Blue Buffalo Dry Cat Food
Blue Buffalo brand cat food is manufactured by the Blue Buffalo Company. The company was founded when one of the owner's dogs was diagnosed with cancer. The company began as a search for foods that did not contain harmful environmental toxins, which can lead to cancer in pets. Blue Buffalo claims to use many human-grade ingredients in their pet food formulas. Blue Buffalo has previously recalled several of their products in the 2007 pet food recall, including all of their cat food formulas sold under the “BLUE Spa Select” name. As a result of the recall, Blue Buffalo removed all products from their formulas that were made by “American Nutrition”, the company who added the contaminated rice protein to their formulas.
Blue Buffalo Dry Cat Food Reviews
Blue Buffalo brand cat food is available in several different dry formulas, as well as many canned formulas. The BLUE Longevity formulas are available only in a 2.5lb and 5.5lb bag. The BLUE Spa Select dry formulas are available in a 3lb bag, a 7lb bag, and a 15lb bag (except for the kitten formula, which is not available in a 15lb bag). BLUE Wilderness formula is available in a 2.5lb bag, a 6lb bag, and a 12lb bag. BLUE Organic dry cat food is available in a 2.5lb bag, and a 6lb bag.
Blue Buffalo Dry Cat Food Formulas:
- BLUE Longevity dry cat food formula is available in three formulas:
- BLUE Spa Select dry cat food is available in six different formulas.
- Blue Buffalo Kitten Chicken & Brown Rice Cat Food – Guaranteed Analysis: 36% protein, 20% fat.
- Blue Buffalo Adult Cat Chicken & Brown Rice Cat Food - Guaranteed Analysis: 34% protein, 18% fat.
- Blue Buffalo Adult Cat Salmon and Brown Rice Cat Food - Guaranteed Analysis: 34% protein, 18% fat.
- Blue Buffalo Adult Cat Indoor Cat Food - Guaranteed Analysis: 32% protein, 15% fat.
- Blue Buffalo Adult Cat Indoor Sensitive Skin Cat Food - Guaranteed Analysis: 34% protein, 18% fat.
- Blue Buffalo Adult Cat Weight Control Cat Food - Guaranteed Analysis: 28% protein, 9% fat.
- BLUE Wilderness dry cat food formula is marketed as a high-protein, low-carbohydrate dry cat food. Designed for outdoor cats, this formula highlights the fact that it includes several complex carbohydrates, and is an alternative to “Raw Food” diets. The first four ingredients are protein-based, and the fifth ingredient is Potato Starch. The Guaranteed Analysis includes 45% protein and 18% fat.
- BLUE Organic Dry Cat Food with Lifesource ® Bits is a formula designed for pet owners who are looking to feed their cats a diet with organic ingredients. Two of the first five ingredients are protein-based, while three of the first five ingredients are carbohydrate-based. The Guaranteed Analysis includes 30% protein and 14% fat.
Blue Buffalo Dry Cat Food Consumer Ratings
Most consumers have favorable comments about Blue Buffalo brand pet food, especially their cat food formulas. However, some cats do not seem to like the taste or smell of some of the BLUE Spa Select brands of dry cat food, and other cats seem to have slight allergic reactions to some of the ingredients. However, most cat owners like Blue Buffalo's cat food formulas, especially the BLUE Wilderness formula, which is low in carbohydrates.
July 29th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Great ingredients but unfortunately my cats do not like it. My two girls absolutely refuse to touch it. And even my boy, who normally eats anything, will only nibble at it and begs for food more.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
My cats love this food. They have not been picky about the Lifesource bits at all. I love the vitality that it has given them since I have started it as a regular part of their diet. I prefer to give them the Healthy Entree (new) & Wilderness canned food varieties, and the Spa Select Adult Chicken/Brown Rice & Wilderness dry varieties. I avoid the Salmon varieties though, as I have read that cats often develop allergies to fish. So far, all of us couldn’t be happier with Blue Buffalo.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:05 am
My cat had the major runs after using this product. She did not like it at all. The only thing she can eat is Purina One hairball formula
December 7th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
My 4 cats (all senior ladies, ages 13ys to 23ys.) have all been eating Blue Buffalo for 2 years now and they are AMAZING!! Without a word of a lie, my 23 year old girl stalks and attacks my 70lbs. Siberian Husky for fun!!
