Scottish fold cat breed

SCOTTISH FOLD, IT'S ALL ABOUT EARS

Scottish Fold

A very interesting breed of cats, that was not a result of a cross breeding, but a creation of nature itself. One very ordinary cat, living on a very ordinary farm in Scotland, gave birth to a very unordinary kitten. It had unusually curved ears, a result of a spontaneous mutation.

Appearance:

Scottish fold cats are of medium size with slender legs and round paws. Their muzzle has a distinctive strong chin and a wide short nose. Eyes are large and wide-set, with a multitude of possible colors (depending on the color of their coat). Their short fur tightly fits to their bodies, soft to the touch, rather thick and can be of various colors.

The most distinctive feature of these cats - ears. They are folded so much, that the upper part of the ear hangs down, covering the ear hole. It is commonly agreed upon that the value of any particular individual of this breed depends on how tightly their ears are pressed against the head (the tighter the better).

Character:

Scottish fold cats will usually choose one member of the family as their owner and are very loyal to him\her to the point of following them around like a tail. They will quickly feel lonely without their owner (or any other person they can communicate with in general) and constantly seek close contact and attention to themselves. If you don't stay at home a lot - Scottish fold is not for you.

Scottish fold cats are very sweet creatures that can quickly adapt to a new environment. And, what is more important, will not panic in unfamiliar places (veterinary clinic, cat exhibition, etc).

They have a soft and flexible character and quiet voice, which is very important for a lot of people. And they use their voice in a very rarely, mostly to notify that their food bowl is empty or their toilet tray is full. And even in these cases they don't raise their voice.

Despite their affection they prefer to be around their owner instead of being on top of him\her, so they won't spend much time on your lap or shoulders. Scottish fold cats are very sociable, and quickly make new friends, be it other pets, guests or new members of the family. They feel very comfortable in a noisy company of children.

Scottish fold cats are very calm, tamed. They won't run around the room making a mess and demolishing curtains, cabinets and flower vases. Although they don't mind active games. As a rule Scottish fold cats are very obedient and intelligent cats, you won't have to yell at them, they will quickly understand the rules of behavior in your house.

If you are a busy person and spend little time at home, but you plan on buying yourself a Scottish Fold cat, get a dog as well. Then your pets will not feel lonely without you.

Health:

Unfortunately, these cats suffer from hereditary skeletal anomalies - osteochondrodystrophy, which can cause permanent severe pain, and is caused by the same gene that is responsible for the distinctively folded ears. Careful selective breeding and cross breeding reduces the risk such disease, but can not completely eliminate it.

Scottish fold kittens with a thick short tail are most susceptible to this skeletal disease. While Scottish fold kittens with ordinary (straight) ears are not susceptible to skeletal anomalies (due to lack of the aforementioned gene).

Care:

Scottish fold cats do not require much care. Since their fur is short and thick it is enough to comb it once or twice a week (mainly to remove dead hairs).

But it is important to clean their ears. Earwax formations can cause a lot of problems due to unusual structure of the ears.