SALMON CREEK CATTERY- oriental shorthair cat breeders in New York
What keeps our cats ticking?
The importance of support animals
How can our cats help fuel you??
Our cats have been great support animals and we hope to get more involved again soon. Hospitals and retirement homes need you.
Check out Mesothelioma Hope and their wonderful write up on support animals here.
(Here is the link if you would rather copy and paste it)
Dry food
Fromm- Gold Kitten (Pink bag)
Our breeding/nursing moms and kittens have Fromm dry kitten food down at all times (once the kittens are old enough) so they may eat when they please.
Raw Food
Why raw?
We, like many breeders have seen the difference that raw food can provide. We follow as close to natural raising practices as possible. A variety of high quality raw meat that makes up at least 75% of their diet we feel is best. However we understand that our cats go to all types of homes, so we do feed them dry and canned cat food as well to make adjustment to their new home as smooth as possible. We will not allow any of our cats to be fed a vegan diet at their new homes.
Wild caught fish
We are fortunate enough to have a creek that runs through our backyard that Steelhead and Brown Trout will run up to spawn. We also have the great lake of Ontario just a few doors down the road. We are avid fishermen and catch everything using sustainable methods. That being said, we bring home healthy juvenile fish that are the right size to supplement in. In the summer months we typically feed them fish once or twice a month in place of a raw meat feeding.
Take caution if you choose to do this as well!
- Some waterways are polluted with heavy metals and chemicals. This is why we select younger fish that have not been alive long enough for the pollutants to collect in them to be a hazardous level. Even then we only feed them fish a handful of times a year. We also prefer to throw back the biggest fish so they can continue to reproduce for us!
- You also have to freeze any raw food for at least 3 weeks to kill off any parasites that may be present. Many store bought products either come frozen, check with the manufacturer if you are unsure.
Wet food
Stella & Chewys
Not all cat bellies agree with all types of food. Please remember when changing food, please introduce new foods slowly. Sometimes we use different brands if they are on our approved list. We personally avoid food made overseas and search for reputable, family owned companies in North America.
Oatmeal?!
Thunder Acres Organic Groats
Several pet foods are shifting to grain free recipes. We try our best to avoid grain free food, but sometimes we love everything else about the food and it's the best available, then what? We add in oatmeal, groats (or oatmeal seeds) specifically. Why? Wild dogs and cats naturally obtain small levels of grain when consuming their kills. There are recent studies that show grain free diets could lead to increased heart size (not good) in dogs and possibly cats as well. Acana has added a bountiful grains line to their dog food selection. To play it safe we mix in a small amount of groats in our grain free food until further research is conducted.
Supplements
Probiotics- Revival Breeders Edge Nutriflora
We add this in with their fresh goat milk every other day. On alternating days they get fresh goat Kiefer.
Water
Not all water is considered equal
Are our cats spoiled? One could say, but water can be very important for cats! Cats in the wild don't drink much water, they get much of it from the small prey they eat. If they do drink water, instincts tell them to find a moving water source over a stagnant puddle. Because of this it is very much against a cats natural instincts to drink from a water bowl (which looks like a puddle). If they only eat dry food and only have a bowl of water available, often times they won't drink enough water. This can lead to urinary issues such as kidney failure and UTI's. We use a filtered water fountain to create the movement and cleanliness. Some cats have no issues using a conventional water bowl, in this case please ensure to wash the water bowl every day to prevent buildup.
Below is a link to Petkit UVC water fountain. We have tried a dozen and this one is by far our favorite. Stainless steel liner, Bluetooth connectivity, uv sanitizing light and what minimal internal parts there are, they are completely removable for cleaning. No long tubes or pumps you can't get to that's a breeding ground for bacteria and slime. No more running vinegar through in hopes the parts you cannot see are clean only for your cat to avoid it for days after.
Why we don't use tap water
While researching water quality for our cats we discovered that we don't want to drink a lot of tap water either! Our cats are provided with natural spring water only.
Litter
Technically we don't use cat litter
There's several types of litter out there, but we don't use any of them (accept some new cats until they get adjusted). We found something that won't cause respitory issues (like a lot of clay litters), intestinal blockage (kittens are attracted to clumping cat litter and will often times consume it), and it's better on the environment!
We use kiln dried pine equine pellet bedding. We get it from Country Max here, 40lbs for about $6 or 15¢/lb in 2023. There is also Feline Pine which is marketed as cat litter, but it's about 40¢/lb. Pine pellets do not cause any respitory issues, kittens won't be eating caking agents in clumping litter that can cause intestinal blockage, and frankly it does a better job for cheaper.
What litter box will it work in?
When paired with the Arm and Hammer sifter litter box found here you will have a cheap and effective duo. Once the cats urinate on the pellets it turns to wood or sawdust.
How to clean pine pellet litter
When it's time to clean the litter box, scoop out the presents (find a scoop that the pellets fit between the slots), then dump the litter into the sifter layer below. Lift it up from the bottom slightly and shake. All the sawdust will fall through to the bottom layer, throw that out and put it back together and you're all set. Our litter boxes don't smell and it's healthy for our cats. We take our cat waste material and compost it for ornamental plants.
Here is a YouTube video (not ours) explaining it. Watch here.
Easy street
If you only have a cat or two, I have seen people choose to not sift the sawdust out daily (in this case any regular litter box will work fine). They continue to scoop solid waste daily, but at the end of the week they just throw out all the litter (since it's all turned to dust now) and start over. This saves a lot of time, but it's not for us.
