Scottish Fold Cat

History of the Scottish Fold cat breed

Usually the appearance of new breeds is preceded by a long purposeful breeding work. In the case of the Scottish Fold, the situation is different.

The first mention of cats similar to Scottish fold is found in the literature describing white long-haired cats living in China. At one time, representatives of this breed were even called Chinese – it was believed that they lived only in this eastern country.

However, in 1961, the first cat with such a characteristic shape of ears was born on one of the Scottish farms. They called her Susie. The mother of the unusual kitten was an ordinary half-wild tabby, and the father remained unknown. Among the kittens that Susie regularly brought, there were also babies with a very unusual shape of ears. One of these cats in 1963 fell into the hands of Mary Ross. She was given the name Snooks. In her first litter, Mary found a white kitten, the appearance of which made it clear to the hostess that she might be present at the birth of a new breed. To test her assumptions, she crossed a grown-up kitten with a British shorthair cat , and Snooks is with a British blue cat. As a result of the experiment, kittens were born, which became the first representatives of the lop-eared Scots. The algorithm for breeding the breed was put on a scientific basis by professional breeders and geneticists. It was found that the characteristic lop-earedness is due to the presence of a special Fd gene. In the case of a combination of FdFd, that is, when both parents had their ears folded down, the offspring had very serious problems with the musculoskeletal system. Breeding experiments have shown that health complications in kittens can be avoided only if one of the parents has erect ears. Born from animals, one of which had the "lop-ear gene" (Fd), and the other had it absent (fd), the babies could carry the external signs of both a cat and a cat. On this basis , until recently , animals with straight ears were acted as representatives of british shorthair . And only recently felinologists have identified a separate breed, which was called "Scottish Straight" (Scottish shorthair). These cats have erect ears, and in all other respects they are exact copies of their fold–eared counterparts, which is why, in order to preserve the characteristic features, the Scottish fold should be knitted only with a straight.

The breed received official registration in 1994.

Video: Scottish Fold cat

Appearance of the Scottish fold cat

The history of the participation of Scottish fold cats in exhibitions is not so long. To date, there is one general breed standard that all Scottish folds must meet. In addition, at major competitions, the judging panels apply official norms of three types to evaluate animals: WCF, CFA and TICA.

The appearance of a Scottish Fold cat must fully comply with all the requirements of the general breed standard.

Head

Rounded, with a strong chin, thick round cheeks and a high forehead. The chin is massive, strong. For adult cats, sagging cheeks are allowed. The nose of a Scottish fold cat should be wide and short.

Ears

From small to medium size, with slightly pointed tips. They are located widely on the head. They fold forward and down. A special requirement is folded and pressed, they must fit into the contour of the head, without protruding beyond its boundaries. There are three types of lop - ear:

• single (only the tips bend);
• double (the entire auricle is bent, the gap between the ears and the head is visible);
• triple (fully pressed, there is a visual effect of the absence of ears).

Eyes

Widely spaced and round, large size. An important point is that the eye color should correspond to the general color of the animal.

Neck

Scottish folds are characterized by a fairly short muscular neck.

Trunk and limbs

Scottish fold cats have a medium-sized, muscular, strong body. Well-developed shoulders and chest are clearly expressed. Limbs of medium length with developed musculature. The paws are small and round.

Tail

Size – from medium to long. At the base – wide enough, gradually tapering to a rounded tip. Mobile and flexible.

Wool

The cover is dense, elastic and thick. Due to the high density, it does not fit the animal's body, and it looks fluffy.

Color

Scottish fold can have the most diverse coat tone. The breed standard does not make any specific requirements in this matter. But when the judges evaluate the competitions, the correspondence of the shade of the six to the color of the eyes, nose and paw pads will be taken into account, for example:

• the color of the six is white. The eye color is golden or blue. Nose and paw pads are pink;
• the coat is pure black. The eyes are only golden. Nose – black, paw pads – gray or black;
• for a smoky-black color, the pads of the paws are considered to be harmonious exclusively in black. The color of the eyes and nose is the same as for a pure black color.

Variety of colors is one of the features that distinguishes Scottish folds from other breeds of cats, and certain requirements for compliance with the general range are imposed on each representative of the breed.

Scottish fold cats are medium-sized cats. The weight of the female is from 3.5 to 4.5 kg, the males are larger – up to 6 kilograms.

