Our 2024 Blue Buffalo Cat Litter Review and Coupons

Cats make excellent pets. They’re soft, cuddly, low-maintenance, and studies show that having a kitty cat to scratch behind the ears lowers blood pressure and stress levels. But there’s one major downside to owning a cat – cleaning and filling the litter box. Oh, the horror!

If you’ve had the misfortune of filling a litter tray with cheap, no-name litter, then you know first-hand how difficult it is to keep the house smelling fresh. Poor-quality litter does a terrible job of trapping moisture and odor-causing bacteria. It’s dusty, gets all over the house, and dirty litter particles can end up in your cat’s fur. Plus, dusty litter can irritate the cat’s sensitive respiratory system, and give humans an allergic reaction, too. Finding a litter that will keep your house and your cat clean and happy is essential to maximizing your joy of being a cat owner.

We’ve been incredibly busy finding and reviewing a range of cat litters for our readers. We’re covering premium brands, mid-range products, and some economy cat litters, too. Today, Blue Buffalo is the star of our review. Once you finish reading, you’ll know more about how Blue Buffalo works, the materials in the litter, and where to find coupons and promo codes so you can try Blue Buffalo cat litter for a minimal investment. How well does Blue Buffalo absorb and trap odors? Does it do an excellent job of staying out of your cat’s fur? And is it safe for the environment? Keep on reading to find out more in our 2024 Blue Buffalo review.

What are the different types of Blue Buffalo cat litters?

Blue Buffalo is a popular dog and cat food brand that has recently branched out to manufacturing cat litter products, which they’ve named “Naturally Fresh.” What sets Blue Buffalo’s litters apart from their more established competitors is that their cat litters primarily use walnut shells as the primary, active ingredient.

The thing is, many clay clumping cat litters use materials that aren’t sustainable or necessarily good for the environment. Walnut-shell cat litter is more eco-friendly. But does it work? Blue Buffalo thinks it does, and they’ve made several different types of cat litters out of this material. For the sake of brevity, we are going to cover their top five cat litters today.

Naturally Fresh Multi-Cat Quick-Clumping Walnut Based Litter

What makes conventional clay clumping cat litters a favored stable among cat owners is that they trap moisture quickly, and form hard balls or clumps of clay that make clean up a breeze. However, clay clumping litters come with some downsides. They aren’t the most environmentally friendly of cat litter products, and they can be dusty, and track clay granules all over the house. Sensitive cats or cats who’ve had surgery or are sick may not be able to tolerate clay clumping litters safely. Clay litters are also heavy and can be hazardous for some people to carry. Blue Buffalo’s Naturally Fresh walnut-based litter with quick clumping action gives cat owners the benefits of a clay clumping litter, without the downsides.

This litter from Blue Buffalo is made out of fibrous, odor-absorbing walnut shells. It does an excellent job of clumping and trapping odors and moisture, and most customers find that it does a better job at clumping than clay, wheat, and pine litters. Quick clumping materials in the litter make clean up easy, and the material is super absorbent. You’ll end up using less of this litter than you would with a less absorbent brand.

The litter is so good at clumping and odor control that it’s suitable for multi-cat households. The downsides are it’s a little dusty, and it tracks. It’s possible that the litter doesn’t track any more than the leading competitors, but the dark color of the litter may make it more visible on carpets or furniture.

Naturally Fresh Walnut-Based Multi Cat Ultra Odor Control Quick Clumping Litter

This cat litter from Blue Buffalo is almost the same as the one we listed above. However, this product has a few extra enzymes in the formula that neutralize ammonia and other waste odors as soon as the moisture hits the litter material. Quick clumping, fibrous walnut shells then clump and harden for easy cleanup, moisture, and bacteria control. This litter is made for multiple cats and does a great job of trapping odors and moisture.  The downsides are the same as the litter above, in that the litter is a bit dusty and will track.

Naturally Fresh Walnut-Based Quick Clumping Litter

While the two litters we just reviewed don’t do a great job at controlling for dust and tracking, this litter Blue Buffalo cat litter does. It also does a well at odor control, but it’s not as effective at clumping and is not intended for multi-cat households. If you have just one adult cat and want a litter that is superior at odor control, this litter is probably the best choice out of the five we are reviewing from Blue Buffalo.