Disposal
Used cat litter, even if biodegradable should never just be thrown outside. Cat feces can contain harmful bacteria that could spread to local wildlife or humans if spread on plants you consume.
Pregnant women are told they should be especially careful when handling dirty cat litter on the small chance you could become infected with toxoplasmosis. Did you know that your chances of contracting toxoplasmosis from cat litter aren't high. You're actually more likely to get it from raw meat or even gardening.
For the solid waste, we use a litter genie with biodegradable bags from Amazon here once full, it also goes into ornimental compost.
Read more about pine pellet litter from betterwithcats.net here.
If you use a litter robot or automatic litter box, the pine pellets probably won't work. We decided to keep manually cleaning the litter boxes to keep a closer eye on our cats health. Digestive issues are often a first sign that your furry friend is feeling under the weather. Unfortunately the automatic cleaners have the same problem as toilet training your cat, you lose this diagnostic tool in exchange for convenience.
What we avoid
Human Food
Human food (especially highly processed food) can be full of unhealthy things for cats. It also teaches them bad habits like counter surfing and stealing food off your plate. Our cats don't struggle with obesity or stress eating.
Here are also some common household food items that are poisonous for cats.
- Chocolate
- Onions, garlic, and chives (can cause blood cell damage)
- Raisins and grapes (they are not sure why but they can cause kidney failure in cats)
Learn more about toxic human food for cats from Daily Paws here
Succulents and plants
Just one bite of some of these can be enough to kill your cat!
- Succulents (aloe, cactus)
- Tulips
- Daffodils
- Lilies
- Philodrendon
- Dieffenbachia
- foxglove
- Japanese yew
Learn more about dangerous plants for cats from Hills here
Essential Oils
In their raw, concentrated form is a big no!
Learn more about the dangers of essential oils and cats from Hills here
4D and 3D meat (Denatured meat)
The D's stand for:
- Diseased
- Dead (or dying)
- Disabled
- Downed
If you look in the ingredients list and see animal meal, bone meal, or any protein ingredient that does not list the source animal (such as beef, pork, chicken) will contain this nasty "meat". Where does it come from you ask?
- Zoo animals
- Road kill
- Euthanized shelter animals
- Sick or dead farm animals
It is not fit for human consumption because of the risk factor, so they add chemicals and dyes (sometimes kerosene!) to the "meat" so that it's obvious if it was used in human food.
In our house, if it's not fit for human consumption, it's not fit for our cats consumption either.
Known brands as of 2023 that use Denatured meat.
- Purina Pro Plan
- Fancy Feast
- Iams
- Friskies
- Sheba
- 9lives
If in doubt, CALL!!
There are over 300 toxic substances known to cats.
- Call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Hotline: (888) 426-4435 (fee-based). For info, visit https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control
- Call the Pet Poison Helpline (fee-based). For info, visit https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/
- Or call your local veterinarian or animal emergency clinic
Homemade food
At surface level, making your own food seems like the easiest way to know what your cat is eating is indeed healthy. However, there is much more to it because science. Some cats have become very ill or even died from eating homemade food that did not offer complete nutrition.
Bio availability or diegestiblity are the key terms here. Just because you include all the right protein, vitamins, nutrients, and grains does not mean that your cat will benefit from it, or even be a healthy cat.
Plus if we were to feed our cats homemade recipes, it would make the transition into a pet home even harder. Now the new owners would have to search for a food brand and worry about switching their cat over. With a good commercial product we can send you off with food to get you started, but also let you know where to buy it from. Moving to a new home is stressful enough, we don't need to change their diet at the same time.
To learn more about nutrition in food and cats check with PetMD here
Or check out Spruce Pets take on homemade food here
However we do wean the kittens from Mom to goat milk from the backyard first, then raw food mixed with goat milk next. After that they get wet food (pate) mixed with goat milk until graduating to wets and kibble. We have found this fosters healthier digestion in a critical time in their development.
More about nutrition and genetics
What mammals (male and female) eat, obviously plays a huge role in their health. What you may not know is health (even males at time of conception) of the parents plays a huge roll in the health of the next generation.
Over the years, there has been several studies done with breeding animals to see what is actually passed down to the next generation. The current health of the both animals will help to determine which genes are passed on to the next generation. For example, let's say the male (or dad) is overweight at time of mating, but is otherwise healthy. It is more likely that the kittens in not only that litter, but those kittens kittens and beyond will be negatively impacted by their dads (or grandpa's) love for treats.
Pottenger in the 1930's
This study started off by accident, but produced very important results. They fed some cats cooked meat, and some cats raw meat, and observed the differences over several generations. Even though both groups were eating the same food, just prepared differently, there were several noticeable differences even in the first generation. If they switched to raw food after the first generation, the negative effects of the cooked food were still seen several generations later.
Now there were some control measures wrong with this study, but for 100 years ago it was pretty thorough. I would not use this study as evidence of raw meat being superior, but it does show what your cat eats today will effect future generations.
Read more about this study from Vets all Natural here.
Since we are in the art of breeding family members, it is very important to us to have the healthiest cats possible because the future of the breed depends on it.
If this is new to you? Don't feel bad! We only recently discovered this in humans. Live Science explains it better here.
In the science world, multiple studies showing the same results would typically be needed to develop an idea into a viable theory. Feel free to look into these topics yourself to learn what others have discovered.