Pure Balance Pro (Dry) Review

Pure Balance Pro+ dry cat food is made up of four recipes which each receive the Cat Food Advisor rating, 2.5 stars.

This range is formulated by veterinarians and lists animal meat as the first ingredient, it also contains animal by-products and plant-based proteins, but no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors.

The table below shows each recipe in the range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Pure Balance Pro+ Kitten Formula with Chicken recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”. ¹

Chicken is naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.

The second ingredient is poultry by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of slaughtered poultry after all the prime cuts have been removed.

In addition to organs, this item can also include feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs and almost anything other than prime skeletal muscle.

On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh poultry.

The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.

We consider poultry by-products slightly lower in quality than a single-species ingredient (like chicken by-products).

The third ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.

Although corn gluten meal contains 60% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.

The fourth ingredient is soybean meal, a by-product of soybean oil production more commonly found in farm animal feeds.

Although soybean meal contains 48% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.

The fifth ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The sixth ingredient is ground whole grain corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a cat.

The seventh ingredient is pearled barley. Pearled Barley is produced when the seed hull and bran is removed from barley grain. Fiber is distributed throughout the barley grain, rather than being contained within the hull meaning that Cracked Pearled Barley is still a source of fiber. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a cat. 

The eighth ingredient is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a cat.

From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.

However, it is worth noting this recipe does contain dried brewer’s yeast which is a supplement derived from the cell wall of the common yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is rich in manno-oligosaccharide (MOS) — a substance believed to improve the gastrointestinal health of an animal.

However, on a more positive note, we note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added as probiotics to aid with digestion. 

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Pure Balance Pro+ Kitten Formula with Chicken recipe looks like a below average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44.4%, a fat level of 20% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 27.6%.

As a group, the brand features a near– average protein content of 40% and a mean fat level of 14.7%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 37.3% for the overall product line, alongside a fat to protein ratio of 36%.

This means this Pure Balance Pro dry range contains near-average protein, higher than average carbohydrate and near-average fat, when compared to typical dry cat food.

Has Pure Balance cat food been recalled in the past?

No.

You can view a complete list of all cat food recalls since 2021 here.

To stay on top of any cat food product recalls, sign up for our free email alerts, here.

You can view a complete list of all cat food recalls since 2021 here.

To stay on top of any cat food product recalls, sign up for our free email alerts, here.

About

Pure Balance is made specifically for the Walmart company by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, who in turn is owned by the ​​J. M. Smucker Company which was founded in 1897 by Jerome Monroe.

Walmart created the Pure Balance brand of cat and dog food. Walmart also launched a veterinarian-formulated line of Pure Balance pet food called Pure Balance PRO+.

Pure Balance cat food is produced in the Chicago, Cincinnati Sector.