I switch from flavour to flavour and they love them all. One of my girls did have some loose stools in the begining, but it cleared up in a few days (that is how the body adjusts)
I have also started using Blue’s Healthy Gourmet canned food with the dry and it is AMAZING how my girls come running when they hear the can pop! I have tried various brands (Wellness, Evo, Innova, Eagle, California Naturals, Natural Balance, etc.) but Blue has been their favourite for sure!!!
December 9th, 2009 at 9:42 am
My cats like this food “ok”. I switched to help with my male’s dandruff, but it has not helped at all. Additionally, my male cat is steadily putting on weight, while my younger female is losing it steadily.
December 25th, 2009 at 11:19 am
We’ve been feeding Adult Cat Chicken and Adult Cat Indoor for 2 years now. All three cats love it, and they have beautiful shiny coats, bright eyes, and lots of energy. Too bad none of them likes the canned varieties, though. Seems like the more expensive and human-like the canned food is (we’ve tried many good brand), the less interested they are.
December 30th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I switched my cats from Nutro Natural Choice Weight Management to BB Spa Select weight control because Nutros been making some changes on ingredients and not neccessarily for the better. After my cats were very slowly moved over to the new food, I began to notice the coats were not quite so sleek as they were before and didn’t feel as soft. Energy levels stayed the same. I kept track of their weight and I felt they were losing too much. I usually had them on a low cal diet to maintain where they were at and their weights maintained great on Nutro. One of my cats started having some vomiting episodes and very soft stools… and now is on meds for a urinary tract infection… not sure if it is because of the food, but it is something I keep in the back of my mind. I think I’ll be switching back to Nutro. Just a suggestion for others thinking of switching foods to something more “holistic”… if your cat/dog is doing well on the food it’s on, don’t change the food. From what I’ve read I’m not so sure if the “holistic” foods have my vote quite yet.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:46 am
I have been feeding my cats Spa Select Weight Control for several years, although sometimes I switch over to “By Nature Weight Control” for variety’s sake. Both my cats like it, and have been doing very well on it. My vet says that their coats are in excellent shape, and that the 15-year-old’s is as good as can be for a cat that age. We recently tried the new “Longevity Mature” formula, and they both loved it.
January 8th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
I switched from Purina Cat Chow to the Buffalo Blue Weight Management formula after my mother gave me her bag when her cat was put down. I’ve been giving it to my 1 and a half year old boy and my 7 year old girl. I’ve noticed both losing weight, which is great and both of them seem to have much more energy. My boy’s coat is shiner and softer. His chronic tearing eye (due to a chmidya virus) has lessened. I’ve not noticed any problems in the litter box. I highly recommend this food!
January 21st, 2010 at 12:18 pm
I have two cats and tried the Buffalo Blue Spa dry catfood. Unfortunately one of my cats developed soft stools with this and it was not good for her. I have switched them back to IAMS premium protection, but still am looking for something better….
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:10 pm
My two year old, Whiskey, has been on Purina and Iams, both, and I have to say, the Blue Buffalo Wilderness formula has had the best results. He eats a small can of wet food at night and snacks throughout the day on the dry food. He eats less than he used to and rarely begs for table food anymore. He seems to have a lot more energy and generally acts happier than before. He absolutely loves the food, too! I haven’t noticed much change in weight, which is why I began researching food in the first place, but I think as long as he doesn’t put more on, then this food will continue to be our best choice. We also have a very large dog (she has switched to the doggy wilderness formula), so buying expensive food can be a hastle, but you really have to think: it’s like having kids and you get what you pay for; it’s basically the difference between fast food and real food, there’s a reason it’s cheaper. Don’t hesitate to spend more if you want them to be happy and healthy!
February 9th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
We switched our male Bengal cat from Authority brand to the Blue Buff Spa Select, which I might add was incredibly expensive. We read some unfavorable stuff about Authority (ground hooves and other inedibles?) so wanted to get the good stuff.
