Purina Pro Plan LiveClear Cat Allergen Reducing Cat Food Review 2024

Purina is one of the oldest commercial pet food manufacturers and is still arguably the biggest name in the pet food industry. This company has faced plenty of positive and negative publicity over the years, but recently made waves again with a groundbreaking cat food recipe.

Their LiveClear cat food line was (and still is) the first of its kind, claiming to reduce allergens in cats' saliva and dander. This line hit US shelves in 2020 and won a Product of the Year award the following year...but is it all it's cracked up to be?

When I first heard about this line in a TikTok video, I thought, "If this recipe is truly capable of making cats less allergenic, this is life-changing." As a cat mom and cat allergy sufferer, I have spent most of my life trying to keep my allergies at bay, so when I saw this was an option, I immediately added it to my Chewy cart. 

But is this cat food as magical as it claims to be? I tried it on my own cats and have so many thoughts to share!

Read on to explore the science behind this recipe, ingredient quality, reviews, and our own personal experience with the line to help you decide if it is right for your kitty.

To understand how this line works, first, you will need to understand a little bit about cat allergies. 

People with cat allergies aren't allergic to the cat's hair — or even their dander— but rather proteins, like the Fel D 1 protein, which cats secrete in their saliva and then pass onto their hair while grooming. When we develop allergies, our bodies mistake these substances as dangerous and launch a histamine attack, which causes all the typical allergy symptoms like swelling, hives, sneezing, and watery eyes.

Purina LiveClear's unique formula relies on a protein in some egg yolks that neutralizes the main protein that triggers cat allergies — but not all egg yolks will have this same result. 

When a chicken is exposed to felines, they releases the IgY antibodies, which they pass onto their eggs, and if these eggs are fertilized, the antibodies will pass to their offspring. Unfertilized yolks from these antibody-laden eggs are used to make a coating for the LiveClear cat food. 

When a cat eats this food, the antibody binds to the Fel D1 proteins in the saliva and neutralizes it. Purina's groundbreaking study found that after 21 days of exclusively eating this food, 97% of the study participants had lower levels of the primary protein that causes cat allergies. In fact, the Fel D1 levels of some cats in the study decreased by as much as 71%! 

Moreover, the study found no significant health problems or genetic mutations within the 6-month feeding trial in any of the 42 study participants.

Currently, there are 7 varieties in Purina's LiveClear line, but we are crossing our fingers that they will expand their selection. So far, there are formulas for adults, kittens, seniors, indoor adults, weight management, and sensitive skin and stomachs. We would love to see a wet food line, more flavors, and some grain-free options.

• Purina Pro Plan Kitten Chicken & Rice Allergen Reducing Cat Food: A chicken-based food for cats up to one year of age and adult cats that are pregnant or nursing.
• Purina Pro Plan Adult Allergen Reducing Cat Food Salmon & Rice Formula: Seafood fanatics will love this tasty salmon-based formula packed with fatty acids for a shiny coat.
• Purina Pro Plan Adult Allergen Reducing Cat Food Chicken & Rice Formula: This tasty chicken-formula is formulated with fatty acid -rich fish oil and biotin to keep your cat looking and feeling great!
• Purina Pro Plan Adult Indoor Turkey & Rice Allergen Reducing Cat Food: A turkey-based food for indoor cats with lower activity levels. 
• Purina Pro Plan Adult 7+ Senior Prime Plus Chicken & Rice Allergen Reducing Cat Food: This food is meant for senior cats over the age of 7 and supports the gut, joints, and immune system with live probiotics, gelatin, and antioxidants.
• Purina Pro Plan Adult Weight Management Chicken & Rice Allergen Reducing Cat Food: This lower-calorie chicken recipe has 20% less fat than their regular adult recipe. It's great for cats who need to lose a couple of pounds or have trouble maintaining their healthy weight.
• Purina Pro Plan Allergen Reducing Sensitive Skin & Stomach Turkey Formula: This turkey recipe is gentle on sensitive tummies with prebiotics and probiotics to boost gut health.

• Many allergists suggest limiting exposure or rehoming pets as a first course of treatment, but with this food, allergy sufferers can live more comfortably, create a stronger bond with their pets, and keep them with their families.
• Shown to reduce the primary allergen in cat dander and saliva by 30 to 70%, according to their study — this is enough to reduce or eliminate allergy symptoms
• This is a vet-developed, allergen-reducing formula that no other brand has been able to replicate
• Real meat (like chicken, turkey, and salmon) is always the leading ingredient
• Has offerings for cats with sensitive stomachs, seniors, and kittens

• Some people complain their cats have digestive issues when eating LiveClear products. (One of my cats adapted well to this formula, whereas my other had some bloating when we first switched to this food. Thankfully, he outgrew this over a few days.)
• Purina has a long history of recalls. Granted, many were voluntary recalls by Purina for potential quality control mishaps, some without any consumer complaints or reported injuries.
• Limited range of recipes and flavors and does not come in wet or grain-free formulas (which is unfortunate for pet parents of picky eaters or cats with grain or gluten allergies)
• VERY expensive, averaging between $4.69 & $7.34 /lb, depending on the recipe and bag size.
• Contains lower-quality fillers like corn, wheat, and soy.

