Blue Wilderness Kitten Food

I have an 11 week old kitten. She is currently eating Performatrin Kitten dry food. I also feed her Fancy Feast wet food, but will be switching her to better ones such as Merrick, Wellness etc. 

Now that I have done some research on cat nutrition,

I'm looking for a GRAIN-FREE, no by-products dry food for KITTENS that contains L-Lysine and Taurine. I'm looking for the best product with the best value for my money. I am currently paying $16.99 / 4lbs. 

So far, Blue Wilderness Grain Free Kitten Food is my top choice.... at $18.99 / 2 lbs. 

Any recommendations?

I don't keep track of which dry foods contain lysine. It's probably best to just get some pure lysine powder (like NOW brand) and add it to her wet food. All commercial cat foods must contain taurine.

EVO is a very good choice. Also Nature's Variety. Buying a larger bag costs less per pound, but with only one cat it might go stale before you can use it (unless you have a deep freeze--you can put the unused portion of kibble in there). But if you find the right store, either of those should cost a lot less than $9.50 a pound!

They aren't "kitten" foods but are designed for all life stages, so they would be fine for a kitten.

Thanks for the suggestions Willowy. 

I will be giving her powdered L-Lysine in her wet food. I just like the idea of having some already implemented into her dry food, as a supplementary "maintenance" dose.

I have looked into EVO and Nature's variety. I have heard a lot of good things about them both. Unfortunately, to my knowledge the stores in my area do not offer EVO.

I will compare prices with Nature's variety on my next trip to my local pet store!

Are you in the U.S. and willing/able to order online? Usually the prices are better, and you don't have to worry about availability. www.doggiefood.com, www.chewy.com, www.nationalpetpharmacy.com, www.petfooddirect.com, well, there are a lot to choose from . Just pick the one that has your brand for the best price after shipping and discounts.

I-feed-Blue-Wilderness.Someone-quoted-you-an-incorrect-price.The-2.5-lb-bag-is-$12.99,right-now-on-sale-for-$10.99,the-5-lb-or-maybe-its-6-lbs,is-$18.99,lol.

The-2.5-lb,for-one-kitten,should-last-you-1-week,prob-almost-2-weeks.You-will-find,that-you-feed-much-less-of-it,than-the-lesser-quality-foods.Mine-get-1/8-cup,once-a-day,one-gets-1/4-cup,once-a-day,and-1/2-small-can-at-night,and-those-boys,ain't-thin,lol,they-are-show-cats-and-kittens,lol.

Blue-Wilderness-is-grain-free,by-product-free,gluten-free,soy-free,and-low-in-salt,I-ben-feeding-it-for-over-5-years-now.

The-L-Lysine-is-pretty-far-down-in-the-ingredients,and-you-would-have-to-know,what-the-mgs-are,per-cup,so-its-prob-not-much.

You-don't-specifically-need-a-food,with-L-Lysine-in-it.L-Lysine-is-an-immune-booster,it-boosts-the-immune-system.Show-people-that-run-heavy-give-it-all-the-time,as-they-have-a-higher-degree-of-exposure,there-is-always-stuff,floating-around-the-show-hall.

Its-a-human-vitamin,you-get-it-in-the-human-vitamin-section.The-usual-dose-is,for-kittens,250-mgs,once-a-day,and-you-have-to-run-that-past-your-vet-for-kittens,altho,an-11-month-old-kitten-should-be-fine.For-adult-kitties,its-250-mgs-once-a-day,for-a-kitty,9-lbs-and-under.For-kitties-over-9-lbs,its-250-mgs-twice-a-day.

You-smush-the-pill-into-powder,and-mix-it-with-wet-food.You-want-to-mix-with-a-good-amount,as-some-kitties,don't-like-the-taste.I-mix-with-1/2-small-can.

If-its-not-a-show-kitten,that-will-be-run-heavy,you-really-should-only-give-it-when-they-are-sick.

What-you-might-be-referring-to,is-the-antioxidants,which-you-do-want,which-is-the-omega-3-and-omega-6,which-blue-wilderness-does-have.It-also-makes-their-fur-soft-and-shiney.