Bottom line the cat gets excited for Authority brand and as soon as I mix in some of the Spa Select he just walks off and doesn’t eat it. I think something about the smell or taste he just doesn’t like.
When left in the bowl he will eat it eventually but just does not seem to like the stuff at all. Too bad, we don’t want to go back to Authority but he just doesn’t seem to like the Blue Buff product.
February 11th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Do not feed you’re cat this food! Well unless you want it to get sick and have issues later on. This product contains fruits! Cats are carnivores they are not meant to eat fruit! It’s plain sense. I have seen countless cats come into the vet with health issues, and guess what they are being feed, you guessed it! I would recommend Purina pro plan. Fancy feast, Nutro Max, etc. well anything but blue buffalo! thank you and good luck.
February 11th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
I don’t know about this food. I was in the process of switching my cat from the Nutro Max Cat to the Blue Dry Cat Food, Longevity formula for Mature cats. I was doing the way they said, half and half at first, etc. Well, she puked several times two mornings in a row after eating it. So now I’m back to just Nutro Max cat and no more puking. I don’t know if it was the Blue cat food or not, but I’m not taking any chances. I just want the best for my cat and that is why I switched, but the most expensive is not necessarily the best. Plus, my cat is not a big eater anyway and the only time I ever saw her delightfully wolfing down her food was after she had had a gum disease and couldn’t eat as much for awhile and was catching up. Otherwise she just eats as much as she needs and not a bit more. She didn’t eat the Blu any more than she eats the others. She’s not a big cat and about right weight-wise, maybe a little under if anything. I sure don’t need her losing weight!
February 15th, 2010 at 11:08 am
The Blue Buffalo Spa Select lifebits were enjoyed by my 15 year old Himilayan but she had severe food allergies. We switched her to this from California Natural just because of the convenience of places that sell it (as opposed to having to special order Cal Nat). But after her reaction…. and a trip to the vet…. we are going back to Cal Nat.
March 1st, 2010 at 11:56 am
My 7 month old kitty stopped eating Hill’s canned food, so I switched him to Blue Buffalo canned food with no problems. HOWEVER, I’ve been trying to switch his dry food to Blue Buffalo as well and have had nothing but problems. I’ve mixed his former dry food (Hill’s) with the Blue Buff dry food (1/2 – 1/2) and he did fine for about a week. Then he started vomiting right after he would eat the dry mix. Also, I have a 2 year old lab who often gets into the dry cat food. She has also started vomiting. In fact, she vomited so much that she’s only been able to eat rice and eggs for the past 4 days. When they don’t eat the Blue Buff dry cat food, they’re fine, but as soon as they eat it, they vomit. Unfortunately, I purchased a LARGE bag of the Blue Buff dry cat food to start with, so I’ve lost about $30, but I’m definitely switching back to Hill’s!
March 4th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I have been feeding my two male cats (age 3 and 1 1/2) Blue Buffalo Indoor Dry Food for the past year or so and they LOVE it! They are both so soft and shiny and eat much less of this food than what they were given previously. We give them a tablespoon each of the wet food at dinner time and this goes over great too, except our one cat will not touch the turkey flavor — the braised beef liver seems to be the house favorite. I definitely recommend this product! The Spa Select Treats were not a big hit, however.
March 21st, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Switched from EVO to wilderness about 2 years ago partly for price and got a sample and gave it to my cats and they devoured it. I check from time to time on the market to see what is new. I have a small Pixie bob cattery. I have 3 queens 1 king and 2 house cats. All of them are Pixie bobs.
I have had nothing but big trouble with my 3 queen pixiebobs in the past 18 months. they have reabsorbed 2 of their their litters. and one has only had 2 single kitten litters in a row. in back of my mind thought was it the food as that was the only change. My stud wasn’t the problem as he sired a litter of 5 kittens to a queen outside of my cattery. But thought na couldn’t be this food. All my cats liked the food and their coats seemed to get even sleeker. My King left all the lifesource bits behind though. All of their stools were very smelly. I didn’t like that fact about it.