Reviews from the Wag! Team:

"For my personal experience, since starting this food, my allergic reactions to my cats have completely stopped. In fact, when I've had friends and relatives who are also allergic over, they didn't react either. My cats go nuts for this food and will paw at the bag when I pull it out of the pantry. My six-month-old cat, Bilbo, adjusted well to this food, which we started him on about 4 months ago. I noticed a difference in my reactions within the first week. He never had any tummy upset or anything. Binx, my newest kitten, has also done well on this food but had a brief bout of bloating initially." 

Emily Reardon, Content Writer and Videographer at Wag!

"After growing up with 2 cats, I was very surprised to learn during a recent allergy skin test that I was allergic to them! I was prepared with allergy medicine and multiple air filters when we adopted our kittens, but now our cats can enjoy their yummy food and endless snuggle time!" 

Megan Crowley, Social Media Strategist at Wag!

More customer reviews:

"Pretty expensive but I have 4 cats and I'm allergic too even though I take a daily med sometimes they still trigger a reaction. I wanted to see if something like this existed to help me out a bit more and also something my cats would like. I'm happy to report after a few months of them eating this food. I have noticed myself having dramatically less issues! Even with the double coat cat that was the worst in terms of causing allergies for me. This stuff does work just takes awhile. They all enjoy the chicken type and I have to say their coats are all looking better too. My only hope is the price comes down a bit. But if you can spare the cost and want to enjoy your cats even more. Give this food a try."

"We have a pair of bonded boys that we transitioned to this food as soon as they moved into adult cat food. Even though they're littermates / brothers, one is a medium length hair and specifically him I used to get a rash if he licked me, and I'd get sneezy holding or being around him. We started and continued using this food and I now have none of those problems! We keep up with brushing and vacuuming, and running HEPA filters - but used to do the last 2 before the food and I still had issues, which is how I know this makes a difference. The only negative is the extreme cost! In 2 years it's now up almost $15 a bag for the 16 lb size. I wish there was some relief there, but otherwise we autoship to save what we can and have two perfectly healthy boys."

"After adopting our cat Holly, I had major allergy reactions. I was put on 5 different medications and thought, I can't live like this. Then I heard about Purina's Live Clear. We gave it a try for the standard 3 weeks it takes to work and it was like magic. I was able to stop all my medications, Holly was happy with her food and we have not had a problem in 2 1/2 years."

Read more reviews on Chewy.

Purina Pet Food got its start back in 1894 when it was first the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company. Robinson-Danforth primarily focused on livestock feed and underwent a rebranding in 1902 when they changed the name to Ralston Purina.

 24 years later, Purina shifted gears from livestock feed and began studying the effects of dog food for pet animals, establishing what is now the Nestlé Purina Pet Care Center in Northwest Missouri. 

Over the years, Purina held the title for many firsts in the pet industry. They created the first extruded kibble, puppy food, and pet probiotics and were the first pet food company to include meat as the leading ingredient with the launch of their Pro Plan line. This range, which birthed the LiveClear line, came out in 1986 and, according to their website, "was developed to put the latest Purina studies to work as part of a nutritionally advanced range available to everyone." 

In 2020, Purina launched its LiveClear allergen-reducing cat food line, which took over a decade to research and create. The next year, the Purina received a Product of the Year award for LiveClear's innovative formula.

This particular line of Purina products was introduced in 2020 and has never undergone a recall. However, there have been 9 Purina recalls in the last 12 years from their other product lines, the most recent being in February 2023.

Companies with the sheer amount of products that Purina produces and with how long Purina has been in the pet industry, there are bound to be recalls, but 9 in the last 12 years is a lot.

Some reasons for past recalls include inadequate or excessive vitamin concentrations, foreign material contamination, labeling errors, and possible salmonella exposure. Let's explore these past recalls in more depth. 

1. February 2023: In February 2023, one of Purina's prescription dog foods, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental dry dog food, was recalled for excessive vitamin D levels, then additional batches of the same product were added to the recall list a short time later.
2. December 2022: Just a few short months before the Elemental recipe recall, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric Low Fat prescription wet dog food was recalled due to a labeling error, where the wrong recipe was put into cans labeled as the Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric Low Fat dog food.
3. July 2021: The summer of 2021 saw another wet food recall, in which one flavor of Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials was recalled as it could have possibly come in contact with foreign material (plastic.)
4. March 2018: In the Spring of 2018, a recall was issued for Purina Muse Natural Chicken Recipe in Gravy due to it possibly containing foreign material (rubber), though there were no reports that this foreign material actually made it to consumers
5. March 2016: Certain tubs of the Pro Plan Savory Meals were recalled in 2016 due to inadequate vitamin/mineral levels**.** Several batches of Beneful wet food tubs were also included in this recall.
6. August 2013: In August 2013, Purina issued a voluntary recall for a batch of Purina ONE dog food after one bag tested positive for salmonella.
7. May 2012: In the spring of 2012, Purina recalled a single batch of Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management Feline Formula due to inadequate concentrations of vitamin B1 after an analysis showed insufficient amounts in that lot.
8. July 2011: Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ dry cat food was the subject of a recall in the summer of 2011 due to possible salmonella contamination in a single batch.
9. June 2011: One month prior to the Purina ONE recall, Purina Cat Chow Naturals was also recalled due to potentially coming in contact with salmonella.

Products images from the Chewy website. Copyright Nestle Purina PetCare Company.