Blue Buffalo is a US pet food company that offers an extensive range of cat and dog foods. Made using high-quality natural ingredients, the Blue Buffalo cat food range features wet and dry foods to suit a variety of life stages, and a wide selection of protein sources to suit any kitty’s taste.

But is Blue Buffalo cat food the right choice for your fur-baby? Keep reading for our detailed Blue Buffalo cat food review, which includes its pros and cons, recalls, and whether it’s worth buying for your cat.

Blue Buffalo says its nutrition philosophy is based on the belief that pets should be fed like family. With this in mind, it formulates recipes that start with real meat as the first ingredient, and contain carbohydrates for fiber along with all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your fur-baby needs for a happy and healthy life.

Let’s break down each Blue Buffalo cat food line to help you find the right diet for your feline friend.

The Wilderness range features high-protein recipes that Blue Buffalo says are designed to satisfy your pet's inner carnivore. There are dry and wet recipes available, with formulas crafted to suit cats at different life stages.

There are ten Blue Wilderness dry cat foods to choose from. These feature a high-quality protein source as the first ingredient, with chicken, duck, salmon, trout, and red meat recipes available. The kibble contains a mix of essential antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals thanks to Blue's LifeSource Bits. There are also recipes for weight control and hairball control to suit cats with specific health needs. 

Due to its use of natural ingredients, with real meat at the top of the list, Blue Buffalo dry cat food is excellent quality. These recipes also have above-average protein and fat contents—Wilderness Adult Chicken contains 43.9% protein as dry matter and 19.7% fat as dry matter. 

The wet foods in the Wilderness range can be fed as a complete and balanced meal or given with Wilderness dry food. There are three kitten recipes, 18 adult recipes, and one recipe for mature cats (aged 7 years and up) to choose from. 

These recipes feature real meat, fish, or poultry as the first ingredient and don't include any artificial flavors or preservatives. Common secondary ingredients include potatoes, flaxseed, and broth. 

This high-protein wet food line lives up to its name, but can be high in fat. Blue Wilderness Adult Chicken wet food contains above average protein (45.4% as dry matter) and above-average fat (36.3% as dry matter) compared to standard wet cat food. 

Overall, Blue Wilderness wet cat foods are good quality, consisting of only a handful of natural ingredients aside from supplemental vitamins and minerals. 

Featuring real meat and natural ingredients, the Blue Tastefuls range features both dry and wet recipes. Previously called Blue Buffalo Select, these 12 dry food recipes are made with protein sources including chicken, turkey, and salmon and also feature whole grains and vegetables. 

They contain no filler ingredients like corn, soy, or wheat, and are free from artificial flavors and preservatives. Brown rice, barley, and oatmeal are used in the grain-inclusive recipes. 

The dry range includes recipes for kittens, adults, and seniors, plus formulas for sensitive stomachs, hairball control, and weight management.

Tastefuls normal adult cat food is lower in protein and fat than Blue Buffalo's Wilderness range. The Chicken & Turkey recipe contains 35.1% protein as dry matter and 16.4% fat as dry matter.

If your fur-baby prefers wet food, the Blue Tastefuls range offers 22 recipes to choose from. These include entrees, patés, and cuts of meat in gravy. 

Once again, there’s a diverse range of protein sources to choose from based on your kitty’s taste preferences, plus recipes to suit cats at any life stage. This line has recently added three different puréed cat food toppers that come in resealable twist-top pouches.

Blue Tastefuls wet cat food recipes are formulated very similarly Wilderness wet foods—top ingredients include real meat, broth, liver, dried egg product, and natural flavors. These recipes are high in moisture to prevent dehydration and high in omega-3 fatty acids. 

Tasteful Chicken Cuts in Gravy recipe has above-average protein (32.1% as dry matter) and above-average fat (22.2% as dry matter) compared to standard wet cat food. 

The Baby Blue range is designed to provide natural nutrition to give your kitten a healthy start to life. The growth formulas in this range feature DHA and ARA for brain development, and taurine to promote a healthy heart. Real meat is the first ingredient, with no corn, wheat, or soy included.

