FirstMate exists because some dogs kept stealing the fish food.
A British Columbia commercial fisherman was making feed for farmed fish in 1989. The dogs guarding the stock preferred the fish food, so he was asked to make something for them instead. That became a pet food company.
Thirty-five years later it has never issued a single recall, and it still makes everything in a plant it owns outright.
Check the turkey can before you use it for an allergy trial. The Turkey Formula listing says it is made with turkey and chicken, so it is not a chicken-free option, even though it sits in the limited ingredient range. The Chicken, Pork & Apple and Wild Tuna recipes each list a single animal protein.
And the factory FirstMate owns is in Chilliwack, British Columbia, east of Vancouver. The company moved there from a smaller plant in the BC interior.
Why owning the factory matters
FirstMate manufactures in a plant it owns in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Almost every other pet food brand at this price rents space from a contract manufacturer, and that difference explains a lot about the recall record.
Look at how pet food recalls actually happen. The overwhelming majority trace to a shared contract facility, where one contamination event takes down several unrelated brands at once. A brand that owns its line controls its own sourcing, its own testing schedule and its own cleaning between production runs.
FirstMate has never had a recall in over 35 years. Zero recalls is never proof of anything on its own, because a small brand simply produces less food and has fewer chances to fail. But combined with owning the plant, it is about as strong a manufacturing story as you get in this category.
The other consequence is traceability. When a company controls the line, it can say where an ingredient came from without asking a third party. That matters most for exactly the cats this brand targets: the ones reacting to something nobody can identify. Check the current recall position yourself in the FDA recall database.
What a limited ingredient diet is actually for
A limited ingredient diet, usually shortened to LID, uses one animal protein and the shortest ingredient list the recipe can manage. It is a diagnostic tool as much as a food.
Here is the logic. Food allergies in cats are reactions to a specific protein the immune system has learned to attack, and the usual culprits are the proteins cats eat most: chicken, beef and fish. You cannot identify the culprit in a recipe containing nine ingredients, because you cannot isolate anything.
An elimination trial works like this. Your vet picks a protein your cat has probably never eaten, you feed only that for eight to twelve weeks, and you watch whether the itching, over-grooming or digestive trouble resolves. Then you reintroduce proteins one at a time to find the trigger.
The rule that ruins most trials is absolutely nothing else. No treats, no table scraps, no flavoured medication, no stealing from another cat’s bowl. One chicken treat resets the clock and you learn nothing from eight weeks of effort.
FirstMate’s range suits this well because it spans several single proteins including pork, which almost no cat has encountered. Run the trial with your vet rather than alone: skin and gut symptoms have plenty of causes besides food, and the AAHA covers how allergies are actually diagnosed. Our guide to cat food for allergies covers the wider options.
Here is what each recipe actually contains, which is what matters for an elimination trial.
| Recipe | Animal proteins listed | Pack and price | Unit cost | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pork & Apple Pate | Pork only | 24 x 5.5 oz, $88.99 | $0.67/oz | Your vet wants a protein your cat has never eaten. |
| Chicken Formula | Chicken only | 24 x 5.5 oz, $74.76 | $0.57/oz | Your cat is fine with chicken and you want a short label. |
| Turkey Formula | Turkey and chicken | 24 x 5.5 oz, $75.99 | $0.58/oz | Chicken is not a problem. Not for a chicken trial. |
| Chicken Meal with Blueberries | Chicken only | 10 lb dry, $44.99 | $4.50/lb | You need a single-protein dry food. |
| Grain Friendly Indoor | Chicken meal and fish meal | 13.2 lb dry, $34.99 | $2.65/lb | You want a well-priced indoor kibble, not a trial food. |
How it compares
- Against most premium brands: FirstMate owns its factory, which almost none of them do. That is the real differentiator.
- On price: the wet food is expensive per case. The Grain Friendly dry range is genuinely well priced.
- On variety: narrower than big brands, which is deliberate. Limited ingredient means limited by design.
- Availability is patchier than mass-market brands, so check stock before switching your cat onto it.
Should you buy FirstMate?
Buy it if your cat has food sensitivities, or if you want a manufacturer with genuine control over its own supply chain. The pork recipe is the one worth knowing about when the common proteins have all failed. The turkey cans also contain chicken, so they will not help a cat that reacts to chicken.
Skip it if you want variety or the lowest price, where the wider wet food market gives you far more choice. Compare dry options in our best dry cat food guide.
A small Canadian company that makes its own food, keeps its recipes short, and has gone thirty-five years without a recall. For a cat reacting to something you cannot pin down, that combination is worth paying for.
The wet food is pricey and the range is narrow by design. Start with FirstMate Chicken Formula Limited Ingredient Cat Food, 5.5-oz, 24 ct, and run any elimination trial with your vet rather than guessing. This article is educational rather than veterinary advice.
FirstMate questions
Q: Has FirstMate cat food ever been recalled?
No. FirstMate has never issued a product recall in more than 35 years of operation, which is unusual even among small pet food brands.
Q: Where is FirstMate cat food made?
FirstMate makes its food in a company-owned facility in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Owning the plant rather than renting space from a contract manufacturer gives the company direct control over sourcing and testing.
Q: How long does a food elimination trial take?
Eight to twelve weeks, feeding the trial food and absolutely nothing else. A single treat or flavoured medication resets the process. Run the trial with your vet, since skin and digestive symptoms have many causes besides food.
Q: Who founded FirstMate?
FirstMate was founded in 1989 by Michael Florian, a British Columbia commercial fisherman who was originally producing fish feed. He was asked to make a dog food after guard dogs on the property kept eating the fish food.
Q: Is FirstMate grain free?
FirstMate makes both grain-free recipes and a grain-inclusive Grain Friendly line. Grain-free is a preference rather than an automatic upgrade, since true grain allergy in cats is uncommon and most food allergies are to animal proteins.
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