Made in Canada Cat Food Brands: Ultimate Source List

Want the best for your feline friend? Choosing Canadian-made cat food can be a great option! This list is your guide to cat food brands that are made right here in Canada.

We’ll get to know different brands, the types of food they offer, what makes them special, and where you can find them.

Why Choose Canadian Cat Food?

• Support Canadian Businesses: You’re helping Canadian companies and workers.
• High-Quality Standards: Canada has strong regulations for pet food safety and quality.
• Focus on Quality Ingredients: Many Canadian brands use high-quality proteins (like Canadian chicken, fish, or beef) and other wholesome ingredients.
• Variety of Formulas: You can find foods for different needs, like grain-free, limited ingredient, or specific life stages (kitten, adult, senior).

Our Purr-fect List of Canadian Cat Food Brands

We’ve organized this list to highlight some of the most well-known and other notable Canadian brands.

Widely Available / Well-Known Brands

These brands are often found in pet specialty stores across Canada and sometimes internationally.

Acana / Orijen (Champion Petfoods, Morinville, AB):

Champion Petfoods makes both Acana and Orijen brands in their kitchens in Alberta.

They are famous for their “biologically appropriate” philosophy, meaning high amounts of quality animal proteins.

Orijen typically has higher protein levels than Acana. They strongly emphasize using fresh, regional ingredients from Canadian suppliers.

They offer dry food, wet food, and treats, often featuring unique proteins.

Best for: High-protein, meat-rich diets. Visit Website: [https://championpetfoods.com/en]

Go! Solutions / Now Fresh (Petcurean Pet Nutrition, Chilliwack, BC):

Petcurean is a Canadian company making several popular brands.

Go! Solutions offers recipes for cats with specific dietary needs, like limited ingredient diets (LID) for sensitivities, high protein, and grain-free options.

Now Fresh focuses on using fresh, deboned meats, fruits, and veggies, often in grain-free formulas for different life stages.

They offer dry and wet food options known for quality ingredients.

Best for: Specific dietary needs (Go!) or fresh ingredients (Now Fresh). Visit Website: [https://www.petcurean.com/]

Nutrience (Hagen Group, Montreal, QC):

Nutrience is a Canadian brand offering a wide range of cat foods, including their high-protein SubZero line (freeze-dried raw pieces mixed with kibble), Grain Free options, and their Original line.

They emphasize quality ingredients and Canadian production. You can find Nutrience in many pet specialty stores and some larger retailers across Canada.

They offer formulas for different life stages and needs.

Best for: Wide variety, including freeze-dried raw inclusion. Visit Website: [https://hagen.com/]

FirstMate / Kasiks (FirstMate Pet Foods, Chilliwack, BC):

FirstMate is a family-owned Canadian company that makes its food in its facility in BC.

They often focus on limited ingredient diets, making them a good choice for cats with allergies or sensitivities.

They use quality proteins, including a lot of fish options from the Pacific Northwest.

Kasiks is another brand from the same company, also offering grain-free options.

They produce both dry and wet food. Best for: Limited ingredient diets and fish-based formulas. Visit Website: [https://firstmate.com/stores/]

Other Notable Canadian Brands

These brands might be slightly less widespread than the first group, but are still excellent Canadian options often found in pet specialty stores or through specific retailers.

Horizon Pet Nutrition (Amicus / Pulsar / Legacy) (Rosthern, SK):

Horizon is a family-owned Canadian company that makes its pet food in its facility in Saskatchewan.

They produce several lines, including Amicus (small-bite kibble), Pulsar (often featuring pulses like lentils and peas, usually grain-free), and Legacy (grain-inclusive formulas).

They focus on using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible and offer good value for quality food.

You can find their brands in many independent pet stores across Canada.

Best for: Saskatchewan-made, various formulas, including pulse-based. Visit Website: [https://horizonpetfood.com/]

Boreal (Beamsville, ON):

Boreal focuses on creating pet foods with low-glycemic ingredients, meaning they shouldn’t spike blood sugar as much.

They use Canadian proteins and emphasize limited ingredient diets (LID) and grain-free options, often using beans and peas.

They aim to mimic the natural diet of animals.

Boreal offers both dry and wet cat food options and is typically found in independent pet specialty stores across Canada.

Best for: Low-glycemic and limited ingredient diets. Visit Website: [https://borealpetfood.com/]

Canadian Naturals (Based in BC, production likely in BC/AB):

Canadian Naturals offers value-focused pet food made with quality ingredients sourced primarily from Western Canada.

They provide formulas featuring different proteins like chicken, salmon, and turkey, often including wholesome grains or grain-free options.

They aim to provide good nutrition at an affordable price point.

Look for Canadian Naturals in pet specialty stores, particularly in Western Canada, but also expanding elsewhere.

Best for: Value-focused nutrition with Western Canadian ingredients. Visit Website: [https://canadiannaturals.com/]

Nutram (Elmira, ON):

Nutram is a Canadian company that takes a holistic approach to pet nutrition, focusing on how ingredients work together for overall wellness (“Optimum Combinations”).

They offer different lines based on life stage and specific needs, such as sensitive stomach or weight control, including grain-free options.

