Lop-eared kittens with large round eyes, thick cheeks and small ears, which are almost invisible, are very popular. But when buying, you need caution - this breed is best purchased only in the nursery.
Material Content:
History of origin and description of the breed
Scottish cats or Scottish folds have been known since 1961. They come from one cat, Susie, who lived on a farm in Scotland. There are several versions of the origin of this breed. According to one of them, a cat with small ears was seen by a Scottish shepherd. She was crossed with a British cat, and turned out to be a breed of fold cats. The place of origin of animals was added to the name.
The breed finally formed in the United States. The breeding involved short-haired exotics and the British. Recognition came only in 1994, and to this day the breed does not lose popularity. How much does a kitten with small ears pinned to the head cost today, the owners of Susie's cat could not even imagine.
Description of the Scottish fold cat:
- growth - about 25 cm;
- weight - up to 5 kg;
- the nose is straight, wide, without a stop;
- ears set wide;
- short powerful neck;
- big round head;
- large, round eyes;
- small hanging ears.
Scottish folds have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. The coat is short and feels like plush. Cats of this breed can be painted in any color - solid, tabby, tabby and white, two-tone and multi-color. Eyes match coat color.
The character is playful and affectionate for people. This cat is focused mainly on the person and always strives to be near him. She is calm and affectionate, gets along well with children and other family members.
Such an animal is suitable for keeping elderly people, as it does not like active games, but reacts with interest to new toys.
Criteria for choosing a kitten
Scottish cats are erect and fold. Only erect and lop-eared are knitted so that there is a healthy offspring. Diseases depend on the genetics of cats, so when buying a kitten, you need to pay attention to the health of parents.
The Scottish cat is often confused with the British, but there are many differences between them, one of them is that the British lop-eared kittens do not exist in nature. The British have only straight, erect ears. The confusion is due to the fact that the binding of Scottish folds with the British and exotics was allowed until 2004. Then it was banned, and the Scottish fold began to mate only with straights.
When buying a pet, you need to come to the breeder's home, see the conditions in which animals are kept. The kitten must have documents from the club, a veterinary certificate and an agreement with the nursery or breeder about the sale. This is the key to acquiring a healthy and thoroughbred animal.
Selection Criteria, General View of Scottish Fold:
- The kitten has a round muzzle with small tightly pressed ears.
- The tail is long and flexible, this will indicate that everything is fine with the skeleton. Otherwise, problems with the musculoskeletal system will begin by the year.
- The kitten should be active, with shiny coat and healthy skin, clean eyes and ears.
The length of the coat in animals is semi-long and short. All kittens are born with straight ears, in three weeks someone's ears fold, and the rest remain straight. Look at the tightness of the ears, the more they are pressed, the better.
Scottish fold kittens stand in the nursery from 15 thousand rubles. Show class animals or for breeding can be bought for 60 thousand rubles. and more expensive.
Care and maintenance
By the time the kitten arrives, you need to buy a scratching post, a bowl for water and food, toys, a toilet tray, a stove bench or a lodge. If several cats live in the house, you can put a game complex where animals can frolic.
A Scottish kitten, like a small child, will require patience and affection, especially at first. He will be bored, and ask for arms or, conversely, hide from everyone. From the first days of being at home, the baby will require care and attention.
Basic rules for caring for a kitten:
- Eyes can watery due to shortened tear ducts. In the morning they need to be wiped with a cotton swab dipped in clean boiled water or a decoction of chamomile. If there is redness and discharge from the eyes - this is conjunctivitis or another infectious disease, in which case they turn to the veterinarian. From "conjunctivitis" Sofradeks "drops help (3 r. Per day for 3 days).
- Ears clean the kitten twice a week with a cotton swab or disc soaked in a special tool. It is undesirable to use a cotton swab for cleaning - you can damage the baby's eardrum. If you have an unpleasant smell from the ears or a dark coating, you should consult your veterinarian, your kitten may have otitis media or, if it scratches your ears, an ear mite.
- Kitten's teeth need care. At first they are cleaned with a finger in gauze moistened with a decoction of chamomile. When the kitten grows up, you can use a baby toothbrush and cat toothpaste, which is sold in pet stores, for dental hygiene.
- The claws begin to cut a small kitten so that it can easily tolerate this procedure when it grows up. Veterinary stores sell special nail clippers. You need to trim it carefully, the very tip, it is transparent to the light, in the shaded part of the claw there is a blood vessel, it is advisable not to touch it.
- The hair of long-haired Scottish kittens needs more thorough care than that of short-haired kittens. It is advisable to purchase a furminator for them, and comb out during molting at least 2 times a week. It is often impossible to bathe kittens - they can hurt. Some owners who do not let animals out on the street prefer not to bathe them at all.
In addition to daily care, a kitten needs veterinary care. At 2 months, he is vaccinated for the first time, revaccination is given after two or three weeks. Then vaccinated annually 1 time per year.