Photo of the Scottish fold cat

The character of the Scottish fold cat

Everyone is well aware of the statement that the dog is attached to the owner, and the cat is attached to the place. In the case of the Scottish fold, both theses will be absolutely relevant and correspond to reality.

The starting point for understanding the characteristics of the animal's character will be the fact that from the very beginning of the origin of the breed, Scottish fold cats were bred and kept exclusively at home. Scottish folds are typical stay–at-home people who feel great even in urban apartments, although periodic walks in the fresh air will not hurt the pet in any way.

When purchasing a Scottish fold cat, you should take into account that representatives of this breed are very affectionate and sensitive. They can be unsettled not only by the rearrangement of furniture in the house, which, by the way, cats of all breeds do not like, but also by the prolonged absence of the owner. Loneliness for the Scottish fold is worse than physical pain. The animal may even fall into a depressive state. Kittens and young animals are especially vulnerable in this sense. The possibility of constant positive communication with a person is simply necessary for them.

Calm, balanced, even somewhat phlegmatic character is inherent in almost all representatives of this breed. They are very affectionate and patient. Cases of aggressive behavior are so rare that many, seeing how Scottish fold refuses to go into conflict, think that he is simply afraid. That's not so. A Scot is a true gentleman (or lady), and prefers a secular solution to the problem – to ignore an ill-mannered bully, be it an animal or a person. If the Scottish fold gets into a difficult situation, then you can be sure that he will be able to stand up for himself.

The Scottish fold cat is perfect for families with small children. A Scot will never release his claws, trying to avoid intrusive harassment from your child, but will prefer to retire aristocratically. He will almost always find a common language with other pets, although there will be some tension in the relationship with dogs and rodents. Many are surprised to note that seeming passivity and ostentatious slowness in no way interfere with the sometimes very vivid manifestation of the hunting instinct. Appearance can be deceptive, and even a cat, whose favorite place is a sofa cushion or the owner's knees, will never refuse to stretch in the "sports corner" that you will build for her in the house.

Another interesting character trait of the Scottish fold is an amazing practicality for animals. Although in this case we are not even talking about character traits, but about intelligence. The cat has never been considered a stupid animal anywhere, but all the owners of the lop-eaters note their amazing ability to differentiate the information received from the outside and use only the one that will be beneficial to them and may be useful in life. The mechanism of such selectivity from the point of view of human logic is difficult to explain, and it is not so necessary. Thanks to this feature, the Scottish fold is very well trained and educated, it is only important to find a common language with them.

Speaking of language. Often the Scottish fold is called a cat without a voice. This is not entirely fair. It's just that the sounds that these animals make really don't resemble a cat's meowing and are somewhat squeaky, but is this considered a disadvantage?

The Scots are graceful and beautiful, so they are rightfully considered an ornament of any house. They are very playful, especially the young, adults are distinguished by sedateness, equanimity and aristocracy. And the ability to stand "in a column" or sleep on your back, a touching "owl" face made Scottish folds the heroes of numerous photo shoots.

It doesn't matter if you live alone or you have a big friendly family – the Scottish fold cat will always look harmoniously in your home. Attention, a kind word and a desire to understand a pet are the main components of a long–term friendship.

Education and training

It is important to understand that an animal is not a cute fluffy (and also fashionable) toy, but a creature that considers itself at least an equivalent member of your family. When purchasing a Scottish fold cat, you should have a more or less clear idea of the rules and principles of raising your pet. It is necessary to teach the cat to observe the rules of decency from an early age, as soon as the baby appeared in your house. Given the natural intelligence of Scottish folds, it will not be so difficult to do this.

Lop-eared people suffer loneliness very painfully. Experts do not recommend leaving the animal alone with itself for a long time. To pass the time, kittens are either looking for something to do on their own, or they sleep most of the time. In the first case, when you return home, you may find traces of a small pogrom (discarded books, broken vases, pens and pencils scattered on the floor), in the second – a well-rested and rested kitten will endlessly pursue you, demanding less attention. This can be expressed in attempts to climb up your legs on your knees, and in the desire to lie down beautifully on a desk or computer table on papers with which you are just about to work, and in biting the fingers of the sleeping owner. This behavior looks cute at first, but over time it can become annoying.

