Differences between Scottish Straight and British. Which cat is better - British or Scottish.

A lot of potential breeders purebred cat the similarity of representatives of the British and Scottish breeds to each other can be misleading. In fact, they are very similar in appearance, and therefore, if you want to purchase exactly or exactly a Scottish cat, then it is better to familiarize yourself with the features of both breeds in advance.

British cat breed and its characteristics

The British breed is becoming more and more popular in our country.

Its representatives have not only a magnificent appearance and beautiful thick hair, but also a docile good-natured character.

The main characteristic features of this breed of cats:

• large sizes;
• males can be significantly larger than females;
• short and dense thick coat of predominantly ash, chocolate or cream color. And also there are British women with lilac and white wool;
• massive round head with a pronounced chin;
• widely spaced short ears;
• large eyes are predominantly yellow.

Outwardly, these animals resemble plush toys. Their fur is very pleasant to the touch, and therefore stroking the British is a real pleasure.

Behavior and character

The British cat has excellent manners.

As for the behavior and character of British cats, here we can note such qualities as:

• pronounced friendliness . These animals are distinguished by a good-natured disposition and easily make contact not only with people, but also with other pets;
• calmness. Representatives of the British breed are distinguished by a very calm disposition, bordering on phlegmatism;
• love to active games . Such a cat happily runs after the ball, climbs on structures adapted for this, and plays catch-up with the owner;
• accuracy . The British and the British are very clean, which is reflected in their frequent licking. And also such pets almost always go only to the tray and try not to mischief in the apartment;
• courage and curiosity . British cats are not afraid of loud sounds and rustles and are happy to learn everything new;
• lack of jealousy to other pets or people.

When getting a British cat, you need to know that from time to time representatives of this breed require privacy. You should prepare in advance for her a cozy corner in which she can be left alone and relax.

Despite affection and friendliness, British cats do not like to sit on their hands for a long time, and therefore rarely stand more than half an hour on their hands or on their knees. But if you give the pet time for solitude, then soon he himself will come to the owner and begin to fawn.

Features of the Scottish breed

This breed has two varieties - Scottish Fold and Scottish Straight, that is, Scottish Fold and Scottish Straight.

They differ from each other precisely the structure of the ears : in Scottish folds they are very small, slightly bent forward and very favorably emphasize the rounded shape of the cat's skull. Scottish Straights have fairly wide-set ears with pointed tips.

Appearance

In profile.

For others outward signs both of these varieties are practically the same, and have such characteristic features looks like:

• short nose, which favorably complements the overall appearance of the muzzle;
• a wide round head with plump cheeks, with a slightly protruding chin;
• large and round eyes, the color of which is in harmony with the color of the animal;
• proportional wide paws;
• muscular rounded body;
• fine, but dense coat of medium length. The most common colors are chocolate, ash, marble.

The difference between a Scottish cat and a British one

Scottish cats are smaller in size than representatives of the British breed, and therefore they are often started in apartments with small dimensions.

Scottish cats are smaller in size.

As for the character, such pets are distinguished by the following qualities:

• aptitude for learning . Scottish cats are easy to learn, and therefore it will not be difficult to accustom them to the tray or to inspire them that they should not climb onto the bed;
• living mind ;
• curiosity – Scottish kitten will definitely go for reconnaissance, having heard an extraneous rustle in the apartment. Representatives of this breed are very fond of learning new things and objects, and therefore it is worth pleasing them with toys more often, updating bowls and bedding;
• amorousness . The Scots almost equally love all family members and are ready to fawn over everyone who comes to visit. But at the same time, most of these cats still choose one owner, to whom they are most attached;
• equilibrium . Representatives of this breed will never show sharp aggression, they are not distinguished by fearfulness and nervousness;
• complaisance . These are very obedient and good-natured cats;
• pronounced empathy . The animal very subtly feels the mood of a person and is able to console when the owner is sad, or, conversely, share a good mood with a person;
• accommodating . Scottish cats and cats get along peacefully with other pets, including dogs.

Grooming for both breeds

Both the British and the Scots are distinguished by good physical health and do not need any complex or expensive care.

