bother cat owners either, because the nutrient composition has been perfected by scientists. How else would it be possible to feed strict carnivores with almost no meat without them getting sick?

MeatCrisp

As a counterpart to Purina One, I have chosen the novel cat food MeatCrisp. MeatCrisp is a product of Platinum GmbH & Co. KG in Bingen am Rhein, which is very well known and popular in the dog community. This is due to a process developed in-house, which is used, among other things, to prepare dry food from fresh meat. In the dog world, Platinum has created its own category of premium dog food with this process. If such a company now also wants to feed cats, then it is certainly exciting to learn what makes their cat food so special.

MeatCrisp from the freshmeatdryer

The hunting instinct is innate in cats, but it varies in intensity.

Searching, ambushing, sneaking up on, catching with the paws and holding on, biting and killing is the innate behavior pattern of every cat. Indoor cats are not exempt from this passion for the hunt. For example, if an indoor cat discovers a prey animal through the window and is frustrated because it cannot reach it, it often begins to chatter (make noise). Hunting success, that great moment when the cat sinks its pointed fangs into the prey, triggers a feeling of happiness. Platinum has found that this feeling of happiness is related to certain micronutrients and amino acids in the meat. By developing the freshmeatdryer, Platinum has succeeded in preserving these micronutrients and amino acids in its MeatCrisp cat food.

The composition of MeatCrisp (Adult Chicken):

Fresh chicken meat 83%, Flor de Maiz (selected corn flour), fresh salmon, mix of potatoes*, peas* and rice, brewer’s yeast*, vegetable fibers*, egg*, salt, salmon oil, chicory root* (FOS). (* dried)

Evaluation of the composition of MeatCrisp

Besides the 83% fresh chicken meat, no other percentages are shown. The fact that 17% of the ingredients are not listed as percentages doesn’t really bother me. Does it bother the cat? It probably does not, because for a strict carnivore, meat is the most important thing. As an aside, the percentage in this composition is more accurate than that of any Wagner stone-oven pizza from Nestlé.

How is MeatCrisp rated by cat owners?

“To me, both cats seem more active and playful. The coat is also noticeably more well-groomed.”

“Even though they are feral cats, they come to feed twice a day. It’s not like the cats will eat anything I put in front of them. They accepted our food immediately and eat it very happily. They have spurned various (brand) dry foods in the past.”

Evaluation MeatCrisp

The 83% fresh chicken meat alone makes MeatCrisp a very special cat food. Added to this is the special preparation method in the fresh meat dryer, which preserves the natural micronutrients and amino acids in the fresh meat content. Cat owners who have been feeding MeatCrisp for a long timereport that their animals are more balanced. Those who feel more balanced are more content and therefore happier.

Comparison of Purina One Adult and MeatCrisp from the fresh meat dryer

In my comparison of the recommended prices, the difference between the quality of the two varieties is evident once again.

Purina One convinces with a nutrient composition optimized by technology and research. The food is filling, it contains everything the cat needs, and it is eaten, even if it is not obvious why the cats can not recognize that it is not meat. However, Purina One disappoints with a composition that pays little attention to the nature of cats. I would even call a food that consists of less than 17% meat and is designed for a strict carnivore alien to the species.

MeatCrisp, on the other hand, convinces with a nutrient composition that has been optimized through research on the one hand and is based on the main food source of meat on the other. Both of these aspects make MeatCrisp for cats a food that is eaten with pleasure, is naturally filling, contains all of the nutrients in their natural forms and promotes physical and mental health, thus also promoting well-being.

You can get Purina One at www.zooplus.co.uk, among other places.

You can get MeatCrisp at www.platinum.co.uk.