How to feed British fold kittens
Food for Scottish fold kittens should be complete, include all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Babies are fed 4-5 times a day, and starting from 6 months, they are transferred to 3 meals a day. It is also necessary to give a special paste from 7 months to remove lumps of wool from the stomach.
Scottish kittens feeding
Food can be of three types - dry and canned food, natural products and mixed. Although experts reject the latter option, many owners focus on it.
With mixed nutrition, Scottish kittens are fed with premium dry food and canned meat or canned meat 2 times a day.
What kind of food to feed in the first days after purchase, you need to ask the breeder, a sharp change in diet can cause digestive upset in the baby.
It is useful for kittens to give raw beef, frozen for 3 days in a freezer, sour-milk products, cottage cheese. Some animals like vegetables and fruits, others don’t eat them at all. Fresh filtered water should be in the bowl daily.
Features of education
Good breeders do not allow nervous, aggressive animals to be bred, so kittens have a calm, good-natured character. The kid from the nursery will not require special education, he already knows how to go to the toilet, accustomed to prohibitions and society.
By their nature, Scottish folds are active and mobile at a young age, while they are very unobtrusive, but love communication and are happy to be able to play with the owner. They never show unreasonable aggression, get along well with pets.
What to call a fold kitten
Choosing a pet name often becomes a problem for the owner. And often it happens that during the first two months the nickname transforms or changes at all. So Boniface becomes Bonei, and Matilda - Maney. Therefore, choosing a name for a new family member, it is better to immediately dwell on short and simple options that the kitten will understand and convenient in pronunciation to the owner.
The name for the Scottish cat can be selected from the list below:
BUT
Alvin - “a noble friend” (German)
Andron - “strong” (Greek)
Antey - the “struggling” (Greek)
B
Bakhtiar - “happy” (pers.)
Beni - “blessing” (Fr.)
G
Hector - “protecting” (Greek)
Hyacinth - “by the name of the flower” (lat.)
D
Dorofei - “donated” (other Greek)
Friendliness - “friendly” (Bulgarian)
E
Jermeus - “Giving Abundance” (other Heb.)
Erofei - “holy” (Greek)
F
Zhdan - “expected” (other Russian)
Germont - “protection” (fr.)
TO
Clement - “mercy” (lat.)
Kuzma - “gift” (Greek)
Konrad - “courage” (German)
L
Leon - “like a lion” (other Greek)
Luke - “bright” (other Heb.)
M
May - “by the name of the month” (glor.)
Mansour - “Presented by Victory” (Arabic)
Moky - “mocking” (Russian)
N
Naum - “consolation” (dr. Heb.)
Noel - “darling” (fr.)
ABOUT
Olaf - “Honest” (German)
Orion - “the giant of hunters” (Greek)
P
Paris - “the name of the ruler of Troy” (Greek)
Pontius - “marine” (lat.)
R
Ruby - "gem" (bulg.)
Rufus - "red" (lat.)
FROM
Samson - “strong” (dr. Heb.)
Scott - The Scotsman
T
Theo - “God's Messenger” (lat.)
Tikhon - “luck” (Greek)
F
Felix - “happiness” (lat.)
Frederick - “wealth” (German)
E
Ewald - “Crown Prince” (Swedish)
Eric - “Fair”
Name for Scottish cat:
BUT
Abir - “tender” (Arabic)
Amira - “Queen” (Arabic)
B
Blanca - “snow-white” (French)
Brita - “strong” (Swedish)
AT
Velta - “donated” (Latvian)
Vesta - “the deity of the family hearth” (lat.)
G
Glafira - “grace” (Greek)
Gloria - “glorious” (lat.)
D
Delia - “the deity of the hunt” (lat.)
Dora - “presented” (glor.)
E
Eve - “the giver of life” (dr. Heb.)
Efrosinya - “joyful” (Greek)
3
Zamira - “playing a melody on a flute” (Arabic)
Zara - “Golden” (Pers.)
AND
Isolda - “beautiful” (Celtic)
Irma - “dedicated to the god of war” (German)
TO
Kalina - “name of the plant” (Bulgarian)
Xantha - “red, gold” (lat.)
L
Lala - “pearl” (ind.)
Lina - “lilac flower” (other Greek)
M
Mila - “dear” (Bulgarian)
Mira - “unique” (it.)
N
Naida - “found child” (Bulgarian)
Nicole - “conquering the nations” (fr.)
P
Pamela - “Honey”
Pandora - “rich in everything” (Greek)
R
Rosaura - The Golden Rose (Spanish)
Roksana - “light” (dr. Pers.)
FROM
Selma - “Beautiful” (English)
Stella - "star" (lat.)
T
Taya - “wisdom” (Greek)
Tryphena - “living luxuriously” (Greek)
At
Una - “one” (lat.)
Undine - “wave” (German)
F
Phoebe - “radiant” (Greek)
Frida - “calm” (German)
