How to care for a Fold Scottish kitten?

Scottish Fold kittens are considered one of the most adorable pets. They have a docile character, good health and get along well with other pets. In order for the baby to turn into a beautiful big cat and become a faithful friend for many years, it must be provided with the correct diet and proper care.

Scots from birth have straight ears, which take on their final shape by the age of three months of the kitten. This breed is often confused with the British, but its representatives are characterized by their own characteristics. Unlike the former, the Fold Scots are characterized by an even character, gentleness and complaisance. British cats, on the other hand, are independent and arrogant. In addition, handsome fold-eared men are very smart and easy to learn, they never scratch furniture, do not tear curtains or break vases.

Scottish Folds are in excellent health and can live up to 15 years with proper care. The legs and neck of cats are short and powerful, they have well-developed muscles. Unlike other breeds of cats, the Scots have small triangular ears that are tightly pressed against the skull, their tips are directed slightly downward due to the specific structure of the cartilage.

Before you have a Scottish Fold baby in your home, you need to be prepared for the fact that he will require a lot of attention to his person.The baby should not only receive good nutrition and care, but also have constant communication with the owners. The main feature of this breed is considered to be the inability to meow; instead, representatives of the feline genus make sounds that resemble a creak. In addition, these cats can move and sit only on their hind legs and love to sleep on their backs.

Lop-eared Scots are usually ready for independent life at 2-3 months of life, it is at this time that they are weaned from their mother, but before getting this kitten, you need to carefully prepare everything.

• First of all, you should purchase utensils from which the baby will eat and drink. It is best to give preference to bowls made of stainless steel or porcelain, and a container made of food-grade plastic may work. Additionally, you will need to buy toys, a house and a litter tray. Since the kitten will need to be periodically shown to the veterinarian, it is necessary to buy a spacious carrier, it will also come in handy during trips to the country.
• The next stage of preparation will be the drawing up of the daily regimen and the selection of a balanced diet. At first, it is not recommended for the little handsome man to give dry food.
• The final step will be to prepare the place for placing the house. It should be protected from drafts and not noisy so that the pet can rest comfortably (Fold Scots are big sleepyheads). When the animal gets used to its new habitat, it will gradually begin to explore the entire space of the room. During this period, the baby needs to be given maximum attention and give him affection.

Scottish cats are undemanding in content, but in order to properly follow them to look after, it is necessary first of all to study their basic habits and character.

• Absolutely all representatives of the Scottish Fold breed are considered clean animals and like to have their own place, where they sometimes prefer to be alone.

• These kittens are usually purchased at the age of 2 months, after which the pussies need to be provided with proper care, taking into account the following points:

1. balanced and timely nutrition;
2. the presence of a scratching post and a clean toilet;
3. arrangement of a sleeping place.

• The main thing in the care of the Scots is the organization of the toilet, which includes the constant replacement of the filler. Experts recommend using the type of filler that was used in the cattery where the kitten lived. Thanks to this, the baby does not have to adapt for a long time. The choice of a toilet tray also plays a huge role: if the Scotsman does not like it, is placed in an inconvenient place or is not cleaned in time, the kitten goes to the toilet in any other place. If this happens, you cannot punish the animal, this will not lead to good results, but, on the contrary, will cause aggression.

• Equally important is the arrangement of a sleeping place. The pet should have a comfortable house where it can sleep and hide. If the sleeping place is organized correctly, then the kitten will not sleep in the wrong places and annoy with its presence. The pet's house needs to be cleaned and washed periodically. A scratching post and toys (mice, balls, etc.) are indispensable additions to the Scotsman's dwelling.

• An integral part of caring for Fold Scots is hygiene procedures, including:

1. hair and ear care;
2. timely bathing;
3. trimming and cleaning nails;
4. examination of the eyes.

• Since the representatives of this breed have a specific structure of the ears, they need to pay great attention to performing regular cleaning. The cleaning procedure is simple: turn each ear in turn and gently wipe the auricle with a damp swab.If after cleaning the tampon there are traces of light sulfur, it means that the pet is healthy. When a specific and unpleasant odor appears, which is accompanied by yellow sulfur discharge, it is necessary to immediately show the baby to the veterinarian, as this may indicate the presence of an infectious disease.