There are two dry food recipes to choose from in the Baby Blue range: one grain-free and one grain-inclusive. Both feature Blue’s LifeSource Bits to provide important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Each are similar quality to Blue Wilderness, with added fish oil as a fatty acid source. The grain-inclusive formula include brown rice, oatmeal, and barley. 

Baby Blue Grain-Free Chicken and Pea dry food contains 43.9% protein as dry matter and 21.9% fat as dry matter to fuel growth and development. 

There are three wet recipes available as well, two of which are grain-free with the other featuring brown rice. Nutritional beneficial secondary ingredients include carrots, dried eggs, cranberries, and flaxseed.  

Like the dry range, Baby Blue wet cat foods have similar ingredients to Blue Wilderness, with extra fish oil to aid development. Overall, Baby Blue wet foods are a great choice for your kitten. 

Baby Blue Chicken wet cat food has above-average protein (50% as dry matter) and above-average fat (34% as dry matter) compared to other wet kitten foods. 

If you want to feed your cat a grain-free diet, the Blue Freedom range has you covered. This product line is aimed at indoor cats and always includes chicken, beef, or lamb as the first ingredient. You'll find five recipes formulated for kittens, adults, senior cats, and weight control.

There are four Blue Freedom dry recipes, with common secondary ingredients like meat meal for a protein boost and peas as a fiber source to aid digestion. 

Blue Freedom dry cat foods are lower in fat to prevent indoor cats from gaining weight. The Grain-Free Indoor Chicken recipe contains above-average protein (35.1% as dry matter) and around average fat (15.3% as dry matter) compared to standard cat kibbles. 

Blue Freedom also offers four wet food recipes, all which are fairly similar with real meat, broth, and chicken liver as the top three ingredients. Common secondary ingredients include sweet potatoes and carrots to aid your indoor cat's digestion and prevent hairballs. 

Blue Free Grain-Free Indoor Fish wet food has good protein (43.1% as dry matter) and around average fat (15.9% as dry matter) levels compared to typical wet cat foods. 

The Blue True Solutions range is designed to provide nutrition to help with specific health needs. Developed by veterinarians and PhD animal nutritionists, these formulas help cats with issues like weight control, hairballs, a sensitive stomach, skin and coat problems, and an indoor lifestyle.

There are five dry food recipes and five wet formulas to choose from, each of which contains special ingredients to combat different health issues. As an example, the Blissful Belly Digestive Care recipe features prebiotic fiber to support healthy digestion.

Each recipe is grain-inclusive and compares favorably in ingredient quality to other health-specific dry cat foods, like Royal Canin. All recipes are grain-inclusive, with brown rice as the main grain. Each recipe's protein and fat contents differ greatly to cater to different health needs.

Blue Basics is Blue Buffalo’s range of limited-ingredient grain-free diets. These recipes feature a single animal protein source and are formulated with easy digestibility in mind. They also don’t feature any common food allergens such as chicken, beef, corn, wheat, soy, dairy, or eggs.

Aside from using a single, novel meat source, Blue Basics dry foods contain similar ingredients to Blue Buffalo's other dry cat foods, with potatoes, peas, and flaxseeds as secondary ingredients.  

There are four dry and three wet recipes in the Blue Basics range, featuring duck, fish, and turkey. There are also formulas to suit kittens, adults, and mature cats.

Despite only using a single meat, Blue Basics recipes have similar protein levels to Blue Tastefuls. Some wet food recipes have high fat-to-protein ratios, which can contribute to weight gain. 

Blue Basics Grain-Free Indoor Duck and Potato Entrée wet food contains 34% protein as dry matter and 27.2% fat as dry matter. Blue Basics Grain-Free Duck and Potato dry food contains 32.9% protein as dry matter and 15.3% fat as dry matter.

Blue Natural Veterinary Diet is Blue Buffalo’s prescription pet food range. These therapeutic diets are designed to tackle a range of health conditions and are only available with a prescription from your veterinarian.

The recipes have been developed by animal nutritionists and veterinarians, with formulas for gastrointestinal support, food intolerance, cats that need a novel protein source, kidney and mobility support, and weight control and urinary care.

