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.
- FirstMate has never issued a product recall in more than 35 years of operation.
- FirstMate makes its own food in a company-owned facility in Surrey, British Columbia, rather than using a contract manufacturer.
- FirstMate specialises in limited ingredient diets, which use a single animal protein and a short ingredient list.
- FirstMate was founded in 1989 by Michael Florian, a commercial fisherman who originally produced fish feed.
- FirstMate makes both grain-free and grain-inclusive recipes, since grain allergy in cats is uncommon.
Our Top Picks
FirstMate Chicken Formula Limited Ingredient Cat Food, 5.5-oz, 24 ct
Firstmate Wild Tuna Formula Limited Ingredient Wet Cat Food, 3.2-oz can, case of 24
Firstmate Grain Friendly Indoor Cat Formula Cat Food, 13.2-lb bag
FirstMate range compared
| Product | Best for | Size | Price | Recipe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FirstMate Chicken Formula Limited Ingredient Cat Food, 5.5-oz, 24 ct | Best overall | 24 ct | $74.76 | Chicken LID |
| Firstmate Wild Tuna Formula Limited Ingredient Wet Cat Food, 3.2-oz can, case of 24 | Best fish recipe | Case | $62.99 | Wild tuna LID |
| FirstMate Turkey Formula Limited Ingredient Cat Food, 5.5-oz, 24 ct | Best novel protein | 24 ct | $75.99 | Turkey LID |
| Firstmate Limited Ingredient Pork & Apple Pate Wet Cat Food, 5.5-oz can, case of 24 | Most unusual protein | Case | $88.99 | Pork & apple |
| FirstMate Chicken Meal with Blueberries Dry Cat Food, 10-lb bag | Best dry food | 10-lb bag | $44.99 | Chicken meal |
| Firstmate Grain Friendly Indoor Cat Formula Cat Food, 13.2-lb bag | Best grain-inclusive | 13.2-lb bag | $34.99 | Grain Friendly |
Why owning the factory matters
FirstMate manufactures in a plant it owns in Surrey, 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.
The 6 FirstMate products, reviewed
FirstMate Chicken Formula Limited Ingredient Cat Food, 5.5-oz, 24 ct: best overall
The chicken limited ingredient formula, and the case to start with. One animal protein, a short ingredient list, and nothing extra to complicate things. That simplicity is the entire point: the fewer ingredients in the can, the easier it is to work out what your cat reacts to.
Firstmate Wild Tuna Formula Limited Ingredient Wet Cat Food, 3.2-oz can, case of 24: best fish recipe
Wild tuna, single protein, in the smaller 3.2-oz can. FirstMate started life as a fish feed company run by a commercial fisherman, so the fish sourcing is the part of this range with the deepest history behind it. The smaller can suits cats who leave half a large one to dry out.
FirstMate Turkey Formula Limited Ingredient Cat Food, 5.5-oz, 24 ct: best novel protein
Turkey as a single protein. Useful in an elimination diet because it is common enough to be palatable but uncommon enough that plenty of cats have never eaten it. Run any food trial with your vet, since a trial without a plan just tells you your cat likes turkey.
Firstmate Limited Ingredient Pork & Apple Pate Wet Cat Food, 5.5-oz can, case of 24: most unusual protein
Pork with apple, which is close to unique in cat food. If chicken, fish and turkey have all been tried and ruled out, pork is genuinely new territory for almost every cat. Expensive, and worth knowing about when you have run out of options.
FirstMate Chicken Meal with Blueberries Dry Cat Food, 10-lb bag: best dry food
Chicken meal with blueberries, the main dry option. Chicken meal is rendered chicken with the water removed, so it is more protein-dense by weight than fresh chicken, which is not the downgrade the name suggests. The 3.96-lb bag is the cheaper way to test acceptance first.
Firstmate Grain Friendly Indoor Cat Formula Cat Food, 13.2-lb bag: best grain-inclusive
The Grain Friendly indoor formula, which includes grains deliberately rather than as a filler compromise. Grain-free is a preference, not an upgrade, since true grain allergy in cats is uncommon. This is also the best value per pound in the FirstMate range.
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.
Who should 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 and turkey recipes are the ones worth knowing about when the common proteins have all failed.
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.
The bottom line on FirstMate
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.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is FirstMate a good cat food?
FirstMate is a high quality Canadian cat food specialising in limited ingredient recipes. It manufactures in its own British Columbia facility rather than using a contract packer, and it has never issued a recall in over 35 years.
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 Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Owning the plant rather than renting space from a contract manufacturer gives the company direct control over sourcing and testing.
Q: What is a limited ingredient cat food?
A limited ingredient diet uses one animal protein and the shortest possible ingredient list. It is used to identify food allergies, because a recipe with many ingredients makes it impossible to isolate which one your cat is reacting to.
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.
Hello and welcome to The Ideal Cat!
We are some passionate cat owners from different professions. We love our cats and have a lot of experience in how to care for our pets. We are incredibly excited to share our knowledge, experience, and research with you. So you can take good care of your loving cat. We will answer most of the common questions about owning cats, taking care of them, etc. If you have any question contact with us. Thanks for visiting! Enjoy the content.