Enough to buy them quality food, timely vaccinations, clean ears and trim nails . But it also doesn't hurt to check cats' teeth periodically, as both breeds are prone to diseases and infections. oral cavity. At good care and regular visits to the veterinarian, the British and Scots can live for more than fifteen years, delighting the owners with their inexhaustible optimism and enthusiasm.

Cats need to buy quality food.

Kitten for children

If you want to have a kitten for children, you should give preference to another breed.

Scottish cats and cats are friendly to kids, but are unable to take part in children's games and fun for a long time. In addition, some representatives of the Scottish breed may show aggression towards young children.

Scottish cats are unable to take part in children's games for a long time.

conclusions

The cat will answer you with his caress and love for taking care of him.

Whatever breed you prefer, you can be sure that the pet will fully respond to you with its caress and love for taking care of it.

Video about the differences between British and Scottish cats

Many breeds of cats are similar to each other. Some owners don't even know who your pet is. Few people thought about the difference british breed cats from Scottish. Most often, the owners of the Scots call their pets "British Fold cat", and do not even realize that such a breed does not exist!

For "British Fold cats" most often give out ordinary Scots, although the shape of the ears is not the only difference between Scottish and British kittens. The result is confusion. The differences, however, are enough, and we will try to figure out what they are.

British

This aristocratic cat breed is one of the oldest. Breeding purebred British began in the 19th century, and the history of the breed began in antiquity, in the ancient Roman era.

According to the most common opinion, this breed originated from gray cats with long sharp fangs that lived in North Africa and Southern Europe.

These cats have been actively domesticated locals, and together with the Roman legionnaires, representatives of the species that was the ancestor of the British were brought to the British Isles.

These animals were very hardy and quickly went from the hot climate of the Mediterranean to the cool weather of England.

Officially G. Weyer is considered the creator of the breed who picked up outwardly similar gray, muscular cats for mating. He was the first organizer of the exhibition of these animals in 1861.

Differences in appearance

Anyone can recognize representatives of the British breed, not even an expert in cat breeds. The main external differences between cats of this breed:

• the first difference is the regular round shape of the skull, which seems rather wide;
• the second difference: all the British have bryl;
• straight, wide, but flattened nose with dimples in the region of the bridge of the nose;
• small, but always straight ears, located on long distance apart and quite low;
• the shape of the eyes is close to a perfect circle;
• the most popular eye color among cats of the breed is light brown, almost golden, ocher;
• representatives of the pure breed do not have a pale rim around the pupil;
• sometimes there are blue eyes;
• the difference between the British is a strong, muscular body structure, a wide back, powerful paws, a strong torso;
• the tail is cone-shaped, strongly tapering towards the tip;
• weight - about 5-6 kg, but some animals reach 7 or more kg;
• according to the type of wool they are divided into two branches - long-haired and short-haired;
• There are several types of color.

British colors

There is a common misconception that the color of British cats must be blue (gray). However, it is not. A specific color is not a difference between a breed and others.. Representatives of this breed have a lot of color types, and each of them has its own peculiarity.

Chocolate

This type of color is considered the rarest. It can be easily distinguished by its monophonic wool, which has a rich Brown color.

These kittens are more expensive, the darker the brown color of their coat. This color is also called havana or chestnut.

blue wool color

This shade is the most common among kittens of this breed. Its difference is in pure blue, without gray and silver tints as a standard. For the Scots, this is also a popular color, which is why the question arises of how to distinguish a British cat from a Scottish one. In this case, everyone should remember that the difference between one breed and another is far from being in the color of the coat.

Tortoiseshell

This color is also characteristic of the British and the Scots. The differences between the British and Scottish cats of this color are in the depth of color. The Scots have it somewhat darker and deeper.

The tortoiseshell color is formed during emotional development and is not inherited.

Moreover, males of this color are very rare and their coat color is the result of a genetic error. Males that are your color cannot reproduce, as they are essentially mutants.

Van

But this color will just help to distinguish between the British Shorthair and Scottish Shorthair cat, because it is found only in the British. The Scottish breed also has a similar color, but it is distinguished by greater accuracy of lines and the depth of the gray part of the color.