Finally, Blue Buffalo produces four cat treat ranges: Blue True Chews, Blue Bursts, Baby Blue, and Blue Wilderness. 

Blue True Chews, Blue Bursts, and Blue Wilderness treats contain similar ingredients but have different textures. Real meat is the top ingredient in every treat variety. Only crunchy Blue Wilderness treats are grain-free. 

Across all the ranges, each treat is around two calories a piece or less, making them a healthy snack for your feline friend. 

Why feed Blue Buffalo to your cat? There are several reasons why Blue Buffalo cat food is well worth considering for your fur-baby.

One of the main reasons we love Blue Buffalo is the brand’s commitment to using wholesome natural ingredients. Recipes feature high-quality protein sources and all the essential vitamins and minerals your cat needs for a healthy life, with none of the artificial flavors, colorings, or preservatives your feline friend doesn’t need.

Dr. Georgia Jeremiah, pet nutrition expert and one of Wag!’s veterinary consultants, also recommends Blue Buffalo cat food to her clients:

“Blue Buffalo provides wet and dry recipes tailored to various life stages, including high-protein and grain-free choices,” she says. “Catering to special dietary needs, they offer limited ingredient varieties such as "Blue Basics" without common allergens such as chicken, beef, corn, wheat, soy, dairy and eggs. With real meat, omega fatty acids and plenty of antioxidants, Blue Buffalo recipes are a good option for felines with delicate digestive tracts. Be mindful of the higher carbohydrate and low moisture content with some formulas if your cat has specific medical conditions.”

We also like the sheer range of products available in the Blue Buffalo range. No matter whether you’ve got a kitten or an adult cat, whether you want to give wet or dry food, or whether your cat has special dietary needs, you’ll find something to suit in the Blue Buffalo range.

There are a few other factors to consider before deciding whether or not to feed Blue Buffalo cat food to your fur-baby.

One crucial aspect is the price. While Blue Buffalo certainly isn’t the most expensive brand on the market, it also isn’t the cheapest. So if you’re on a tight budget, you may want to look for more affordable food options.

While Blue Buffalo cat foods are generally high quality, they do include a few potentially controversial ingredients. 

Some dry food recipes, like Blue Tastefuls Salmon & Ocean Fish, include tomato pomace, a tomato processing by-product high in fiber but with little nutritional value. Blue Buffalo adds pea protein to some of its recipes, which isn't a complete protein for cats and is sometimes used to inflate the protein percentages in cat foods. 

Finally, Blue Buffalo has also been the subject of numerous recalls in the past (more on this further down the page), so that’s something to keep in mind when deciding if this is the right food for your cat.

“Blue Buffalo saved my best friend when I didn't know what to do. In spite of a full blood work up, the vet found nothing but old age, and the only thing he wanted to do was medicate her. This has never been recommended. It was my last hope. My cat is now a regular pet again, and I'm so glad. Although she is an older cat, she is playing, she is happy, and she is purring. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Blue Buffalo.”

“My cats do very well on the indoor dry food. No furball issues either. Our litter boxes are not as full as my friend’s, who feeds a popular grocery store brand. I'm sticking with quality! It's healthier and less expensive in the long run!”

“I have three cats, two of which are special needs. I was feeding my cats a different brand and two of them were always vomiting and one of them was always lazy. When I switched to Blue Buffalo, the vomiting stopped and my lazy cat (Fluffy) has more energy. Fluffy seemed to be sickly before and now she is doing better than ever. I definitely recommend Blue Buffalo cat food.”

Read more reviews on ConsumerAffairs.

Blue Buffalo is a USA-based pet food company that was founded in 2003. It all started when Blue, the beloved Airedale Terrier of Bill Bishop and his sons, was diagnosed with cancer. The Bishops set out to find the best-quality food with natural ingredients for their dog, and when they couldn’t find something suitable, they launched their own pet food brand.

Blue Buffalo was acquired by General Mills in 2018. It produces food at 2 US manufacturing facilities and works with other manufacturing partners in the US.

Blue Buffalo cat cat foods and treats have been recalled twice. All other recalls have been for dog foods. These include: