About Vital Essentials
Vital Essentials was founded in 2009 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, by husband-and-wife team Lanny and Cheryl Viegut under their company, Carnivore Meat Company, built around feeding cats and dogs a biologically appropriate, whole-prey-style diet. Every product is still made in the company's own Green Bay facility rather than through third-party co-packers, and the plant sources only USDA-inspected animal protein and holds SQF Level 2 food safety certification. In 2023, Carnivore Meat Company was acquired by private equity firm Greater Sum Ventures, with the original Wisconsin manufacturing operation continuing unchanged.
The brand's cat lineup spans frozen raw entrees, freeze-dried Mini Patties and Mini Nibs, and single-ingredient freeze-dried treats built from one named protein rather than a formulated mix -- rabbit, chicken, duck, salmon, and whole minnows among them. That single-ingredient approach is what stands out most in its treats: no grain, filler, or added preservatives, just one animal protein freeze-dried to remove moisture while keeping the raw nutrient profile intact. It is a clean, single-protein label that fits a limited-ingredient or elimination diet, and the strong, natural aroma freeze-drying preserves is often enough to interest a cat that has stopped responding to ordinary treats.
Brand website: vitalessentials.com
What Vital Essentials makes
Vital Essentials's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Freeze-Dried Treats
single-ingredient freeze-dried treats in minnow, salmon, rabbit, and chicken varieties -- our featured line — featured on House of Mittens
Mini Patties
freeze-dried raw entrees sized for a complete meal or a kibble topper
Mini Nibs
crunchy freeze-dried raw nibs made with 96 percent named protein plus organs and bone
Frozen Raw
the company's original raw format, prepared at its Green Bay, Wisconsin facility
Dog Freeze-Dried & Frozen Raw
the same whole-protein, freeze-dried and frozen raw formats made for dogs
Why we recognized Vital Essentials
The House of Mittens Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our vet-reviewed category guides. Vital Essentials earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: assessed against feline-health criteria, used with real cats, and judged on merit.
Vital Essentials products we rated highly
Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Minnows Cat Treats, 1.0 oz Bag
Whole freeze-dried minnows are a single, unprocessed ingredient -- a complete small prey animal rather than a formulated product, about as close to a natural feline snack as a bag on a shelf gets. The intense natural fish aroma triggers interest in cats that have stopped responding to ordinary treats, which makes it a genuinely useful option for a convalescing or inappetent cat. It is grain-free, filler-free, and free of added preservatives, so it fits cleanly into a limited-ingredient routine alongside a single-protein diet, and whole small fish carry their own bone and organ content for a broader nutrient profile than a muscle-meat-only treat.
Read the 11 Best Cat Treats of 2026, Vet-Reviewed guide →
Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Cat Treats, Salmon Bites, 1.1 oz Bag
A single-protein freeze-dried salmon treat, which makes it a clean option for a cat on an elimination diet or avoiding poultry entirely. It is grain-free, with nothing on the label that needs explaining away, and the aroma is strong enough to work as a high-value reward for a cat that has stopped finding ordinary treats interesting. In our reviews it carries no claimed mechanical cleaning benefit, since freeze-dried salmon is brittle and crumbles under pressure rather than scraping the tooth surface, so it reads honestly as a poultry-free reward rather than a dental product.
Read the 10 Best Cat Dental Treats of 2026, Vet-Reviewed guide →What earned Vital Essentials the recognition
- One of our top picks in our cat treats reviews for a single-ingredient, whole-prey-style treat, and also featured in our cat dental treats coverage as a poultry-free option for chicken-sensitive cats.
- Whole freeze-dried minnows and single-protein salmon bites are unprocessed, one-ingredient treats rather than formulated products, with no grain, filler, or added preservatives.
- Made entirely in the company's own Green Bay, Wisconsin facility with no third-party co-packers, at a plant that sources USDA-inspected protein and holds SQF Level 2 food safety certification.
- Founded in 2009 by Lanny and Cheryl Viegut around a whole-prey, biologically appropriate feeding philosophy that still guides the freeze-dried treat line today.
- The strong natural aroma that freeze-drying preserves is genuinely useful for tempting a convalescing or inappetent cat back to eating, a use our reviews called out directly.