Whole Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are dry beans cooked into some grain-free kibble for starch and fiber. FDA investigated reports of dilated cardiomyopathy in pets eating foods with a high proportion of peas, lentils, other legume seeds or potatoes. Most of the 524 reports through April 2019 involved dogs, and 9 involved cats. FDA has not named a cause. For a cat with a heart or other medical condition, ask your veterinarian.

Source: fda.gov

Pinto beans replace grain as a starch source in grain-free recipes. They also bring fiber and plant protein. Because their protein comes from a plant, they lift a food's protein percentage without adding meat. In the foods Pettings lists, they show up in a handful of high-meat recipes alongside other legumes.

Whole means the entire bean was used, seed coat included, and not a split, dehulled or separated part such as pea protein. The seed coat adds fiber. The word does not tell you how much of the ingredient is in the food. Its position on the ingredient list, which AAFCO requires from most to least by weight, gives a better clue.

Source: aafco.org

No. Pinto beans are legumes, not cereal grains. A food labeled grain-free can still contain beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas, all of which add starch. Legumes are higher in protein and fiber than most grains but still carry a lot of carbohydrate. The Cornell Feline Health Center notes that cats evolved eating prey with only a minimal amount of carbohydrate.

Source: vet.cornell.edu

Pettings gives whole pinto beans 2 out of 5 and lists them as a legume. They appear on 4 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. They add fiber and plant protein, and that protein raises the label percentage without meat. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.