The black

The black color is very rare, and therefore its owners are very much appreciated by cat lovers. It is important that the color is clean, without white hairs and spots - they are considered marriage. Both males and females can be black.

The color of the eyes of such animals is special - light blue. This is also a valuable feature, since the recessive gene is responsible for it.

White

Very beautiful and also quite rare - white color. These pets look very aristocratic. Moreover, they are somewhat different even from their own relatives. They are more flexible and their status is thinner and more graceful. They are the only ones that are characterized by light yellow, light green and green eyes- this is the main difference in color.

Color point difference

This type of color is very interesting. He meets at Siamese cats, but it also happens in other thoroughbred animals. Its feature is a light body color and dark spots on the muzzle, tail and paws. The color of the eyes of such animals is special - light blue, almost gray.

There are other colors of British cats, but it is impossible to distinguish them british cat from Scottish.

Scots and their differences

Scottish cats are the favorites of many. This breed is distinguished by a division into two directions:

• scotish straight;
• scotish fold.

For the first type, it is really difficult to determine what is the difference between a British cat and a Scottish one. The color of the color they have in many respects the same, for the most part. The shape of the muzzle is also similar.

Scottish Fold © shutterstock

Scottish Straight © shutterstock

The differences between a Scottish cat and a British cat are as follows:

• the Scots have a different body structure: animals of this breed are distinguished by a more refined skeletal structure, less squat and not so stocky and broad-boned;
• the muzzle remains flattened, but longer than that of the British;
• fleas are less pronounced;
• there are no dimples on the bridge of the nose, what is their difference from the British;
• the Scottish cat breed has a thinner, longer tail;
• the difference between British cats and Scottish ones is also in the form of paws: in the former they are shorter, thicker, more massive, and in the latter they are slender;
• there is also a difference in the shape of the head: the Scots have a well-defined chin, and the shape of the skull itself resembles that of a pig;
• there is also a difference in the shape of the ears (if we are talking about sconish fold) - the most remarkable. Recall that only the Scots can be lop-eared, but the aristocrats cannot boast of such a detail of appearance - their ears are always pointed.

Scottish Fold © shutterstock

Differences in habits and behavior

Differences in appearance are not the only way to recognize representatives of different cat breeds, in our case, the British and Scots. There are also many differences in the behavior of pets. Both those and others have special habits that distinguish one breed from another.

Many cat lovers even choose their pet breed not by external differences, but by character. In the process of evolution, behavioral habits were formed in animals.

The behavior of animals largely depends on the conditions in which their ancestors grew up.

Behavior and sociability

The British are true aristocrats. In games, they prefer to be carried on their hands, but they themselves are reluctant to run after a bow. Their massive body structure is not adapted to fast movement, but they can jump high.

The difference between British and Scottish cats

The main difference, of course, is the shape of the ears.

- Ears. This is the main and most striking difference between these two breeds. Britons are born with only short and wide at the base of the ears ..slightly set aside, erect, the tips are slightly rounded. In lop-eared Scots, they are also small in size, but folded down and forward (Scottish fold). From the tip of the nose to the tip of the ears, a triangle should form, and the ears, according to the breed standard, should not extend beyond the contour of the head. In straight-faced Scots ( scottish straight) the ear is narrower at the base, it is set almost vertically, without a noticeable forward inclination and abduction to the side. It is this shape and set of ears in straights that determine the spectacular expression of the “folded ear” mutation in their descendants - folds, when the ear fits completely into the contours of the head. On the massive, heavy head of the British, the narrow ears of the Straight look inharmonious. This is the main, but not the only, difference between the British cat and the Scottish one. There are also features of other parts of the body.

- Head. In the British it is round with well developed cheekbones, while the second breed has a clear chin and an unusually strong jaw. In Scottish, it resembles the head of an owl (this is one of the main differences).

- Nose. In the British breed - short, wide and straight, with a slight indentation, without a stop. In the Scottish breed - short, wide, with a noticeable base at the forehead, without a stop.

