Purebred Scottish kittens. Scottish Fold cat: description of the exterior of the breed, character, photo

(Scottish Fold) is a small cat with a roundish, well-filled body, dense and elastic plush coat. The animal has a snub-nosed small nose, huge round eyes with a naive childish look.

The most distinctive part of the body of the Scottish Fold is the ears, which are not close to each other and seem to hang down, thereby covering the auricle. This phenomenon was the result of a mutation at the gene level, but it looks very nice and original.

The coat color of lop-eared cats can be the most diverse - plain, multi-color, striped and others.

Genetic features of the breed

Fold cat kittens are born with straight ears. Only by three to four weeks, their ears take on the necessary shape. By this time, the ears may remain erect. Just this breed, which was called Scottish Straight, is necessary for further breeding, because lop-eared pets cannot be crossed with each other.

The nature and characteristics of behavior

The Scottish Fold cat is characterized by a "great sense of humor", loves to play with people, is not aggressive. This breed gets along well with other pets. The disadvantage of lop-eared pets is that they cannot meow.

All the beauty of the Scottish breed is revealed precisely in the cat. In an adult pet, the weight can reach more than 10 kg, which is much more than that of a cat. But even with such a mass, even an adult cat will not lie on the couch all the time, but will play with joy.

Breed varieties

The Scottish Fold breed is represented by two varieties - short-haired and long-haired. The body of cats is quite powerful and squat. The paws are short and neat in shape, their neck is also not long. The muzzle has a well rounded shape with shaped jaws.

In an adult, cheeks are well developed, mainly in Scottish cats. In most cases, the coat color of the fold matches the color of the coat. Only in the snow-white color can there be all sorts of eye color options. The tail can be of different lengths, but it invariably corresponds to the length of the body.

Scottish fold care

Lop-eared cats are distinguished by comparative unpretentiousness and do not require special care for themselves. It is advisable to comb their fluffy hair every day. Since the earlobe blocks the ear canal, it must be periodically lifted and inspected so that ticks do not start there.

The animal is also undemanding to food. But it is important to know that feeding should be correct and timely, because this is a guarantee of excellent health and longevity of a pet.

Description of the breed - Scottish fold kittens

Over the past twenty years, the Scottish Fold has acquired its own recognizable type, despite crossbreeding with the American and British Shorthair cats.

This breed does not have to be massive, with a compact body and short legs, like the British. Distinctive feature- unusual ears, the fold at the base of which causes the ear to tilt forward. The Scottish Fold is a medium-sized cat with a round, well-filled body and a short, dense and resilient coat. She has large, round, wide-set eyes with even color, rounded furry paws and short nose with a soft curve in the profile.

Animals of this breed are of two types: with hanging ears (folded ear) and straight - normal (straight). Lop-earedness is due to an incomplete dominant gene and is the result of a random mutation.

More recently, the ranks of shorthair folds have been replenished with their semi-longhair variation, called the highland fold. These cats have retained all the characteristic features of the breed, acquiring an elegant, fluffy coat. Highlands haven't received yet mass distribution in Russia, but they confidently find their admirers among cat lovers.

The lop-eared gene is dominant, but the expressiveness (severity) of its action in kittens even within the same litter looks different. They love human society and show it with all their appearance. Scottish cats adapt well to densely populated apartments full of children and dogs running around, as well as to small rooms. They are not afraid and get along well with other animals.

Scottish fold kittens are born with regular straight ears. At the age of three to four weeks, their ears lay down or remain erect. By twelve weeks, it is already possible to determine the quality of a kitten: exhibition (show), tribal (breed) or home (pet). Only cats with lying ears are showable, so getting such kittens is the dream of every breeder.

Origin of the Scottish Fold breed

Modern representatives of the Scottish Fold arose as a result of spontaneous mutation. On a Scottish farm in 1961, farmer William Ross noticed a cat with its ears turned down. She gave birth to two kittens, one of which was purchased by Ross. He registered a white female and began to create a new breed. It became clear that folded ears are a dominant trait. The degree of lop-earedness in different animals is completely different and manifests itself regardless of the genotype.