But today as I brushed out my 2 house cats seeing as they were sheddeing more than they ever have in the past all most all of their under coats came out completely!!!! They look very sickly! Those 2 were being fed the longevity as they were both just a bit over weight. And I had been feeding them that to keep it under control. which they didn’t really care for it over the spa select but they ate it. They only lost a bit of weight. They had been on it for about 8 months now. With this shock I am never giving any form of blue buffalo food to them again. I will also encourage anyone else to pass it by too. I brushed the other cats today and they had hardly any fur come out at all. But they were not being fed the longevity adult formula. With this shocking experience I am now convinced that the wilderness and the spa select foods were also the fault for the trouble I have been having with my litters. The one healthy litter I was able to get the kittens had problems from the get go with the spa select kitten formulas with very smelly stools and very loose.. we switched them to diamond pet food the active cat. and they both cleared up right away. So Please don’t use this food. I am switching back to EVO. The price is worth healthy cats and kittens. It is obviouse that even thought the label on the bag seemed to be very high class it definately is malnurishing my cats. specially the longevity formulas. I just hope others don’t let their cats go through what I did with mine. I feel so bad. I just had no idea this was happening.
March 25th, 2010 at 1:31 am
First let me say I have done extensive and exhaustive, over the top research on cat foods, canned and dry, and here’s my opinion of Blue Buffalo Dry Cat Food.
This is a top of the line cat food, made with exceptional ingredients, but it does have some potential drawbacks. The Drawbacks are Extremely High Protein 45%, and a High Ash / Phosphorus 8.5% content.
High Protein / Ash content will lead to Renal (Kidney) failure in cats. This is the number 2 killer of cats just behind number 1… cancer. If your cat is fed Blue Buffalo Dry Cat food everyday it’s potential to develop renal failure will be increased.
The positive side of having a high protein food is that it can help sick, or cats recovering from surgery, as it will build their strength quickly, especially if their appetites are low.
To sum it all up, feed it to healthy cats once a week, feed it to sick / recovering cats until signs of improvement occur.
I wish you, and your feline friend, Happiness and Health!
March 30th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
I switched my cat from Iams dry cat adult food to Blue Spa Select for indoor cats. She did not have any problems with it. her coat was much healthier. Recently, I started using Blue Wilderness cat food and she has lot of dry flaky dandruff like stuff on her coat. I’m not sure if it’s because of the food. she has lost weight and looks much sleeker and is more active though.
Also, I checked the contents in the Blue Wilderness cat food and I don’t think it has any phosphorus or ash in there. Still, I’m not sure about the food.
March 31st, 2010 at 8:27 am
I have been feeding this food, particularly the kitten formula to my cats for a couple years. I have one highly sensitive to grains and she cannot keep anything with corn down (which of course rules out a very large majority of dry cat foods.) We were going through the bags quite regularly, my cats loved it! But it seems like something has changed in the last couple months. Quite suddenly they will not touch it. Unfortunately, I will be changing brands. My kitties are getting skinny and unhealthy from not eating like they should now. I do have a young cat who is already developing kidney disease though, and that concerns me now about this food as well as it is the food she has eaten most of her life.
However, I did have a Ragdoll Tom who had repeat urinary crystal issues. Once I had switched him to BB, he didn’t have the problem again. The vegetable/fruit ingredients really were a benefit to him.
I am now unsure about this food, though I have highly recommended it in the past. It seems right for some cats, but not for others.
April 10th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I purchased Blue Buffalo kitten and adult cat dry food for my cat and kitten after reading an article in a magazine about the ingredients in cat foods. My two cats were previously on Science Diet which I believed to be the best cat food until learning more about the ingredients that were in it. Once I learned about what my cats were really eating I had to make the switch. I slowly weened my two cats off of Science Diet to Blue Buffalo over the course of two weeks to avoid a major change in taste, smell, and any problems the switch would have on their stomachs. I was going to switch my kitten over to Blue Buffalo first, but my adult cat kept eating her food, (which she never did before) so I had to switch them at the same time. Currently, they have been eating Blue Buffalo (without any Science Diet mixed in) for over a week and they love it!!! I couldn’t be more pleased knowing that they love it and are eating better, healthier ingredients! I give the food two thumbs up and have recommended it to my friends and family – who have also switched over to Blue Buffalo cat food.
