This is our comparison of Iams vs purina cat food.
We have done extensive research to present to you the best comparison between the two brands.
Purina offers more variety but Iams better quality ingredients at an affordable price.
Let’s get started with the comparison.
Winner Preview: Iams
After careful deliberation and comparison, we can safely say Iams is the clear winner due to more animal based ingredients in their products compared to Purina.
Iams is also clearly better when it comes to cost-value matrix providing better value for the buck.
Some of our favourite products from Iams are IAMS Proactive Health Adult Indoor Weight and Hairball Control blend and the IAMS Proactive High Protein Adult Cat Food.
Iams vs Purina: Brand Overview
Purina was started over 100 years ago by Willian H. Dandforth and his business partners, George Robbinson and William Andrews.
Purina was acquired by Nestle in 2001 and continuously works towards providing good quality pet food to pet owners. They have also been active in fighting against false advertising in pet food products.
The Purina name initially was articulated to communicate the purity of their pet foods. But as the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. Keep reading to find out if the actual brand stands up to its name.
If you have ever owned or even ever visited a pet store, you would have noticed Purina pet food products.Purina is one of the most well known pet food brands in the world, offering products for all life stages of a pet.
Iams is one of the largest pet food companies in the world being sold in over 75 countries.
Iams was started by a man called, surprise surprise, Paul Iams, in 1946. Paul Iams was a nutritionist that wanted to provide high quality animal meat based protein to pets.
All pet foods strictly follow the AAFCO nutrition guidelines for pet foods.
Iams was first acquired by Procter & Gamble in 1999 and then later Procter & Gamble sold it to Mars Pet Care in 2014.
Mars Pet care the current parent company of Iams has around 40 pet care brands under their belt including Whiskas, Royal Canin and Crave.
Read the full Iams Brand Review Here.
Product Range Comparison
Purina has a much more diverse range of products than Iams pet food. Purina has 10 varieties of their pet food range. Purina has tried to cater for all different requirements of your pet such as life stages, health conditions, texture, aroma, cat treats and many more.
The Purina Beyond food range is all natural, grain free, soy free, artificial preservative free cat food and contains no poultry by-product meals.
Purina has specific products for kittens as well as seniors along with prescription diets as well for cats with special dietary needs.
Purina One is the most popular recipe in the Purina line up. Most of Purina One ingredients come from purina owned facilities to ensure quality and consistency of their products.
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| Product | Purina Cat Chow Naturals Dry Cat Food | Purina Pro Plan LiveClear Probiotic Dry Cat Food | Purina ONE True Instinct Canned Cat Food |
| First 5 Ingredients | Chicken, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-product Meal, Rice, Soybean Meal | Chicken, Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry By-Product Meall | Chicken Broth, Chicken, Liver, Wheat Gluten, Pork Lungs |
| Guaranteed Analysis (Crude) | Protein: 34% Fat: 13% Fiber: 3% | Protein: 36% Fat: 16% Fiber: 2% | Protein: 11% Fat: 2% Fiber: 1.5% |
| Caloric Content | 398 kcal/cup | 494 kcal/cup | 73 kcal/can |
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Iams has a much more limited range of products than Purina. They mainly have three product lines. Their dry food line is Proactive Health and the wet food is broken down into Purrfect Delights, Purrfect Delicacies, and Perfect Portions.
They have formulated their recipes specifically for cat’s lifestages and also for activity levels and certain health conditions in cats.
Iams Proactive Health is the most popular product line of Iams amongst cat parents.
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| Product | Iams ProActive Health High Protein Dry Cat Food | Iams ProActive Health Weight & Hairball Dry Cat Food | Iams Perfect Portions Healthy Wet Cat Food Trays |
| First 5 Ingredients | Chicken, Chicken Byproduct Meal, Corn Grits, Ground Whole Grain Corn | Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Grits, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Whole Grain Corn | Chicken Broth, Chicken, Chicken Liver, Meat By-Products, Tapioca Starch |
| Guaranteed Analysis (Crude) | Protein: 38% Fat: 18% Fiber: 3% | Protein: 30% Fat: 11% Fiber: 13.5% | Protein: 9% Fat: 4% Fiber: 1% |
| Caloric Content | 439 kcal/cup | 302 kcal/cup | 33 kcal/serving |
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Iams vs Purina: Recall History
It is not uncommon for brands to recall some of their products but if the brand consistently has recalls, it does raise a bit of red flag when choosing a pet food brand for your cat.
Iams Cat Food Recalls
- August 2013 – FDA recalled several Iams dry pet food due to potential salmonella contamination. [3]
- March 2013 – Iams shakeable dog treats were recalled due to potential mold growth. [4]
- December 2011 – Iams Proactive Health Smart Puppy Dry Dog Food was recalled due to the detection of high levels of aflatoxin in some production batches. [5]
- March 2007 – Due to melamine contamination, certain pet canned foods were recalled. [6]
Purina Cat Food Recalls
- March 2019 – Recall of one variety of Muse cat food.
- March 2016 – Due to low levels of minerals and vitamins several wet dog food tubs were recalled
- 2013 – Purina One was recalled due to suspected salmonella contamination.
- 2012 – Purina Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management Feline Formula is recalled because it didn’t contain enough thiamine.
- 2011 – Two recalls of Dry cat foods due to suspected salmonella contamination
Overall Winner
For us, Iams is the clear winner as it contains more animal based ingredients.
Iams is also loved by the cat parents due to the higher quality ingredients used in their products.
Purina also has some great products with some great ratings from cat parents, so if you want to go for it, we are totally for it.
Always consult your vet before starting your cat on the new food.