Naturally Fresh Walnut-Based Herbal Attraction Quick Clumping Cat Litter

Do you have a cat that rejects a lot of litters? If your cat starts doing his business outside of the litter box, sometimes the litter is to blame. The cat may not like how it feels under his paws, or how it smells. Always get your cat checked out by the vet if he starts rejecting the litter tray to rule out anything serious like a UTI or kidney infection. But if your cat’s in good health but is just a little picky about his litter, you can try an attracting litter formula to encourage him to use the litter tray.

This cat litter from Blue Buffalo is much the same as the quick clumping litters listed in previously, but it has a special blend of herbs in the formula that is designed to encourage the cat to use the tray. These herbs are natural and safe for cats and humans and don’t interfere with the litter’s ability to clump and trap moisture. The herbs are evident to your cat but don’t emit a strange odor detectable to humans.

The litter is a low-dust formula and is low-tracking. This litter is also a good choice for multi-cat houses if you have one cat out of the group who is picky about litter.

Naturally Fresh Walnut-Based Alpine Meadow Scent Multi Cat Quick Clumping Litter

This litter from Blue Buffalo is an excellent choice for multi-cat households; the scent in the litter is not overbearing or perfume-like and gives off a pleasant, cedar scent. While the other litters we listed do a great job of eliminating and trapping odors, they do not give off any scents at all, good or bad. This odor will leave behind a clean and fresh woody scent that people with multi-cat households might prefer to an odor-less litter. The litter does a great job of clumping and makes clean up easy. It is a little on the dusty side though, and it isn’t the best at eliminating tracking.

Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh Cat Litter Coupons

You’d be hard-pressed to find a printed or even online coupon for a bag of Naturally Fresh cat litter. However, you can find discounts and promotional codes on Chewy, the world’s largest online pet supply store. Chewy.com stocks all of the Naturally Fresh cat litters from Blue Buffalo that we’ve listed, and you can often get discounts on your order for around 20% or 30%.

Up next, we’ll cover specific components of Blue Buffalo’s Naturally Fresh cat litters including price, dust-friendliness, eco-friendliness, and more. After reading, you’ll have an even better understanding of how well this litter can work for your cat or multiple cat household.

Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh Cat Litter Review

Price

If you’re used to paying for natural cat litters, then you know they can be a little on the pricier side of things, and you probably won’t balk at the price of Blue Buffalo cat litters. It’s not cheap as far as cat litters go, but it’s not the most expensive natural option. You expect to pay around fourteen dollars for a fourteen-pound bag of Blue Buffalo cat litter. Some of their formulas cost a little less, while others will cost more. A 26-pound bag of the cat litter will run you close to twenty dollars. But the good news is, Blue Buffalo cat litters are super absorbent, so you will end up paying a little bit less per unit than with a comparably priced litter that isn’t as good at clumping and trapping moisture. If you have multiple cats, Blue Buffalo’s price for the absorption rate is a good investment.

Absorption

Blue Buffalo’s Naturally Fresh cat litter products are some of the most absorbent on the market. The formulas dry quickly and clump as soon as your cat does her business in the litter tray. Litters with superior absorption give you numerous benefits, including lower price per unit, odor control, lower tracking rates, and easier cleanup. If you want a cat litter that offers superior absorption, this cat litter brand will deliver.

Odor Control

No one likes to deal with a smelly house, and cat odors are some of the most offensive waste smells known to man. When you have house cats, it’s critical that you choose a litter that does an excellent job of controlling for odors, and all of the litter products from Blue Buffalo do an excellent job here. People who live in small homes or apartments can benefit from the odor controlling properties inherent in Blue Buffalo cat litters. Visitors won’t know you own a cat unless they see it.

Tracking

This is one of the few areas where the Blue Buffalo cat litters are lacking. The material used in the products is fibrous, but it does resemble coffee grounds. The small, lightweight granules break apart easily when your cat steps into the litter tray. The litter can stick to the cat’s paws and leave little footprints around the house if you don’t put a litter-trapping floor mat around the tray or litter box. It’s also possible that the litter does not track any more than the leading brands, it’s just that the dark color of the litter makes any tracking more visible and obvious than a gray or light-colored litter.

Dust-Friendly

Litter dust can be an issue for both humans and pets for several reasons. Cat’s have sensitive respiratory systems and dust can give them allergies. Sick cats should not be around a lot of dust, either. Dusty litters can irritate the cat’s genitals and increase their chances of getting a UTI if they are prone to these problems. While Blue Buffalo claims that Naturally Fresh is a dust-free litter, third-party review sites have a lot to say otherwise. When combing through review sites, we’ve found the dust levels of Blue Buffalo litters to be customers biggest complaint. If you or your cat are dust-sensitive, you might want to try a natural litter with better dust control, such as Weruva, or BoxieCat.

