Scottish Fold cats: types of color, nature and rules of keeping

The Scottish Fold cat is easily distinguished from other breeds by its unique drooping ears. Initially, such ears were considered a defect of the cat, and the animals did not enjoy the love of their owners, but over time everything changed. In 1974, the first exhibition of the breed in the USA took place, which ended in a tremendous delight of spectators and felinologists. In Russia, the Scots are just beginning to gain popularity among amateurs and breeders. Let's take a closer look at the history of these unique cats, their characteristics, the nuances of keeping animals at home.

A fold-eared cat or Scottish Fold is a native of Scotland, it was there that she eventually got to the United States, and then to Europe. For Russia, the breed is still exotic, it has not yet gained sufficient popularity.

The history of lop-eared cats begins in Eurasia. In the 19th century, animals were first mentioned in literary works, in particular, the moment when a cat was brought to England from China, outwardly very similar to the Scottish breed, is described. Another source of mention of the animal is the magazine "World Knowledge and Hobbies" published in 1796, which also contains data about a cat exported to Europe. But how true this information is, it is difficult to say now, since the trail of these cats has been lost.

On the Scottish islands themselves, the breed was first mentioned in 1961. It was at this time that farmer William Ross saw a cat with bowed ears at his neighbors, her name was Susie. Susie was born from an ordinary cat, without any changes in appearance, only later it turned out that drooping ears are a sign of a gene mutation. A few years later, Susie's cat gave birth to a litter of only a couple of kittens with a characteristic ear shape. At the request of William's wife, one baby was sent to the farm, and from that moment the history of breeding unique cats began.

In 1970, the name "Scottish Fold" was officially assigned to the breed, and the Ross family, actively breeding such cats, turned to genetic scientists for help. This is how Denisla kennel appeared. In 1972, the Scots entered a dark period in their history. At this time, a ban on breeding cats of this breed came into force. The reasons for the ban were associated with the structural peculiarity of the ears of cats, which caused difficulties in processing the auricle from the ear mite. In addition, the appearance in the litter of snow-white kittens with blue eyes, which were mostly deaf, was a problem.

At the moment, these problems are irrelevant and almost completely eliminated, however, in England itself, the Scottish Fold breed is not officially recognized to this day. But you can breed it. The presence of the fold (or folding) gene has become the reason for the refusal to enter the breed in some countries of the world. This gene is responsible for creating abnormalities in the development of the skeletal system. To avoid this, geneticists have found a way to properly select animals for crossing. The main postulate was that a lop-eared cat should never be bred with cats with drooping ears.

Kittens brought in the litter from two healthy parents are divided into two groups: Scottish fold (lop-eared) and Scottish straight (erect ears). Usually there will always be one Fold kitten in each litter. If you want to breed cats yourself, you can take Scottish Straights as a partner.

Scottish Folds, like their British shorthaired cousins, are large cats. The body of the animal is squat, the body is well developed, the muscles are elastic, easily palpable. The neck is short, round, powerful. The head is rather large, well developed, the chin is round, well defined, as are the cheeks. The eyes are wide open, clear, most often colored in amber shades, although there are also representatives with green and blue eyes.

The main feature of the breed is its ears. They droop, their tips touching the head from the side of the eyebrows, tightly pressed. The tail is long, tapering to the tip, mobile.Paws are large, powerful, rather fluffy.

Color options are varied: from pure colors to mixing shades and patterns. There are cats with tortoiseshell, tabby, smoky, silver chinchilla, marbled, snow-white and others. Newborn kittens Scottish Fold are born with blue eyes and already pressed, but not completely, ears, over time, the ears will bend more in the cartilage area. Scottish Straight kittens are born with erect ears, and these ears cannot be bent in any way. The coat of a small kitten is long, light, airy.

Fold Scots are friendly and affectionate cat breeds. The character of the animal is calm, persistent, it easily tolerates the gripping of small children. A cat will never hurt a person, will not bite or scratch him if she does not like something. Therefore, a Scotsman can be safely taken into a family where there is a small child.