The lop-eared gene is dominant. However, at the very beginning of the formation of the Scottish Fold breed, breeders faced serious problems associated with disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Such serious complications led to the fact that in 1971 the largest felinological organization in Europe GCCF came to the conclusion that there is a direct relationship between the presence of hanging ears in a cat and similar bone anomalies. As a result, the breed was banned in its homeland of Scotland and England.

Perhaps this would be the end of the story of one of the most attractive cats, if some of them had not found a second home in America. Here in Massachusetts Science Center carnivores, under the guidance of geneticist Neil Todd, the nature of the inheritance of the lop-eared gene was studied in detail. Neil found that disorders of the musculoskeletal system in scottish fold ov arise only if the cat in its genotype contains a combination of only dominant genes.

Based on this, the breeders of this breed were asked to change the breeding programs (breeding programs) and stop knitting folds among themselves. For mating with folds, it was proposed to use straights - cats with ordinary erect ears.

Photo Lop-eared kittens (click to enlarge):

Characteristics of the Scottish Fold

The Scottish Fold has relatively low requirements and does not require special handling. To be happy, he needs a clean environment, plenty of feed and above all the sympathy of its owners.
Scottish fold cats have a sense of humor and frolic when the owners play and laugh with him. One of his appearance already brings a good mood to any person.

The head of the Scottish Fold cat is well rounded, with a firm chin and developed jaws. The muzzle should have prominent and well-rounded whisker pads. The head smoothly passes into a short strong neck. Cheeks are well developed, especially in Scottish cats.

Eyes wide open. Large, round, set wide apart. The color of the eyes basically corresponds to the color of the coat. The nose of the Scottish Fold is wide with a slight transition. A small stop is allowed, but a noticeable stop is considered a disadvantage. The profile is soft, moderately streamlined. The ears are folded forward and down. Small, the smaller the better. Small, well-built ears are preferred. The ears of a lop-eared cat should be set in such a way as to emphasize the rounded skull. The tips of the ears should be rounded.

The body is of medium size, rounded, proportionate at the level of the shoulders and croup. The cat is of strong, dense build, but without a hint of beefiness or lack of mobility due to short, rough limbs. The feet are very neat and well rounded, with five toes on the front feet and four on the hind feet. Scottish Fold cats can be slightly smaller than cats. The tail is medium to long, but in proportion to the body.

The coat of the Scottish Fold is short, dense, plush, uniform. The texture of the coat may vary by color or by regional and seasonal variations. The length of the coat is medium-long to long. Abundant hair on the muzzle and on the body is desirable, but short hair is allowed on the muzzle and limbs. "Panties", tail feathering, tufts between toes and ear feathering must be clearly visible, a ruff is desirable. A serious disadvantage of adult animals is wadded wool.

Photo Lop-eared kittens (click to enlarge):

colors Scottish cats

All cats are gray at night, but what do they look like during the day? Let's take a closer look at the patterns on the coats of Scottish cats. It's hard to find two dressed exactly alike. These fashionistas have many more outfits in their wardrobe than the British ones, and there are about two hundred colors, for the description of which cattery breeders use mostly English terminology.

Black Scottish Fold English word tabby, according to some sources, was first applied to oriental moiré fabrics. The literal translation from English tabby is a tabby cat. This is the main, so-called "wild" color, inherent in many wild animals, especially cubs.

Most prominent representative feline with such a color - a tiger. Therefore, this color was called brindle. In English, this color is called mackerel, because to the British it resembles mackerel fish, or mackerel. A brindle Scottish cat must have an "M" pattern on the forehead, three closed rings in the form of a necklace on the chest, rings on the legs and tail.

The tabby includes three more colors that come from the main, striped. If the strips are interrupted along the length, then spots appear. A spotted pattern appears, in English spotted. Ideally, in a spotted pattern, the spots should not merge anywhere, forming stripes. The third version of the tabby is a marbled pattern, or blotched. In this case, the strips are not even, but fancifully bent, forming intricate patterns. This color is also called classic tabby. It allows a combination of even stripes on the back and rings and even more. intricate patterns on the sides and shoulders.