Their food is made in their own facility in Ontario.

Nutram is generally found in pet specialty stores across Canada and internationally.

Best for: Holistic approach to nutrition. Visit Website: [https://nutram.com/ca/]

Oven-Baked Tradition (Bio-Biscuit Inc., Saint-Hyacinthe, QC):

Oven-Baked Tradition focuses on cat (and dog) food that is slow-cooked in ovens at lower temperatures.

They claim this method helps preserve nutrients and makes the food easier to digest.

They offer grain-free and grain-inclusive kibble formulas, as well as pâté-style wet food.

They emphasize using fresh meats and quality ingredients, much of which is sourced locally.

They manufacture their food in their own facility in Quebec. 

Best for: Oven-baked kibble, potentially easier digestion. Visit Website: [https://www.ovenbakedtradition.com/]

Valens (Made by Vetdiet, production in Canada):

Valens offers high-protein cat food formulas, often featuring unique protein combinations.

They emphasize their “VITA-CUBE” inclusions, which are freeze-dried pieces of meat added to the kibble for extra flavour and nutrition (similar in concept to Nutrience SubZero).

They offer both grain-free and grain-inclusive lines. While Vetdiet (the parent company) is known for vet-channel products, Valens is often found in pet specialty stores.

Production occurs in Canadian facilities. Best for: High-protein diets with freeze-dried raw inclusions.

 Visit Website: [https://valenspetnutrition.com/]

Wilder & Harrier (Montreal, QC):

This Canadian company is quite unique as it focuses on sustainable alternative proteins, primarily insect protein (like cricket or black soldier fly larvae) and some plant-based options.

They argue these are highly nutritious and much better for the environment than traditional livestock.

They offer kibble and treats. This is a more niche brand but growing in popularity among eco-conscious pet owners.

 Best for: Sustainable, alternative insect-based protein. Visit Website: [https://www.wilderharrier.com/]

CaniSource (Quebec):

CaniSource offers a unique approach with its dehydrated cat food, made in Quebec.

They blend ingredients like fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables, then gently dehydrate them to lock in nutrients while removing moisture.

You rehydrate the food before serving. They focus on using human-grade ingredients and minimal processing.

This is a great option for owners looking for something between kibble and raw, often appealing to picky eaters.

 Best for: Minimally processed, dehydrated food. Visit Website: [https://www.canisource.com/]

Vetdiet (Quebec):

From the same Canadian company that makes Valens, Vetdiet offers formulas focused on specific health needs and life stages, developed with veterinary insights.

You’ll find options for kittens, adults, seniors, and cats needing support for things like sensitive skin, digestion, or weight control.

Like Valens, their food is made in Canadian facilities using quality ingredients.

Find Vetdiet primarily in pet specialty stores and some veterinary clinics. 

Best for: Targeted nutrition for specific health needs. Visit Website: [https://vetdiet.com/]

Other Food Types

While this list focuses on kibble and canned food, many Canadians choose raw diets. Here are a couple of prominent Canadian raw food brands:

Big Country Raw (Smithville, ON):

Big Country Raw is a very popular Canadian brand specializing in frozen raw food diets for cats and dogs.

They offer a huge variety of protein options (like chicken, beef, turkey, duck, rabbit, etc.) in different grinds and formats.

They focus on sourcing ingredients from Canadian farms.

Their products are found in the freezer section of many independent pet stores across Canada.

Best for: Wide variety of raw protein options. Visit Website: [https://bigcountryraw.ca/]

Carnivora (Saskatoon, SK):

Carnivora is another leading Canadian raw pet food brand.

They offer frozen raw patties and ground options made from government-inspected meats, bones, and organs.

They emphasize mimicking a natural prey diet.

They have various protein choices available.

Carnivora products are sold frozen in many independent pet specialty stores across Canada.

Best for: Patties mimicking whole prey. Visit Website: [https://www.carnivora.ca/]

(Note: Raw feeding requires careful handling and research.)

Brands with Canadian Production (But Not Canadian-Owned)

This section acknowledges brands owned by large multinational corporations but manufactured in Canadian facilities, supporting local jobs.

Purina Pro Plan / Royal Canin:

Large companies like Nestlé Purina and Mars Petcare (Royal Canin) operate significant manufacturing plants in Canada (e.g., Ontario, Quebec).

While the brands themselves are international, specific formulas sold in Canada are often produced domestically.

It’s always best to check the packaging for “Made in Canada” confirmation.

These brands offer a vast range of formulas, including veterinary diets, often found in grocery stores, big-box stores, and vet clinics.

Best for: Widely available options, including veterinary diets.[https://www.royalcanin.com/ca]

Conclusion: Feeding Your Cat Well!

Choosing cat food made in Canada gives you access to high-quality ingredients, excellent safety standards, and a wide variety of formulas to meet your cat’s specific needs.

From high-protein kibble and limited ingredient diets to wet food, raw options, and familiar brands made locally, there are many great Canadian choices.

Explore the brands on this list, read ingredient labels, and choose the best food to keep your feline friend healthy and happy!

Remember to check back for updates as we find more Canadian cat food options.