In the house, the animal does not manage, does not scatter objects, does not dig out the ground of their flower pots... It's worth noting though that this breed is very playful and doesn't miss the chance to have some fun with its favorite toy. Cats are very sympathetic, prefer to be in a circle of people, do not tolerate loneliness, requires communication and affection. They often spend time on the owner's lap or in his bed. But at the same time they remain independent creatures.

As a rule, the Scots rarely give a voice, most often they purr. The animal's voice is quite squeaky, slightly harsh or squeaky. The cat will not wake you up at night with his chants or persistently beg for food with shouts. Scottish Fold cats are not shy, they are not afraid of loud or rustling sounds. Curious. They easily get along with other animals, are friends with birds, dogs, chinchillas.

The positive qualities of the animal include its character: the cat has a calm disposition, he is friendly. The Scotsman is hospitable, he treats a person with respect.

The Scots, thanks to their extraordinary intelligence, easy to train, courage allows animals to perform at various exhibitions. The cat can be taught to give its paw, walk on its hind legs, perform simple tricks.

Lop-eared cats can easily learn to use the litter box and tolerate water procedures. Some individuals enjoy swimming in open water sources.

Of the minuses, it is worth highlighting the price of the breed. If you are going to purchase a purebred animal, you will have to pay up to 40 thousand rubles. Cats without a pedigree are much cheaper, about 4 thousand rubles, but this does not guarantee that they will sell you a Scotsman, and not an animal with an operation on the ears. Moreover, such individuals may have major health problems in the future.

Other disadvantages include the health of purebred cats. Some Scots suffer from osteochondroplasia. This is a hereditary disease associated with damage to the bone tissue of the joints, cartilage, and manifested by a slowdown in bone growth. This ailment can be fatal.

Other common Scottish Fold diseases: chondrodystrophy, arthritis, arthrosis. These diseases usually occur due to improper mating of animals. Therefore, before buying an animal, you should carefully study the pedigree of the animal, right down to the ancestors of the cat. Scots can also suffer from volvulus. Adult animals are susceptible to the development of glaucoma, cataracts.

Like all animals, the Fold breed may show signs of allergies, scabies, or cutaneous eczema. Deafness is also an eternal companion of the breed, it can be complete or partial. Diseases of the cardiovascular and digestive system, the bladder develop in old animals or with improper care of the cat.

On average, a cat lives for about 15 years, which is quite a long time for a pet. However, there are individuals that live up to 20 years or more. Also, the sterilization of the animal also affects the life expectancy. Pedigree cats, for whatever reason, found themselves on the street, as a rule, live up to 7 years. Giving birth to a cat and keeping kittens takes a lot of energy from the mother, and this affects her health. The same goes for domestic Scots.

Another factor affecting a pet's life is hereditary diseases. The lop-ear gene, although it made these cats unique, plays a cruel joke with them, causing the development of osteochondroplasia.

The Scottish Fold is not a British Shorthair breed. At the beginning of its history, the individual was mated with a British, which is why the kittens received external signs from the British, and became similar to them: this is the color of the coat, its length and shape, the color of the eyes, the size of the animal's body. The exterior of the British cat is different from the Scots, although the British are just as large, the chin and cheeks of the animal are well expressed. The difference in the two breeds can also be replaced in the structure of the paws. For the Scots, they are more graceful and thin, long.

The easiest way to determine which breed is in front of you is to look at the ears of the animal. But keep in mind that Scots with straight ears are also almost indistinguishable from the British. All British kittens are born with erect ears. Scottish Straights belong to the Scottish breed, as only a fold cat can bring them in a litter. In fact, erect ears can be partly considered the uniqueness of this breed.

Pets are also distinguishable in character. The British shorthaired breed is very aristocratic and arrogant, there may be a certain coldness towards the owners. She does not tolerate affection, squeezing. All these affections come only with her permission, when she wants. The Scots, on the other hand, are extremely loving animals, they are always happy to be stroked, played, and various events.

Lop-eared cats are not very active in voice, but they purr to the owner. If you plant two breeds of the same color next to each other, and start talking, playing with them, it will immediately become clear which of them is who.

Fold Scots come in a variety of colors. Let's consider the most common colors of this breed.

• Monochromatic... Monochromatic colors are called "solid" in another way. There are no patterns or ticking on the animal's fur.