What to do? The main thing is never to drive the animal away. It will definitely not understand the reason for your dissatisfaction and may perceive everything that is happening at this moment as a new game. It would be more correct to find an opportunity to get away from business for at least a few minutes and take care of the kitten. As a toy, even a half of the container from the "Kinder Surprise" or a ping-pong ball that you will throw on the floor will be suitable. It is not so easy to catch such a "prey", and the kid will seriously get carried away with this activity. Be sure to find 15-20 minutes to play with the Scotsman before going to bed. This minimizes the risk of being woken up in the middle of the night. An attempt to feed the kitten at night in the hope that he will calm down will only lead to the fact that the lop-ear, quickly realizing what's what, will start waking you up nightly. There is only one way out – to be patient and stubbornly ignore the tricks of your pet.

Attempts to bite your hands and feet should be stopped firmly and unequivocally. The kitten is brought up by his mother quite harshly, so your unwillingness to encourage rough games will be perceived by the baby without offense.

Another problem is the animal's natural need to sharpen its claws. Poking your nose into the damaged upholstery of an expensive chair will not help. Buying a scratching post by itself will not solve the problem, you will need to teach the cat to use it. Install the device in a certain place and bring the baby to it several times during the day. Be sure to do this immediately after the little Scottish fold has woken up. Praise the kitten for the correct behavior. The use of special attractive odors gives good results. And the smell of orange peels, on the contrary, will discourage the desire to use an expensive carpet or the back of a sofa as a manicure tool.

Scottish fold cats are very clean, and their habituation to the tray usually occurs without any difficulty.

Is it possible to punish an animal? Probably, yes. The use of the simplest baby rattle gives a good effect. A noisy object (and the cat's hearing is an order of magnitude better than ours), falling on its back (in no case do not hit the animal, a light touch is enough), quickly makes it clear to the pet that he is wrong about something.

But the basis of the upbringing of the Scottish fold cat should still be your love and patience.

Care and maintenance

The basis of cheerfulness, health and longevity of your pet, first of all, is a proper balanced diet.

Taking the kitten from the breeder, do not forget to ask what feeds the baby is used to. Using the initial diet at first, you can gradually transfer the Scottish fold to the type of feeding that seems more correct to you, without unnecessary problems. As for the frequency, it is customary to invite a baby to a bowl up to the age of four months 4 times a day, gradually switching to three meals a day, and from 8 months – as an adult cat – 2 times a day.

How to feed a Scottish fold cat?

There are three main options:

• Natural products. The animal's diet should include low-fat dairy products, but it is better to refrain from cream and milk. Offal (chicken stomachs, heart, liver), low-fat varieties of lamb, chicken, turkey or rabbit will make up the meat menu. Scottish lop-eared people eat various porridges (buckwheat, oatmeal, rice), as well as vegetables in raw and boiled form. Do not forget only to add a few drops of vegetable oil to vegetable dishes, this will help to better assimilate them. Fish is allowed only sea and exclusively in boiled form. Do not forget also about vitamin preparations.
• Ready-made food. It guarantees your pet a fully balanced diet, and you can use both dry and canned. The main rule with such a diet is to buy only high–quality products. In order not to make a mistake in choosing, refer to the recommendations of experienced breeders. Cheap bags, widely presented on supermarket shelves, are better not to buy. The benefits of their contents are doubtful, but the harm to the animal may be real. Do not forget to also make sure that the cat always has clean, fresh water. Plus, dry food has a long shelf life, which makes it possible to stock up on them for the future.
• Combined feeding. The basic rule is not to mix natural products with ready–made types of feed in one meal.

Be careful! Many Scottish folds are distinguished by the fact that they can eat an amount of feed at a time that significantly exceeds the needs of the animal. Watch out and do not overfeed the lop–eared handsome - the extra calories will definitely not benefit him.

Features of the breed require a very balanced attitude of the owner to feedings with a high content of calcium. Otherwise, you can get problems associated with a violation of the correct fit of the ears. But drugs with chondroetin will be reasonably useful as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent.

Basic rules of care for the Scottish fold cat

• Grooming. All care consists in periodic (approximately once a week) combing with a special brush for animals with short hair.
• Eye and ear care. Problems with sinks are uncharacteristic of Scottish folds, but still inspect them at least once every ten days. If you go out with a cat to nature, then the inspection should be carried out every time after returning home. To clean the ears (if it needs to be done), use special solutions that can be purchased at any veterinary pharmacy. The "current" eyes are effectively treated with 3% synthomycin ointment.
• Claw care. It is necessary to teach the Scottish fold cat to manicure from childhood. The process itself will not cause you any difficulties, you just need to make sure that the scissors do not accidentally touch the living area of the claw, which is clearly determined by the presence of visible blood vessels.
• Washing. The non-exhibition Scottish fold is bathed about once a month. But if you are going for awards, it all depends on the color of the coat. If a dark fold can be subjected to water procedures a week before the exhibition, then for cats of lightened colors these terms are noticeably reduced, white animals are sometimes bathed even on the day of the competition. Needless to remind you that you only need to use special professional shampoos. They are not cheap, but, thanks to the high concentration, they are enough for a long period of time.