• The eyes also require special care: in Scots, the lacrimal canal is often infected. If they are not examined or cleaned, brown or purulent discharge may appear. To prevent this, the kitten should daily wipe the corners of the eyes with a damp swab.

• Your pet needs to trim its claws several times a month. This must be done carefully, without damaging the blood vessels. It is best to teach the cat to this procedure from early childhood, this will facilitate further care. It is advisable to cut the claws with special scissors, which can be purchased at any pet store. A scratching post will also help to clean the claws.

• The cartilage and bones of the Scots are very fragile, therefore, you need to pay special attention to caring for the oral cavity of the animal, which consists of regular examination of the teeth and cleaning them from plaque and stone. The cat's teeth should be white, without blotches, and the gums should be pink. If wounds are noticed in the mouth, you should immediately seek the advice of a specialist who will prescribe treatment. In this case, the Fold Scotsman is prohibited from giving solid food until he fully recovers.

• Since cats of this breed are distinguished by cleanliness, when keeping them, you need to properly organize the care of the fur, providing combing and bathing with the use of special lotions. Because cats have thick hair, licking often clogs the intestinal tract. Water procedures and regular combing with wooden or plastic combs with wide teeth will help to avoid this. By ensuring proper coat hygiene, you don't have to worry about fleas and ticks.

A Fold Scottish kitten needs to eat right. Since representatives of this breed have a tendency to rapidly gain weight, their portions should be limited from childhood and the diet should be monitored so that it is complete. Many owners, after acquiring pussies, prefer to give them the same feed that was used in the nursery, but this is wrong. When compiling a diet, the following recommendations should be considered:

• Fold-eared Scots can only be fed with natural food intended exclusively for cats;
• it is allowed to add canned foods, wet mixtures and dry food to the daily diet of pets;
• you can periodically combine natural food with artificial.

When feeding a kitten with canned foods, you need to remember that they should not contain dyes and preservatives. Supplements in the form of useful trace elements and vitamins will not interfere with the baby. Prohibited foods include:

• legumes;
• raw fish;
• potato;
• all kinds of herbs and spices.

Recommended products include:

• boiled or raw vegetables;
• dietary meat of rabbit, chicken and turkey (it is pre-boiled and chopped);
• low-fat fermented milk products;
• sea ​​fish (it is cleaned of bones and boiled);
• all types of cereals mixed in the same proportion with fish or meat.

Usually, little Scots get used to the place of the toilet from an early age, while still in the nursery. After acquiring an animal and settling it in a new place, it needs some time to adapt.Therefore, the owners of the fluffy should pay special attention to the toilet, choosing the filler of the same brand as it was before. Scottish kittens love when the toilet is filled with silica gel, as it makes rustling sounds. In addition, this filler perfectly retains unpleasant odors.

Sometimes it happens that the acquired baby is not familiar with the rules for making a cat litter. In this case, it must be immediately accustomed to the tray, otherwise the animal will remain in the habit of relieving itself anywhere. Placement of the tray in an easily accessible place for the kitten will help facilitate the habituation process, but it should be hidden from prying eyes.... It is best to allocate space for a toilet in a pantry or bathroom, but the door there must be constantly open.

Despite the fact that the Fold Scots are famous for their good health, they can still show various types of diseases, among which the "hard tail" is considered common. This disease is characterized by the formation of some seals on the tail, caused by a gene mutation, and is usually noticed after several weeks from the birth of a kitten. Such seals not only create painful sensations for the animal, but can also lead to paralysis or death. To prevent this, you need to purchase kittens only in specialized nurseries, where they are vaccinated. After a small miracle has appeared in the house, it is important to make sure that it receives all the necessary vaccinations. It should be noted that only a healthy cat can be vaccinated.

The first vaccination is usually performed at the age of three months of the Scotsman; for this, a complex vaccine is used, the action of which is simultaneously directed against several diseases. The reaction is monitored three weeks after vaccination, and this vaccination is then given every year. When the kitten reaches the age of 3 to 6 months, they are vaccinated against ringworm, and they are vaccinated against rabies a year. Any owner can get more detailed information about the types and timing of vaccination from a veterinarian who will register the pet and mark the vaccinations in his passport.

Caring for a Fold Scotsman is described in the following video.