April 20th, 2010 at 8:37 am
I recently purchased the Blue Buff dry cat food and attempted to switch Bijou (my cat) over, since I have had such good luck with the dry dog food, and I am disappointed with the cat food, to say the least. Actually maybe disgusted is a better word. I mixed Blue Buff with Bijou’s normal food, and after every feeding she vomited, and not just in one spot, but in several little trails throughout the house. I took her to the vet to make sure she didn’t have some kind of bowel obstruction, i.e. a massive hairball, and the vet found nothing. Fortunately, PetSmart let me return the food and exchange it for her normal PurinaOne Indoor formula which has been great for us…I shouldn’t have attempted to switch the food in the first place. Lesson learned.
May 19th, 2010 at 9:54 am
We tried the ‘Spa Select- Weight Control’ for our indoor, 3 year old spayed female. She loved the food, but her GI tract did not. Despite transitioning s…l…o…w…l…y she has a lot of diarrhea, loose stool, and gastric upset. She ate the food with vigor, so she found it palatable. We ended up switching back to the Purina Pro Plan. It just worked better for her.
May 23rd, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Hi There
I have a 8 a half month old kitten and I have had him on Science Diet for kittens both wet and dry. I decided to switch him to the adult 1yr old science diet wet as for the kittens they only had three flavours. He was doing fine on the wet adult food, but again he got bored with the same flavours. I was recommended to try the blue buffalo wet food. My cat liked it at first..Then one day I opened a tin fed him his 1/4 tin for breakfast and to my surprise when i got home from work he had thrown up on the staircase…no big deal. WHen I looked at the tin, I noticed that there was a white fat like materials sitting on the top. I took it to pet smart and exchanged it for a newer tin of the same flavour. Just lastnight, I gave him a 1/4 of the tin for supper to see if it was just the bad tin that got him upset. To my surprise, he threw up three times this morning. Took him to the vet and the vet didnt know what was wrong and suggested to stay off the Blue Buffalo and try their special medicated food. To make a long story short, I refused to let him eat the blue buffalo wet food and vet food and stuck him back on science diet. He started eaten sciecne diet since this morning and hasnt thrown up since. Im not like the brand blue buffalo at all…Not worth getting a kitten sick and not happy about eating any kind of food…
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:58 am
Please do not use this food. My cats loved it but it killed my male cat Singer. I was feeding them the wildress variety. It has an undisclosed and inappropriate level of ph that caused crystals in his urine which blocked his eurethra. We were unable to save him.
I thought this food was great and used to go across town to get it but after talking to the vet and losing my kitty (he was 4 years old). I will never buy this food again. Please use wet food, and a small amount of vet approved dry food. Google proper ph cat food to find more info. AND be aware that even the info on pet food lables isn’t regulated well so the info can be misleading. Ask your vet to recommend a safe food.
Thanks,
Jenn
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:12 pm
P.S. Okay, now I feel really stupid. Singer vomited fairly often but I didn’t think it was the food. I thought it was because he ate too fast and was excited when he was fed. Thanks for your comments everyone – after reading about your experiences I’m convinced the vomiting was related to the blue bufallo food. I’m glad you’re trying to keep your cats healthy and I wish you all well.
Jenn
June 4th, 2010 at 11:20 am
I thought this would be a great choice for my kitten until I did some research. The grains (3rd ingredient is brown rice) and then oats and barley, are very difficult for cats to digest as they do not have long intestines like us. These ingredients, however healthy they sound, are not very good for cats. They are used as fillers. They rest of the ingredients are great however.
July 6th, 2010 at 7:56 am
I would like some feedback from vetinarians about Blue dry food. I believe my one male cat has developed Struvite crystals and has been on Blue Buffalo dry and a little wet food for 3 months. Never had an issue before this with him. His brother however has had issues with Struvite for 3 years.
July 11th, 2010 at 11:23 am
My Maine Coon male (3yrs) ate pro plan up until five months ago. He was gaining a lot of weight. Because of this and all of the pet food recalls associated with corn, I made a switch to Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul. I had no problems with this food at all, and my boy lost weight as well. However, it just seemed like all of a sudden he had no interest in the food. Since he refuses to eat canned food (but has always been a big drinker), I knew I had to make a switch. My cat wasn’t eating, all he wanted was treats.