• White. The coat is of a snow-white shade, shiny, smooth. The cat's eyes are colored golden or blue. In white cats, heterochromia can be observed - this is when the eyes are painted in different colors. This feature does not affect the health of the animal in any way. The cat's nose and legs are light pink.

• Black. The skin is charcoal, without hints of reddishness, grayness.The eyes stand out, they are light, blue, yellow. The feet and nose are black.

• Blue. This color is not similar to the standard blue color, the coat of the animal only slightly resembles a gray-blue tint. The color is the same as that of the British. The coat is dense, plush, evenly colored. The iris of the eye in a contrasting shade: gold, amber, slightly orange. The nose is blue-gray, dark, similar to the shade of the coat, the paw pads are the same color.

• Purple. Unusual color of the animal. The color is complex, difficult to convey. Outwardly similar to milky, but with an admixture of a purple hue, cold, slightly smoky. On some individuals, patterns of a spotted pattern can be traced. Such animals are considered the rarest. The nose is colored in the same color as the paws. The eyes are amber or pale, blue-gray.

• Red... The coat is red, with a reddish tint. Eyes, nose and paws do not stand out in color - everything is in a reddish-amber range.

• Brown. Another unique color of the Fold Scots. Also called cinnamon or cinnamon. The coat is light brown with a warm reddish undertone. The eyes are golden. The nose and feet are brick pink.

• Tabby. The tabby color is characterized by the presence of a different pattern on the body of the animal. A distinctive feature is the letter "M", located on the forehead of the cat, between the brow ridges. The pattern is in the form of stripes, dots, blur.

• Striped. A classic pattern made in vertical continuous thin stripes located throughout the animal's skin. Moving away from the back, the stripes create a tiger-skin effect. On the neck, they imitate a necklace in the form of wide rings, the same rings are on the tail of a cat. The tip of the tail is completely dark in color. In this case, the color of the coat can be red, gray, white, milky. The pattern is usually contrasting: black, gray or dark red.

• Spotted. As the name implies, the skin of the cat is decorated with spots and dots instead of stripes. The outlines of the picture can be clear or blurred. In this case, the pattern on the paws and tail of the animal is made in the form of rings. On the back, the specks are collected in a cluster, smoothly passing onto the head of the animal. Coat color is just as varied, with the exception of the pure red color.

• Marble... The stripes are wide, without interruption, like a blurred line. Outwardly, the pattern resembles marble, especially on a gray skin. On the sides, the lines form circles with a spot in the center, and then they diverge to the back and legs of the animal. The tail is decorated with wide rings, the tip is completely colored. Paws are ringed, as is the neck. Cat's coat color: gray, red, smoky, white. The drawing is dark, saturated.

• Brown. The animal's coat has a light brown tone, the chest, as a rule, is several tones lighter, almost milky. The stripes are dark, bright. The nose and eyes are in black edging, the paw pads are black, dark brown.

• Creamy. The lightest of all colors. The cat's fur coat is milky in color, with a pale cream pattern and a slight reddishness. The nose is pink, the legs are the same. The eyes are yellow, amber. The pattern is spotted, the stripes are weakly expressed.

• Silver. Cats are gray with a dark pattern. The animal's chest and abdomen are lighter than the body. The color of the iris is green, blue. The nose is brown, with a slight outline. The paw pads are black. The drawing is varied. The Scots can also distinguish a color similar to the coat of chinchillas, there are several options.

• Smoky. The smoky color is similar to the chinchilla, but it is made in a dark range. Animals come in black, blue or cameo colors. The cat's undercoat is several shades lighter than the tip of the hair. A distinctive feature of cats with a smoky color is amber eyes.

• Shaded color. A complex type of color, expressed in the two colors of hairs in certain areas of the animal's body. As a rule, these are the sides, back, head and paws of the cat. You can distinguish the shaded color from the chinchillas by the edging of the eyes. It is dark, rich, well-defined.The coat color of cats can be golden, silver and red.

• Bicolor. The bicolor color is made in any color, but always with large white spots on the body of the cat. These spots are located on the cat's face, paws, abdomen, and thighs. The eyes of the animals are light or gold. Heterochromia also occurs.

