Purina LiveClear Cat Food Review

We’ve rated Purina LiveClear cat food on ingredient quality, species-appropriateness, recalls, and more. Read our Purina LiveClear cat food review to learn how this brand stacks up.

The Cats.com Standard—Rating Purina LiveClear Cat Food on What Matters

We’ve rated the brand on six key criteria for quality. Here’s how it rates in each of these six crucial areas.

In total, we give Purina LiveClear Cat food a 33 out of 60 rating or a C grade.

About Purina LiveClear Cat Food

One of the oldest companies in the cat food industry, Purina is also among the largest. The company was originally founded in 1894 as the Robinson-Danforth Commision Company, an animal feed supplier. By 1926 the company had expanded greatly and was renamed Ralston-Purina.

Purina released their first pet food product in the 1950s – Purina Dog Chow – followed by Purina Cat Chow in 1963. The company merged with Nestle in 2001 and is currently known as Nestle-Purina PetCare.

LiveClear is one of the newest product lines, announced by Purina ProPlan in 2019. Geared toward people with cat allergies, this line of dry cat foods is scientifically shown to “safely and effectively reduce allergens in cat hair and dander.” The line represents the culmination of over a decade of research.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

Like most of Purina’s pet foods, Purina ProPlan LiveClear cat food is produced in Purina-owned manufacturing facilities located in the United States.

Purina doesn’t provide specific information about the sourcing of any of their ingredients other than to say that they use North American suppliers as much as possible.

Recall History

The LiveClear line itself is relatively new, so there are no product recalls to date. The same cannot be said for the ProPlan line or the Purina brand in general.

Since 2011, Purina has issued at least half a dozen product recalls affecting both dog and cat food products. Purina ProPlan specifically recalled 5 varieties of wet dog food in 2016 due to inadequate levels of vitamins and minerals.

What Kinds of Cat Food Does Purina LiveClear Offer?

Kate Barrington / Cats.com

Purina ProPlan LiveClear is a dry food-only line that includes seven different recipes – one for kittens, five for adult cats, and one for senior cats. The line also includes an allergen-reducing rinse-free shampoo.

This product line is the result of over ten years of research during which Purina scientists “discovered the primary cat allergen can be reduced when cats eat a diet containing a specific protein found in eggs.” Fel d1 is the protein in question and it is produced in a cat’s salivary and sebaceous (skin) glands then transferred to the skin and hair during grooming. The allergen can then be dispersed into the environment through shed hair and dead skin cells called dander.

The protein in eggs binds and blocks Fel d1, rendering is inactive. According to Purina’s research, 97% of cats fed LiveClear food showed decreased levels of active Fel d1 in their hair and dander. Within three weeks of starting the diet, cats showed a 47% reduction in active Fel d1.

What Do Customers Think of Purina LiveClear Cat Food?

Generally speaking, Purina ProPlan is well-liked by customers and offers higher quality than other brands in the Purina family. The LiveClear line of products is even more well-liked.

Because these products are still somewhat new, the best place to find reviews is on the product pages on Chewy and Amazon. LiveClear products on Chewy have between 60 and 450+ reviews and most recipes are rated 4.5 or higher. On Amazon, Purina ProPlan LiveClear has over 2,400 global ratings and an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5.

Customers seem to appreciate the small kibble size which makes the food appropriate for cats of all ages and many cat owners comment that the product yields a noticeable reduction in allergy symptoms. Negative reviews tend to focus on the questionable quality of some of the ingredients and some picky cats simply not liking the food.

Let’s take a look at a few reviews from some of the most popular recipes from Purina LiveClear.

Positive Reviews

“Im allergic to cats and all cats other than my own since he’s on this. I have to wash my hands after petting other people’s cats or I start getting a runny nose, sneezing, and itching. My cat sleeps in bed with me near my head. He routinely flops right onto my face and I routinely give him kisses. No issues at all. I highly recommend this food. My ex was allergic to cats and had no reaction either. His vet says he’s healthy other than being a little chubby but he’s an indoor cat. Digestive wise he’s never had any issues.” – by Kennedy Reviewing Purina ProPlan LiveClear Probiotic Dry Cat Food on Jul 23, 2022

“The pieces are very small, so it’s easy to swallow for old cats. My cat (she is 14 years old) loves seafood flavor wet food, but she loves to eat this chicken flavored dry food as well. Hopefully this long life formula helps her to live longer!” – by Yuka reviewing Purina ProPlan LiveClear Adult 7+ Dry Cat Food on Jul 5, 2022

Negative Reviews

“My one BIG complaint is the quality of the ingredients is not what I typically feed. Would love a grain free and meal by product free version. It does seem to be working at keeping allergens at bay. But I am torn between feeding a food that is good for them and keeping my husband off the allergy medicine.” – by Jodi reviewing Purina ProPlan LiveClear Adult Indoor Dry Cat Food on 7 Jul 2021

“I’m sorry to report that Daisy, who I’m trying to find a healthy senior cat food, would not try this. Even our fat kitty sniffed and walked away, would not even try it.” – by Daisy reviewing Purina ProPlan LiveClear Adult 7+ Dry Cat Food on Jul 5, 2022

What Did Our Test Cats Think?

Kate Barrington / Cats.com

In order to test Purina ProPlan LiveClear cat food, I ordered three recipes – two adult cat formulas and one recipe for senior cats.

Unfortunately, my capacity to test the food was somewhat limited by two factors. First, one of my cats is severely allergic to chicken and all LiveClear formulas appear to contain either fresh chicken or chicken meal. Second, I am not allergic to cats and am not close to anyone who is.

The two cats who were able to safely taste test LiveClear cat food found it perfectly palatable and I can confirm what other customers say about the kibbles – they are very small and should be easy for both kittens and senior cats to manage.

Purina LiveClear Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed

How Much Does Purina LiveClear Cat Food Cost?

As is true for other ProPlan products, LiveClear cat food is more expensive than other products in Purina’s lineup. These foods range from about $0.29 to $0.46 per ounce. To feed the average 10-pound cat, LiveClear dry food you would spend about $0.56 per day.

Overall, Is Purina Liveclear Cat Food a Good Choice?

The main question cat owners considering Purina ProPlan LiveClear cat food is whether it works. The answer appears to be yes, but given the fact that the only research supporting this claim was funded and conducted by Purina, this answer is best taken with a grain of salt.

It’s also worth noting that Purina doesn’t seem to have published the results of their research in any peer-reviewed journals.

All we have to go on is a single statistic featured on the Purina LiveClear page stating that the product is shown to reduce the allergens in cat hair and dander by an average of 47% starting in the third week of daily feeding. That being said, a wealth of positive customer reviews seems to support the efficacy of LiveClear cat foods for reducing cat allergens.

While Purina ProPlan LiveClear may be a good option for pet owners who suffer from allergies, the same may not be true for all cats.

All seven LiveClear products contain multiple protein sources – namely chicken and fish – both of which are among the more common cat food allergens. Several recipes also contain vaguely-named animal by-products which could trigger allergies or sensitivities in some cats.

Where Is Purina Liveclear Cat Food Sold?

You can find Purina products in major pet food retailers both in-store and online. When it comes to LiveClear products in particular, however, you may need to shop in specialty pet stores. As an alternative, you can always buy the food online from Chewy and Amazon.