- Eyes . Both in those and in others they are round, planted widely, only representatives of the British and Scots have such a feature. Professionals endowed the second with the expression “babyface”, that is, like a child, the color can be different, it depends on the color.

- Body. Both representatives have an excellent athletic body: the chest is developed and wide, massive, but in the Scots it is even from the shoulders to the pelvis, has a more rounded shape.

- Paws. The British have thick and short ones, which is why the animal looks too massive, the paw pads are round and large. In the Scottish breed, the paws are of medium length, they are slender and proportional to the body, although the pads are the same as those of the British counterparts.

- Tail . This part of the body will also help to distinguish: in the British it is much thicker and shorter, the tip is rounded, while in the Scots it is of medium thickness and flexible (mandatory !!!), the tip is slightly pointed. The Scots have a vice: a hook on the tail, an extremely short, motionless tail.

- Wool. Both breeds are almost the same, but still different: in the British it is more elastic to the touch, while in the Scots it is softer and may be slightly longer than the British, and in total both have a short, dense, fine texture, not tight , with a thick undercoat, "plush" to the touch.

British and Scottish cats are very similar as a result of the fact that the once Scottish breed was bred on the basis of the British and cross matings were made until 2004, after which they were banned. Even if you tell a non-specialist what the differences between these two breeds are, he will still not be able to correctly classify an adult cat, and even more so a kitten, at first glance. This skill only comes with experience. But we will still try to explain the main differences as clearly as possible.

How to distinguish a British cat from a Scottish one?

The first difference between the Scottish and British cat is the shape of the body. The British have a more powerful skeleton, shorter and thicker paws, their head passes into the body as if at once, without a neck. Of course, they have a neck, it's just very powerful. Scots are graceful creatures with longer and slender legs, a longer and thinner tail.

The difference between British and Scottish cats also in the form of a head. In Scots, it is more spherical, and the cheeks are smaller. The British cheeks seem to lie on their shoulders - this applies, first of all, to cats. They also have wider set larger ears, the Scots have smaller ears and are set closer to the crown.

In addition, the difference between Scottish and British cats is that the British are not fold: only the Scots are lop-eared. If you see hanging small ears, then this is a Scottish breed. At the same time, the difficulties in distinguishing one breed from another are when comparing straight-eared Scots with the British. In this case, you need to be guided only by the signs indicated above. And yet, if you choose a kitten, it will be difficult to determine the breed by eye. Scottish and British kittens are very similar to each other. Where is who in this photo, guess?

Scottish kittens - from below, British kittens - from above

Therefore, the most the right way make sure the breed is the pedigree of the kitten, if it, of course, is. Well, or at least a veterinary passport, although the breed is recorded in it according to the words of the owner.

How else is the British cat breed different from the Scottish one?

By nature. Of course, you won’t notice this right away, but later these qualities will play a big role. The main difference is that the British are introverts, they need enough in large numbers time that they want to spend alone, without the presence of a person. The Scots are sociable, love to communicate and play with the owners, constantly follow them with a tail. Therefore, the Scots are more suitable for large families and sociable extrovert people, and the Scots are more suitable for busy introverts, since you need to select a cat that looks like you and us. Then peace and harmony will reign between you.

CHECK YOURSELF!

Can you tell a Scottish cat from a British one?

Real Brits: what are they?

- One of the main questions of interest to the future owners of a British kitten is, oddly enough, the shape of his ears: straight or lop-eared?
Correct British kittens are born from a British cat and a British cat (BRI + BRI). The whole family always has ears straight. There is no breed "lop-eared Briton"!

- Confused in two breeds, the buyer is looking for practically fabulous creature. But lop-eared kittens are quite real creatures, but they are called differently and there are two types: Scottish Straight, or Scottish Straight (SFS71), and Scottish Fold, or Scottish Fold (SFS).
And if everything is more or less clear with lop-eared kittens (the ears are close to the head), then how to distinguish a straight-eared Scottish Straight from a British kitten, which also has straight ears?