Flushability

Clumping, walnut-based litters like Naturally Fresh are not flushable. You can dispose of Naturally Fresh litters either in the trash, or you can put them into a compost pile where they will quickly biodegrade.

Eco-Friendly

If purchasing eco-friendly products is a must for you, these litters will lower your carbon footprint. Many clay clumping litters use harmful strip mining processes to make their products. These litters from Blue Buffalo are less harsh on the environment, and they do not use any fake, synthetic scents or additives that can be harmful to humans and pets. Plus, Blue Buffalo’s litters won’t sit in a landfill for a million years, like clay clumping litters.

Blue Buffalo Cat Litter FAQs

• Are Blue Buffalo cat litters biodegradable? – Yes, they are. If preserving the environment is important to you, you can’t go wrong with Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh cat litters. These cat litters are not only eco-friendly, but you can also use them for compost. If you were to throw these litters into a trash bag and put them in the trash, it could take them much longer to biodegrade in a landfill than if you were to toss the used litter into a compost pile in the backyard. Even if you can’t compost the used litter, these litters are still gentler on the environment if they end up in the trash than a clay clumping litter.
• Do Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh Cat Litters come in resealable bags? – Blue Buffalo cat litters do not come in resealable bags. We suggest getting a container with a scoop to store the litter in. The good news is, these litters are super lightweight, so they are easy to carry and store. The bags are also durable, so you don’t have to worry about small holes and leaks.
• Do Blue Buffalo cat litters contain silica? – No, all of the Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh cat litters contain natural ingredients, such as walnut shells, natural enzymes, and natural herbs. You do not have to worry about your cat being exposed to harsh or synthetic chemicals and perfumes in Blue Buffalo cat litters.
• Are Blue Buffalo cat litters safe for kittens? – All of the Blue Buffalo cat litters we’ve listed are not kitten safe, but the company does make a cat litter specially designed for kittens. It comes in the pink bag and includes an herbal mixture intended to attract and train cats to use the box. The material is made of larger granule sizes that are soft, but also discourage the kitten from trying to eat the litter, which can be an issue with clumping clay litters and kittens. The formula is good to use for cats under a year old. You can also use the kitten litter for older cats if you have multiple cats of different ages.
• Can you use Blue Buffalo litters in a mechanical or self-sifting tray? – Yes, Blue Buffalo’s walnut-based litters are safe for mechanical litter trays.
• Does Blue Buffalo make a pellet-based litter? – Yes, they do. The pellet-based litter from Blue Buffalo comes in a purple bag, and it is a non-clumping cat litter. The granules are about a half inch to an inch long. Cats who are allergic to corn or pine litters may prefer a pellet-based walnut litter. The product is all natural, dust free, and low tracking. For cat owners who like the odor control and absorption of the other Blue Buffalo litters but need something less dusty, the pellet-based Naturally Fresh litter might be a good option.
• Are any of the Blue Buffalo litters good for cats with respiratory issues? – The pellet-based, non-clumping litter is really the only one we can suggest for cats with respiratory problems. The other litters tend to be dusty, which will make any allergies or lung problems worse for sensitive cats. It’s a good idea to check with a vet first before introducing a sick or sensitive cat to a new litter formula.
• How can you cut down on litter tracking? – Blue Buffalo litter has a reputation for tracking. But you can eliminate this issue by getting a litter mat to put outside of the box or tray.
• How can you transition a cat to new walnut-based litter? – It’s not a good idea to fill your cat’s tray with an entirely new litter formula without transitioning him first. He might reject the litter, or he may have other issues with the litter that you won’t catch if you switch him abruptly — instead, fill the tray with half of the new litter and half of the old litter product. Slowly fill the litter tray with all new litter as you scoop out waste during the week. At the end of the week, empty the tray and fill with the new litter product.

Conclusion

If you have several cats and have had trouble finding a litter that does an excellent job of odor control, Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh litters are a great choice. They offer superior odor control and absorption, and they are all-natural and safe for cats and humans too. Dust can be eliminated with the pellet litter, and a tracking mat can cut down on stray particles leaving the litter box. Remember to head on over to Chewy.com to get a bag of Blue Buffalo litter for a discounted price