Health and diseases of the Scottish fold cat

Scottish fold cats have quite good health. There are examples when representatives of this breed lived to the age of 15 or more years. Only the musculoskeletal system requires special attention. Since hanging ears are the result of a mutation affecting cartilage tissue, joints are also at risk. As a result, the probability of occurrence and development of arthritic phenomena. Important preventive measures to prevent such problems are a balanced diet with the addition of essential vitamin preparations and weight control.

Heart and kidney diseases that occur in Scottish folds are not related to the Fd gene in any way. Moreover, statistics show that these diseases are characteristic of a large number of breeds, and the Scottish fold is definitely not the leader in this list.

Timely vaccination remains an important condition for the preservation of animal health. Follow the vaccination schedule exactly, visit a veterinarian in case of any manifestations of your cat's disease, then you will be able to avoid most problems.

How to choose a kitten

Everyone knows that the problem of choice is not easy in itself. And if you choose a Scottish fold cat as a pet, you need to approach the issue very responsibly.

• Firstly, you can take the kitten from the mother no earlier than the baby reaches the age of 11-13 weeks. This time is quite enough so that, on the one hand, the kitten can get all the vital antibodies and useful substances with milk, and on the other hand, it is enough to adapt to an independent life (eat a variety of food, go to the tray). It is also very important that by this time an experienced and responsible breeder will have already given the kittens the first vaccinations. If you want to make a choice before the deadline, then you can always arrange a viewing with the owner of the mother cat.
• Secondly, it is very important to remember that the characteristic lop–ear is the result of a gene mutation, in order to prevent the negative consequences of which one of the parents must necessarily be straight. Compliance with this mating rule can only be guaranteed by professional breeders or specialized breeding nurseries. Buying a fold on the market or from random people is absolutely unacceptable.

You've come for a kitten. What should I pay attention to?

• Baby's tail. The Fd mutation gene, which leads to lop-earedness, has its effect on the cartilage tissue of other parts of the body, so the tail of a healthy kitten from the "right" parents should be flexible enough, active, without visible creases and thickenings.
• The behavior of a small Scottish fold. It is better to buy a kitten that is confident, behaves actively and shows curiosity. Do not hope that a frightened animal that does not go to your hands and gets into a corner will adapt well and quickly in your home, even if you are persistently convinced of this.
• Do not disdain to look at the animal under the tail – it should be dry and clean there. The absence of a smell from the mouth, discharge from the ears and eyes are signs of a healthy baby.
• Look at the parents of kittens, find out in what conditions the animals are kept.

Taking the baby home, do not hesitate to ask the breeder all the questions you are interested in. And there are a lot of them: what is the best way to feed kittens, where and when to get vaccinated, what are the main points to consider in caring for your little pet. The information received will help you to properly organize the process of getting the baby used to your home and make it as painless and comfortable as possible for both sides.

Photos of kittens of the Scottish fold cat

How much does a Scottish fold cat cost

Prices for representatives of this breed depend on several factors, the main of which is the class of the kitten. The classification can be of three types – show, breed and pet.

The most expensive are kittens of the show class. These are elite representatives of the Scottish fold breed, who have no deviations from generally accepted standards, with a good pedigree, promising breeding and exhibition status.

Kittens of the breed class. This includes only Scottish cats suitable for breeding work. They have no visible flaws, only minor deviations from the standard are allowed (insufficiently adjacent ears, eye color mismatch with color). They are a little cheaper than show kittens.

The most affordable prices for pet-class animals. If you do not plan to participate in exhibitions or become a breeder of Scottish folds, then such a kitten will be the best purchase.

There are some price gradations within classes as well. So, the price for a kitten of a rare color will be higher. Even among animals of the same color, those whose fur pattern is brighter and more contrasting will cost more.

Average prices for kittens of each class can be calculated by reviewing the offers of various breeders or nurseries. The cost will vary from $150 to $600.