Vital Essentials Raw Mini Patties?

rivertherb

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Hello everyone!

I am considering switching my gang to the Vital Essentials mini patties. Does anyone have experience with these? I was thinking of doing the frozen ones as I normally prefer frozen over freeze-dried. How much should I expect to go through in a month with a gang of 3? I have a 3 year old spayed female who is 8.5lbs, and two 4.5 month old Ragdolls, male and female, both fixed.
My two Ragdolls are new and are currently eating Orijen but are having rancid poos, not firm at all. Can I switch them cold turkey over to raw or do they need a transition period? My 3 year old has been on raw since she was 5 month old.
Any input you guys can give me is greatly appreciated!
 

orange&white

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No experience with that particular product, but it looks good.
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From the website -
Daily Feeding Guidelines:
3 lb. cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/2 patty

6 lb. cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 patty

8 lb. cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1- 1/4 patties

12 lb. cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 patties

Feed up to double the amount for kittens and pregnant or nursing cats. Individual requirements may vary.

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The kitten who I adopted at 4 months old ate 7-8% of her body weight in raw food every day for the first few weeks, then slowly decreased in food weight/body weight ratio as she grew. At 9.5 months and 8.5 pounds, she eats 3-4 ounces of raw diet a day. My 15 lb senior is on a diet and is restricted to eating 4-4.5 ounces of raw diet per day (he would eat a lot more and get fatter if I let him).

I would figure on 2-3 pounds of food per cat per week, with the kittens eating a lot more than your little 3 year old. Your 8.5 lb adult is likely to only eat around 1.5 lbs per week (that would be a pretty typical 2.5% of body weight). I'm guessing though...every cat's appetite and metabolism is unique.
 

sarah430

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The raw I'm feeding right now is Vital Essentials (2 oz patties) and Small Batch (1 oz patties). My kitties are almost a year old and are probably about 8.5 - 10.5 lbs. Navi is heavier than Link, but I don't have a scale to weigh them. They were both exactly 7 lbs at 7 months.

Anyway, some days they eat like kittens and some days their appetites are less voracious. I generally give them about 2 oz twice a day plus the odd treat here and there. So per meal I give them each one VE patty or 2 SB patties.

So far they like the chicken, turkey and duck VE the best. Navi likes the rabbit too, Link not so much, but Navi pretty much likes everything. :p
 
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rivertherb

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The raw I'm feeding right now is Vital Essentials (2 oz patties) and Small Batch (1 oz patties). My kitties are almost a year old and are probably about 8.5 - 10.5 lbs. Navi is heavier than Link, but I don't have a scale to weigh them. They were both exactly 7 lbs at 7 months.

Anyway, some days they eat like kittens and some days their appetites are less voracious. I generally give them about 2 oz twice a day plus the odd treat here and there. So per meal I give them each one VE patty or 2 SB patties.

So far they like the chicken, turkey and duck VE the best. Navi likes the rabbit too, Link not so much, but Navi pretty much likes everything. :p
Thank you this is very helpful. I tried using the food calculator that VE has on their site and it was saying I would feed my 3 year old and my two raggies less than 2 mini patties each a day (1.2-1.4ish is what it said) and I thought that seemed like a very small amount.
 

karrotlover

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I think it's great quality, and my cat likes it! He's tried the duck and the rabbit, and he's eaten the duck enthusiastically and the rabbit with some encouragement. I started home-making raw food, but they were a great transition from canned food.

I heard that if a cat or kitten takes to raw food right away, there is no need to go through the transition process. My 1 year old cat needed about a week of transitioning.
 

missmimz

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Just keep an eye on the poops. I've seen others said their cats have become constipated on the food. While VE claims their mini patties have a bone percentage of 7-12% (that's what they told me for the freeze dried) they also told me it was "proprietary" they couldn't tell me exactly, which seems evasive. I'm using the freeze dried a little bit, but not exclusively.
 
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