Scottish fold silver-black marble The fourth tabby color is Abyssinian, or ticked. It was first discovered in Abyssinian cats. It is formed due to ticking, that is, zone staining with rings of each hair, while the tip should be dark. This color resembles a hare or rabbit fur coat. All tabby colors consist of a combination of basic solid colors: white, silver, black, red, blue and lightened options: chocolate, cream, lilac. Scottish cat can be dressed in a plain fur coat. This color is called solid.

The next group consists of tipped colors, which are formed as a result of incomplete dyeing of hairs. When staining only the tips of the hairs, about 1/5 of the length, shadow colors appear. When dyeing half of the hair, “smoke” colors are obtained.

It has been observed that Scottish cats, unlike British cats, love White color. Many colors in the Scottish breed are associated with the presence of white spots of various sizes, these are the so-called piebald colors. These include harlequin - White background with spots of a different color, arranged randomly and having any shape. The color of the spots is the main color. Bicolors - white color occupies about half of the total color.

Tortoiseshell colors in Scottish cats resemble tortoise shells. They are characterized by a combination of spots different color red (cream) and black (chocolate, blue, purple). The color can consist of two primary colors, for example, blue-cream, lilac-cream. Tricolors and particolors - a combination of tortoiseshell and white.

As a rule, all tortoiseshell colors are inherent only in cats. Scottish cats allow such colorful “clothes” only for their chosen ones, and they themselves “dress” more modestly. If in the rarest cases a cat of such a tortoiseshell color appears, then it will certainly turn out to be sterile.

Photo Lop-eared kittens (click to enlarge):

Feeding lop-eared kittens

Proper and timely feeding is the key to good health and longevity of your pet. When choosing a diet, remember that a cat is a predator by nature, meat must be present in its menu.

The cat refuses to feed the kittens, what can be replaced with cat's milk?

Use milk replacer for newborn kittens. For example, "Royal Canin Babycat Milk" or "Beaphar Kitty Milk". These products are made from highly digestible whey and are very similar in composition and taste to natural cat milk.

Should kittens be given vitamins?

If you feed with natural products, you need to add vitamins, minerals (calcium) and taurine to your food. Ready-made balanced feeds "Premium" and "Super Premium" classes already contain all the necessary nutrients and minerals for proper development kitten.

Is it better to feed a kitten, dry food or pates?

Pates can be alternated with dry food, the interval between feedings is at least 2 hours. If the kitten is fed only soft food (pates), plaque forms on the teeth, the teeth change later, since there is no load on them, the kitten may generally forget how to chew. Dry food cleans teeth well from plaque. Special food for small kittens can be given from 4 weeks. On food packages, the manufacturer indicates how much to give. Measure exactly as directed and do not overfeed. Make sure that water is always freely available, this is very important when feeding artificial dry food.

Photo Lop-eared kittens (click to enlarge):

Scottish Fold kitten care

From childhood, a Scottish kitten must be taught to daily care, then in the future he will understand that examining his ears, eyes, teeth, grooming is part of his life.

Once every two weeks, we examine the cat's ears: the shells should be clean, without a rash, plaque, and an unpleasant odor. With a cotton swab, carefully clean the ear canal. In a healthy animal, sulfur is light, odorless. Often at the end of the ear grow longer hairs - "brushes". They need to be removed. To do this, hold the tip of the ear with the fingers of one hand, and with the other at this time we cut off the hairs or pluck them (gently).

The eyes of British and Scottish fold cats, as a rule, do not require special care. In the morning, sometimes a dark coating accumulates in the corners of the eyes, which is removed with boiled water applied to a soft cloth or napkin. Purulent discharge is unacceptable and is the reason for going to the doctor.

Inspection and cutting of claws is done every 2-3 weeks. Before cutting, look at the claw in the light: it contains a blood vessel that must not be touched. For haircuts, it is better to use special tongs - a nail cutter, which can be purchased at pet stores.