• Wang. This color is similar to the color of Turkish cats of the Van breed, for which it got its name. Colored spots of black or red tones are located in the upper part of the cat's face, as if creating an eyebrow pattern. Sometimes the ears are stained, small spots appear on the sides of the animal. The tail of a cat is always colored black or red, monotonous or in the form of rings.

• Harlequin... It is expressed as a percentage of color spots to the basic tone of the coat (white). The skin of the animal is covered with spots only 1/5 part.

• Ticking. Ticking is a mixture of pigmented and low-pigmented areas of the coat. The coat can be light brown with a grayish tint. The eyes are amber, copper. Cats with a gray coat have green eyes.

• Tortoiseshell. The color is represented by a mixture of two or three colors. The mixture is based on black, complemented by gray, red and white.

In general, keeping Scottish Fold cats does not cause any difficulties. The main thing is to create a cozy, friendly atmosphere for the cat, feed it correctly and monitor the health status of the doctor. Let's take a closer look at each item.

If you took an adult cat or kitten into the house, you should definitely designate for the animal its place of sleep and toilet. For a pet, you should choose soft beds with high open sides. A house-shaped bed is also suitable. If the cat does not like the bed, and she herself has determined a place for herself to sleep, then it can be covered with a soft blanket so that the animal does not freeze, this is especially true if the cat likes to sleep on the floor.

The cat litter box can be selected according to the size of the animal, with or without a lattice. Open trays should be placed on special mats to prevent the litter from scattering all over the floor after the cat goes to the toilet. The filler should be purchased without flavors, so as not to provoke the development of allergies in the cat.... In addition, the smell of the litter can be harsh for the animal, and it will not go to the tray about its business.

It is also worth purchasing various toys for the cat. These can be mice, pens on a stick, laser pointers, or interactive kits.

If the Scotsman will be on a natural diet, then it is necessary to carefully observe the diet. Food should be rich not only in proteins, but also in all vitamins and minerals necessary for cats. It is recommended to feed your pet with fresh meat: beef, chicken, turkey, you can give offal (liver, kidneys, chicken hearts). Boil the liver and poultry meat before serving. Occasionally, a cat's diet is supplemented with sea fish. The fillet should be boiled, boneless, low-fat grade.

It is permissible to use fermented milk products such as milk, cottage cheese, kefir. Sour cream and cream are undesirable. These foods are high in fat, which has a negative effect on the digestive system of the cat, and they can also cause liver disease. Dairy products are allowed to be given to cats once a week. You should definitely offer cereals to the Scotsman. The most useful are oats, millet, rice. Porridges based on them are boiled without adding salt and oil.

If the cat will be on a special diet composed of dry and wet food, then it is necessary to purchase premium or super premium food. These products are distinguished by high quality ingredients, they are completely balanced in terms of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber content. These brands include Acana, Holistic, Grandorf and others.

For dry food, attention should be paid to the availability of fresh water and ease of access to it.

Cats are clean creatures, they calmly lick themselves, try not to get dirty and behave very carefully in the house. If there is a need to bathe the cat, then the procedure should be performed using special shampoosthat can be bought at any pet store. Swimming takes place in warm water, slowly, while the pet's muzzle should not be touched. After washing, wrap the cat with a soft towel and squeeze the water out of the coat.

The animal is placed in a warm place without drafts until completely dry, or you can resort to using a hair dryer, provided that the animal is not afraid of him. After that, start brushing the wool. For short-haired individuals, brushes with natural bristles or slicker brushes are suitable. For those with long coats, use the special combs.

Ear care comes down to treating the auricles with anti-mite lotions. Cleaning takes place with a cotton swab or cotton pad. The inner part of the ear is cleared of wax, it is worth handling the area of ​​the auditory canal with caution. If you are scared to perform these manipulations, then first you should bring the animal and the vet and ask him to explain and show how to clean the ears correctly.

If a cat has watery eyes, then this may be a sign of an allergy or the onset of an illness. In this case, the pet must be taken to the veterinary clinic for examination. Typically, the cat is given eye drops or lotions to externally clean the tear ducts. A cotton pad is moistened with the selected preparation and gently brought to the edge of the cat's eye. Attention! Do not rub the cat's eyes, you just need to blot this area.