So, about 10 days ago I made the switch to Blue Wilderness, while at the same time leaving the Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul out in case he changed his mind. He seemed to instantly love the Blue Wilderness. However, during the past five days one of my three cats has been throwing up. BACKTRACK SEVEN DAYS: My mother came over to visit. I told her I purchased this food, and since she has been looking into a better cat food, I gave her enough for one bowl (this was a Saturday). Monday-Wednesday as I came home from work, my teen told me one of the cats had thrown up, but they cleaned it up. I was thinking hairballs or something. After all, the cats all seemed very active. My mother called up Wednesday night and said, “You know that food you gave me is making my cat sick. He has thrown up four days in a row now. It’s this thick foamy/milky type of puke. I took away the food today.” THURSDAY: I get home from work and there to greet me is this thick, foamy, milky puke all over the carpet. I went directly to my Jericho who seemed happy and playful. Jericho has never been a puker, only a hairball on occasion. He was the only cat eating this Blue, the other two won’t touch it. So he seem fine, acted normal. I cleaned up the puke with my mother’s comments in my head. I called her up to see how the cat was doing. She said, “He seems fine now that I put him back on his regular food. He didn’t throw up today.” FRIDAY NIGHT: My teen calls me down to the basement to point out the fact he saw Jericho puking. Nothing but Blue Wilderness food! I got in my car, drove to the pet store, and purchased a bag of Natural Balance Ultra. Some people may not say this is the greatest food, but I know it is a decent food choice. I brought it home, feed my boy (who seemed to love the taste of the food). SUNDAY: Jericho has been over-the-top happy and playful (really). He has not puked since Friday. CONCLUSION: You could say it may have been something else, but how do you explain the same symptoms to two cats in different households getting sick in the same fashion and time frame. Both stopped puking after Blue Wilderness was discontinued.
Be careful with some of the fancy foods. Just a side note: I’m 37. I’ve had several cats through out my lifetime. Growing up these animals were raised on the cheapest junk foods on the market. We didn’t have any cats who passed away before their 14th birthday. And had four who lived from the ages of 18 to 24!
July 17th, 2010 at 5:19 am
Our five year old male Bengal is not a big dry food fan. He mostly eats canned food but will eat dry if he’s hungry. He turns his nose up at it and I don’t care what brand of premium chow we try to feed him. My wife brought this Blue Indoor Health Chicken&Brown Rice home the other day and he’s been tearing it up. This idiot cat will eat it out of the bag and does not want to stop. I swear sometimes I think he needs to come up for air. I don’t know what’s in this stuff but I can honestly tell you Styfler loves it and is gaining weight (not that he needs to). Does anyone know if there is any downside healthwise to feeding our cats this chow?
July 31st, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I wish I had read these reviews before buying a few cans of Blue. My cats did fine with a little can of chicken (wilderness formula), but a trial of the Spa Select Seafood Stew led one of them to vomit all over the rugs in my office—a domestic calamity that has cost me two work days (trying to get rid of the foul smell) and may force me to sacrifice the rugs (to the tune of around $500.).
I lost my first cat to renal failure, and yes: unregulated protein levelscan cause this. I don’t think the people who manufacture BLUE know much about cats from a physiological standpoint. And they are certainly not making a product that cats keep down well.
August 9th, 2010 at 12:09 am
I got my female and male kittens at 7 weeks old and they’ve been fed Blue’s wet and dry kitten food for 2 months now. They are gorgeous and playful then one day i brought home another $1/can of food i don’t want to name the label because i don’t want to deter anyone from buying that product BUT my cats vomited OVER and OVER and had loose stool they even had messes FAR from their litter box and they ARE potty trained. I REALLY BELIEVE it’s not the brand that’s making the kittens vomit, it’s the change in food. I got them back on the blue stuff and they’re all better. I mix all of the BLUE dry Kitten products together in their food storage container so there’s no one product that stands out. I do give them the wet food but there isn’t one particularly for kittens. I’m planning on keeping them on BLUE since they are doing just great and they nibble on it all day long.