There are several "folk" ways. Here is a Scottish Straight, not a British one, if:
1. One of the kitten's parents is lop-eared.
2. One of the brothers or sisters of the same litter is lop-eared.
3. And even if options 1 and 2 are not suitable .. you should definitely look at the pedigrees of the kittens' parents, because real British kittens have only BRI pedigree

- Modern Scottish Fold cats ( scottish folds) have been running their line since 1961 from a cat in Scotland whose ears spontaneously "fell off". Such a mutation is also known among other animals, for example, in dogs and rabbits. The farmer - the owner of the first lop-eared cat - decided to fix this mutation by starting targeted breeding work. This lop-eared breeder was crossed with ordinary cats and lop-eared and straight-eared kittens were obtained in the litter.
- As a result of a long selection, Scottish cats acquired modern look. Outwardly, they differ from the British in the size and position of the ears, the shape of the body, the length of the paws and tail. In addition, there are two types of Scottish cats: short-haired (SFS) and long-haired so-called highland folds (SFL-highland folds). Both of these types are fixed and spelled out in the Scottish breed standard.
- The size of the Scottish fold, the length of the body, tail and limbs vary in the standards of various felinological organizations. In one thing, all standards converge and clearly indicate: in Scottish folds, the ears should fit snugly to the head, and the tips should “look” simultaneously down and forward, in other words, the ears should fit into general contour heads.

- Cats Scottish Straight and Scottish Fold differ only in straight ears. In breeding Scottish Folds, standards must be strictly observed, therefore Scottish Straight plays an important role, since mating between two representatives of Scottish Folds is strictly prohibited.

- Cats Scottish Straights and Scottish Folds are much lighter in the backbone of their close relatives of the British. These cats are not as large and stocky as British cats, the body is more elongated, and the shape of the head has a smoother outline.

- Also, in Scottish Straights, unlike the British, the size and position of the ears are much smaller, and they are not as wide at the base as in British cats. Surprisingly, the thickness of the ear cartilage of the Scottish Straight is thinner to the touch than that of the British, and the ears themselves are softer to the touch.

- Very often, breeders and owners of Scottish cats ask themselves: is it possible to consider a kitten with straight ears born from a pair of “Scottish Fold and British” as a BRITISH, and also if there are British ancestors in the pedigree of such a kitten? In this case, if the kitten was born before 2004, i.e. before the ban on mating British and Scottish Folds came into force in our country, and when the Straights were registered as British. If such a kitten has more than 18 British ancestors out of thirty, then it can be conditionally considered a British kitten. Now, a kitten with straight ears, which was born as a result of mating a Scottish Fold and a British, is recorded in the pedigree as Scottish (Scottish Straight or Scottish Fold). But still, matings continue to be a place in our time between already two precisely defined breeds, because each of them has advantages and when breeders select the right pair (cat + cat), you can get incredibly good offspring, BUT no longer a British breed.

Brief description of the Scottish breed:

The Scottish Straight and Fold is also a well balanced cat, moderately muscular, not massive, with a round head, large round eyes and a sweet expression. Short, dense, soft coat emphasizes the roundness of the lines. Cats are bigger than cats.

British Breed Standard:

Type of: cats are medium to large in size, squat, muscular, broad-boned, sexual demorphism is pronounced, i.e. cats are much more massive and larger than cats (the photo above shows a British Shorthair cat and a cat at the same age of 1 year and 5 months). Sexual dimorphism is also observed in some feline species in the wild, such as lions)

Wool: short, dense, dense, soft and resilient, not tight, fine texture, reminiscent of plush.

Body: medium to large, with a broad chest, shoulders and back are massive, dense, legs are short and strong, paws are round and strong.

Tail: short, thick, tapering to a rounded tip.

Head: round and massive, with a wide skull on a short strong neck, massive round cheeks, a pronounced chin, a short, wide, straight nose, without a stop.

Ears: short, wide, widely spaced.

Eyes: large, wide open, round, set wide apart.

This is a generalized breed standard, which has some nuances and inconsistencies in various felinological organizations. You can read the standard “in the original” on the websites of FIFe, WCF, CFA and TICA, other felinological systems, unfortunately, did not post breed standards on their websites (click on the logo of the desired system).