The coat of the animal also requires care. The British is the only shorthaired breed that likes to be combed against the coat. 2 times a week with a metal and massage brush we comb the hair first in the direction of hair growth, and then against it. This is a wonderful massage. Comb the hair first on the back, along the sides, on the chest. Cheeks and neck are massaged "towards the muzzle", i.e. against wool. After combing, excess hair is removed with wet hands or a special rubber mitt.

Toilet for a cat

For a cat litter, you need to choose a secluded, but accessible place. The most convenient is the toilet or bathroom. It is strictly forbidden to place a toilet tray in the places of rest and eating of the animal. The tray is cleaned with non-toxic, odorless detergents, best of all with baby soap and a specially designated sponge. If possible, the tray should be as large as possible - big size and with curved sides (this is convenient not for the cat, but for the owner).

Currently, pet stores have a large selection of litter for toilets. Keep the toilet clean every day, change the substrate partially as you use it.

At first, you need to make sure that the kitten correctly determines the place of its tray. As soon as the baby starts to fuss, finely touch with his paws, squat, dig in the wrong place, take him to the toilet tray and make sure that he used it. Praise him, caress him.

A place to sleep and rest

A cat's favorite sleeping mattress is a flat pillow about ten centimeters thick. It is desirable to raise the bed above the floor.

Place for sharpening claws

In order for the claws to be always "ready for battle", cats sharpen them several times a day, while they mark the boundaries of their personal territory with the help of a secret secreted by the sebaceous glands on the toes.

To protect your furniture from cat claws, carpets, walls, buy or make yourself a special post for the point of claws. The height of the column must be at least 40 centimeters.

Training a kitten to "Scratching post"

Bring the kitten to the post several times a day, especially after sleeping. Reward your kitten for good behavior. During the training period, those places that the kitten tries to scratch must be covered (with plastic, film). You can rub orange peel on problem areas, and if you leave home, then tie the peel to the place of scratching. The most severe punishment for a kitten should be a sharp cry "No!". Be consistent and persistent.

The expressive appearance of the cat breed, called the "Scottish Fold", cannot be confused with anyone. Her graceful body is covered with velor wool, elastic and silky. The tips of small, widely spaced ears are bent forward and down. The more the auricle is closed, the better the breed is expressed. In this contrast and without that big eyes seem huge, and the round cheeky muzzle of the animal just wants to be called a face. Whoever saw the meek, expressive look of the Scottish Fold falls in love with him forever.

The Scottish Fold has blood brothers who differ only in the shape of their ears. This is clearly seen in the photo, which shows one month old kittens of the same litter. At this age, it becomes clear who will be lop-eared, and whose ears will remain standing. An individual without a genetic mutation is called a Scottish Straight.

Behavior and habits

Scottish fold cat has a lively, inquisitive character. Kittens are especially cute, they are playful and well trained. Therefore, it makes sense to give such a baby to your child so that they frolic and grow together. good pedagogical method for raising children, there will be an indication of how quickly the kitten learns the rules of living in the house. A clean animal gets used to the toilet in a day and will not allow itself, even in the heat of games, to miss its visit, leaving a puddle in the wrong place. The same can be said about the scratching post: a trained animal will not.

It is not in the nature of the Scottish Fold cat breed to climb the curtains to the ceiling. Parkour on furniture from room to room is also excluded. Growing up, the animal becomes more sedate, but always happy new toy with a jingling ball or with feathers. Observing the behavior of a cat while playing with a ball in a maze, one can notice a keen interest, perseverance and signs of a kind of “cat intelligence”.

Scottish Fold cats are very affectionate. Their benevolence extends to everyone around them, including other domestic animals and strangers who came to visit. The second favorite place for them after their couch is your knees, on which they settle down and lie for a long time. Some breeders note that at such moments, from the fullness of feelings, cats may begin to lick the hand or face of their owner.

"Scots" easily adapt to the environment. They can live in a large family or become a devoted companion to a lonely person.