Scots should also take good care of their oral hygiene. Once a year, the animal should visit the veterinarian for preventive tooth cleaning from calculus. At home, a cat's teeth are cleaned with a special pet tooth powder and a brush sold in veterinary pharmacies.

Cat claws are trimmed once a month. To do this, it is worth purchasing a nail clipper, it can be presented in the form of ordinary scissors, guillotine or forceps. There is no difference in work between them, so take the ones that are more familiar.

If you are against clipping your nails, then you can use colored caps. These caps are attached with glue to the nail plate of the claw, absolutely not interfering with the cat to retract and release the claws. However, the animal can chew them with ease.

Lop-eared cats are very active and they need to throw out their energy somewhere. Animals should be played with or released into the fresh air in the garden for cats to run. At home, you can teach your pet to a leash, and then take it with you on trips or walk in the park, in the yard of the house.

Breeding Scots is worth leaving to breeders and nurseries. If pairs are crossed incorrectly, there is a high probability of getting sick offspring or animals, whose defects will appear in the next generation.

Maturity in animals occurs by the 8th month of life, however, a cat or a cat that has reached the age of 1.3 years is allowed to mate. Early pregnancy of animals leads to various birth complications, death of droppings, and a reduction in fertility.

The cat meets with the chosen partner on the second day of estrus, in the cat's territory. On the first day, animals get to know each other, skirmishes, conflicts are possible. The breeding partner must meet the WFK criteria in order to produce healthy offspring. As an improvement in natural characteristics, animals of an identical color are mated, for example, do not interfere with the blue color with cinnamon, since in such cases the offspring of the tortoiseshell color, with heterochromia, is obtained.

Mating of a fold cat occurs only with Scottish straights and, conversely, a fold cat meets a cat with erect ears. Sometimes it happens that fertilization does not occur after the first meeting of animals. It is desirable that the cat stay with the cat for three days.

Pregnancy in cats lasts nine weeks. The first signs appear in the second, third week. The nipples swell, change their color, the cat consumes a lot of food. During this period, it is necessary to exclude fish delicacies from the diet, add more fermented milk products, including natural yoghurts. By the fifth week, the cat's belly is quite round, the animal has significantly increased in weight. The entire period before the onset of childbirth, the cat behaves calmly, carefully.

Before the start of labor, the pet will begin to look for a place for itself. It is possible that she will love an open cabinet or drawer. It is advisable to prepare a large cardboard box for the cat by lining it with a warm blanket or a thick layer of fabric. During childbirth, as a rule, outside help is only needed to wipe the kittens from birth mucus, cleanse the sinuses of the nose, mouth and eyes. The cat will do the rest herself.

There are from 4 to 6 kittens in a litter. The first days of life, my mother actively cares for and feeds them. At this time, do not touch the cat or try to pet the kittens, the animal will respond with aggression. When the cat gets stronger, you need to take it to the doctor for examination, and if violations are detected, immediately start treating them.

As soon as the kittens reach the age of one and a half months, the babies should be registered in the club. The institution records all the characteristics of kittens: gender, body size, color, and so on. Then it is necessary to give the kids a veterinary passport, to deliver all the necessary vaccinations.

Selling animals is desirable in adulthood, somewhere around 4-5 months of age. During this period, they will learn how to behave correctly with a person, where their place is, the tray, they will learn to eat natural food or dry food.

The owners leave positive reviews about this breed, they say that cats are very friendly, non-aggressive, love to play, affectionate and obedient. The breed does not require special feed. Most of the difficulties are associated with caring for the ears, since the structure of the auricles causes the inconvenience of cleaning the auditory canals, however, with the advent of experience, everything changes.

Families with small children also speak positively about the Scots, because such cats are good to children, do not resist their caresses. However, there have been cases of fraud from breeders. The phenomenon is rare, but in order not to get into a mess carefully, study the documentation for the cat, in case of any doubts it is worth abandoning the proposed kitten.

For more information on Scottish Fold cats, see the next video.