The appearance of the British cat, described in the standard, is unusually harmonious, so it is very important that all aspects of the animal are as close as possible to the standard. Everything that does not fit into the correct description introduces dissonance into the appearance of the animal and spoils the impression of its perception. Therefore, a very important part of breeding work is to obtain an animal that is harmonious in all respects. It is very difficult, especially when working on unusual colors, and because of the small number of quality breeding stock and because of the inevitable influx of blood from other breeds, to achieve the desired result.
I would also like to note that in addition to the main shortcomings, which will be discussed further, there are countless transitional and smoother forms.

General impression

According to the standard, the British body should be compact, deep, on short powerful paws. Often there is an extension of the body, as well as lightness of the body on high thin legs.

Important! The use of the term "thin" applies exclusively to the perfect legs of the British, and not to cats in general. The British have very powerful limbs, and even some thinness of individual representatives of the breed cannot be compared with the long limbs of, say, the Siamese breed. The same applies to consideration of other shortcomings - all used terms are relevant only in comparison with a good British, and not with any other cat.

Wool

The characteristic plush coat must be of regular texture throughout the animal's body, while longer, close-lying hair is often seen along the spine, and especially towards the tail. Unfortunately, most of the Russian Britons sin with this shortcoming, and even those obtained on the basis of export manufacturers.

Another, no less common drawback is the poverty of the coat. Certain colors are particularly prone to this deficiency - for example, chocolate. In general, wool of different colors has its own characteristics - blue wool looks the most correct, lilac and cream are close to it, i.e. light colored wool. Chocolate, as I already mentioned, can be thin and poor-haired, white - a dryish texture, not elastic enough, black - too dense and silky. Also, all kinds of tabby colors sin with insufficiently stuffed undercoat.

Important! All of these faults relate exclusively to the texture of the coat, while there may be many more possible faults, but they are related to color and require separate consideration.

Tail

It should be short, thick, tapering to a rounded tip, a kind of field. But, often, the tail is too long for this breed, and thin, not well dressed, or noticeably tapering towards the tip.

Head:

The largest number possible shortcomings are concentrated on the head, tk. apart from the general correct form there is a standard (and naturally, deviations from it) for cheeks, nose, eyes, ears, forehead. Although these parameters are considered separately in the standard, in fact, the correct position of the eyes is directly related to the length and width of the nose, as well as the shape of the muzzle, i.e. They are interconnected, which means that they should be considered as a whole.

Examples of breed qualities of British and Scottish kittens.

Scottish straight kittens

1.kitty pet option

What will grow?

Option 1 - Murzik will grow from Murzik Option 2 - worthy animal

Scottish fold kittens

1.kittens pet option 2.professional kitten. breeder

1.variant lop-eared kittens 2. variant-lop-eared kittens

What will grow?

1st option 2nd option

Do you think there is a difference?

From the type of animal - old-type (long-nosed) or modern (baby face)

Kittens in the same color (for example, in blue), but of a different class

1. pet class 2. breed class 3. show class

1. Kittens of an obvious pet class are sold only for the soul (for castration) - they are not expensive.
2. Breed-class kittens are sold both for the soul and for breeding (only cats) - they are more expensive, especially if they are sold for breeding.
3. Show class kittens are sold for breeding (cats and cats) - they are expensive, even if you buy such an animal for the soul as a pet class not for breeding.

From two kittens of pet class a kitten of a rarer “silver chinchilla” color will cost more

British blue kittens

The difference in types is visible even to amateurs

Scottish straight (straight-eared) and fold (lop-eared) in the same color

Of these two kittens, the fold will cost more!

It will be difficult for a non-specialist to distinguish a British kitten from a Scottish Straight

But when the kittens grow up, the difference will be visible better.

The British have heavy bones, shorter and more powerful paws, a massive head with wide-set ears, thick cheeks. And the Scots should have a lighter frame, longer paws, a round head with high-set ears and a sweet expression of the muzzle.

schematic representation of the British and Scots

There are no British Fold kittens!

But Scottish kittens are fold (lop-eared) and straight (straight-eared)

The material is selected from the pages of the Internet and nurseries (link)