All-commercial-cat-food,would-have-taurine-in-it,its-a-required-ingredient.Dogs-don't-need-it,so-it-wouldn't-be-in-dog-food.

Your-vet-can-best-advise-you,how-much-to-feed,based-on-your-kitten's-current-weight,and-the-kcal-count,of-the-kitten-food.Kitten-food-tends-to-be-higher-in-calories-and-protein,for-their-growing-bodies,and-you-will-have-to-adjust,up-or-down,depending-on-how-your-kitten-grows,the-guide-on-the-bag,is-just-that,a-guide,and-they-tend-to-estimate-high.

Best-of-luck,whatever-you-decide-to-feed.

Willowy - I live in Canada. But you're right, usually online you can find better deals! 

Flint McCullough - It's nice to hear from someone who has experience with Blue Wilderness. I live in Canada, and those are the regular prices shown on the Pet Smart Canada website. (So expensive here, right!?)

I usually follow the suggestion of food amount that is on the bag itself (by weight). My kitten was weighed on Friday at 2.5lbs

The reason why I want to give her L-lysine, is because my vet recommended it to me since she has Feline Herpes Virus, and she is currently sneezing with runny eyes and nose. 

The vet had a treat form of L-Lysine for me to feed her, although she is a picky eater and will not eat treats. 

Sorry,lol,didn't-realize-you-were-in-Canada,yup,your-prices-are-alot-higher,lol.

I-mis-read-your-post,sorry,didn't-realize-she-is-11-weeks,not-11-months.

Yes,if-she-is-sick,you-want-to-give-her-L-Lysine,just-make-sure-since-she-is-so-young,how-much-she-should-be-given.I-have-no-experience-with-the-L-Lysine-treats,my-vet-said-to-just-get-the-human-vitamin-one,and-its-most-likely-less-expensive.I-think-my-one-kitten-was-7-months-old,he-brought-home-something-from-a-show.

There-is-not-going-to-be-enough-L-Lysine-in-the-food,to-make-a-difference,for-a-sick-kitten,or-a-show-kitten-that-is-run-heavy.

Is-she-on-antibiotics,and-did-he/she-give-you-teramycin,to-put-in-her-eyes?

You-want-to-increase-her-water-intake,to-flush-it-out-too.You-can-do-this-by-giving-1/2-teaspoon(for-kittens)-Gerber-baby-food,chicken,yes,its-like-giving-chicken-soup,or-even-Beechnut,Beechnut-would-prob-be-better-for-a-kitten-that-young,you-want-to-look-for-Stage-1,mix-with-luke-warm-water,so-its-like-a-broth.Do-this-once-a-day,if-she-were-older,you-would-do-it-twice-a-day,my-kitten-was-7-months-old.

Being-that-she-is-not-feeling-well,you-want-to-make-sure-she-does-not-get-dehydrated,and-little-kittens-can-go-downhill-quickly,which-is-another-reason,to-get-the-increased-water-in-her.

Best-of-luck,hope-she-is-feeling-better-soon,I-ben-thru-it-a-few-times,lol,kittens-tend-to-bring-something-home-from-a-show,until-they-build-up-their-show-immunity,as-my-vet-puts-it,lol.

She Isn't on any antibiotics and the vet did not give me anything to put in her eyes. I wish he did now that you say that! I asked him what I could do and all he suggested was the L-Lysine treats, as mentioned. 

I am making sure she is getting plenty of fresh water, and I ALWAYS add water to her wet food. I wish I had the Lysine right now to put in her supper but we are having a snow storm, and I fear leaving the house in these poor road conditions Tomorrow I will have to get her some!

Thank you so much for all the info, I really appreciate it!

And I was able to come up with a few dry food selections after comparing all the prices and ingredients!

(Natural Balance Ultra Prenium, Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken, Merrick's Before Grain Chicken or Blue Wildnerness Chicken)

Hopefully my picky eater will like one of those hehe 

When I first got my kitten with the virus I fed him Blue Wilderness dry and canned too. He never got sick again. Now I feed wet food only and just add L- lysine to that for maintenance. Just wanted to mention that if you are choosing a dry food, mine did very well on it as far as not getting anymore URI's. He had them constantly at the shelter.