Special cats

Scottish folds have breed characteristics associated with hereditary genetics in relation to the spine and joints. Animals easily straighten their bodies and stand on their hind legs, pressing their front legs to their chest and stomach. Such acrobatics is necessary for them to unload the musculoskeletal system. It looks amazingly effective. The Internet is filled with videos and photos of Scottish Fold cats frozen in the pose of a meerkat looking around.

One of the YouTube videos shows how the owner of the Scottish fold taught him to stand up with a candle and freeze during the performance of the Russian anthem.

The description of the breed also notes the ability to train. Acting gently and consistently, you can learn the simplest commands “sit”, “come to me”, “no”.

Another feature of the Scottish Fold cat breed is silence. The pet has a raspy voice that is rarely used. Her meow sounds like a conversation - a touching cascade of sounds separated by short pauses.

Exterior

The animal is fully formed by the age of three, after which its exterior can be assessed. Full description Scottish fold cat breed gives the standard adopted in 1994:

Medium sized animal. However, individual individuals can weigh 5-6 kg. This is especially true for cats that are larger.
The body is compact, strong.
The legs cannot be too short or too long, this is only allowed for juniors aged 7-8 months.
Shoulders and hips are the same width.
Paws are wide, neat, rounded.
The tail is flexible, tapering towards the tip, in proportion to the body. The breed standard dictates that the tail be long.
The head is round, the chin and jaws are well developed, there are characteristic full cheeks with pronounced whisker pads.
The powerful neck is rather short than long.
Short, slightly convex nose, forming a soft profile.
The ears are small and turned inward. The more kink, the better: it emphasizes the rounded contours of the head.
Large round eyes are wide open.

Quality and color of coat, eye color

The Scottish Fold cat has a luxurious fur coat. Elastic outer hairs just above the stuffed undercoat. Thick short hair of the same length envelops the entire body of the animal and gives the impression of plush.

Scottish Folds are the only breed that can be combed against the growth of wool: this does not cause any protest. The Scottish Fold longhair cat will not tolerate such treatment.

The description of the breed of another representative of the Scottish Folds - the Scottish Fold longhair cat, in all respects corresponds to the characteristics of the shorthair, with the exception of the length of the fur.

The color of the "Scots" can be monochrome: blue, purple, black, chocolate, red. Multicolor coloring combines two or three colors, including white. In addition, there are lop-eared cats - “patchwork turtles”. Very rare and valuable animals have fur coats with symmetrical patterns.

The breed standard requires eye color to match the colors. Honey yellow, orange eyes should be in cats with coat inherited from distant ancestors— the British. Multi-colored cats have an emerald, blue iris, white individuals often have eyes of different shades.

Health and Care

The gene that twists the ears can lead to osteochondrodysplasia of the musculoskeletal system. An exterior sign indicating this disease is a short, partially or completely immobile tail. In the selection process, such individuals are rejected and not used in breeding. Buying a Scottish Fold kitten from breeders guarantees good health and compliance with the standard, the price ranges from 5-10000 to 25000Ᵽ, depending on how close the exterior of the baby is to the standard.

It is important to know: breeding work is carried out in pairs - a lop-eared animal + an individual with straight ears. Mating occurs between Scottish Folds and Scottish Straights. Offspring from other breeds, such as British, may not be viable.

Care should be taken to care for the eyes and ears. Every morning they must be wiped with cotton sponges dipped in warm boiled water.

Future owners are worried about how small, folded ears are affecting hearing ability. Animals have the same acute hearing, catch the steps of the owner long before his arrival and rush to meet him at the front door.

Mandatory ritual - daily combing of wool. This is an easy task: the fur of Scottish Fold cats is not prone to rolling and tangles. follows as needed, using special shampoos and conditioners: this will make your pet simply irresistible.

High-quality nutrition for Scottish folds can prevent diseases of the internal organs, food allergies. Experienced breeders recommend feeding this sensitive breed premium ready-to-eat foods, sometimes switching them to a hypoallergenic or low protein diet.

Care, care, rational nutrition, constant communication will make the cat happy - and in the eyes of your beauty you will read reciprocal love and devotion.