Scottish Fold, or Scottish Fold: Characteristics, Character, Specificity in Caring

Kittens "Scottish Fold" are born with standing ears. Only in the third or fourth week of life, the ears start to fall, and by the twelfth week they "lie down" on the head, which gives their breed such a recognizable appearance. However, this process does not occur in all animals even in one litter. Scottish cats with ordinary ears are called Scottish straight, and, although they are admitted to exhibitions, championship titles are not awarded to all systems. Thus, these individuals are much more valuable.

So what is this beast - Scottish Scottish fold? This is a strong cat of medium size. Her body has rounded outlines. Eyes large, widely planted. The transition from the forehead to the nose is mild. Fold can be all kinds of colors, both with a long fur coat, and with a short coat. The latter have a pronounced undercoat, while the former have a silky fleece that is not prone to stalling, "jabot" and "panties". The feet should be strong, but not rough or massive.

Despite the fact that Europeans heard about "folded cats from the East" in the XIX century, the breed appeared relatively recently. The history of its origin is quite interesting and worthy to be briefly told about. In 1961, on a regular Scottish farm, a white cat named Susie was born. From the rest of the kittens in the litter it was distinguished by ears, which simply lay on the head. The hosts showed the exotic kitty to the breeders William and Mary Ross, who became interested in such a spontaneous mutation, opened the nursery "Denisla" and began to cultivate the fatality, dubbing the future breed "Scottish Fold."

Rossi breeders first knitted Susie and her descendants with British shorthair cats. However, in most kittens, the ears were only slightly bent, not "falling." It was logical to assume that it is necessary to tie two individuals with fully-hung hocks. But the result was even worse: the kittens were not born viable, with articular articulations, which led to the fusion of the vertebrae and the paralysis of the animal. It's good that by the 1970s, genetics has made some progress. The English scientist O. Jackson selected the Fd gene, which was "responsible" for both unusual shape of the ears and for the disease of the locomotor system of the Scottish Fold breed. American geneticists, led by Neil Todd, began work to save the breed. They managed to modify the gene. As a result of the breeding program, the fatness remained, and the negative "attendant factors" were eliminated.

But in order to protect yourself from accidents, acquiring kittens breed Scottish fold, it is necessary to test the mobility of their vertebrae. Slide your fingers along the spine and tail of the animal - your actions should not cause the cat any unpleasant sensations. Also, do not give preference to massive individuals (after all, the breed itself is characterized as strong and rounded) - with age their heaviness can serve them as a bad service - vertebrae can grow together.

Despite the fact that the health of Scottish Fold cats due to the above reasons is not always blooming, this breed is very popular. Scottish Fold are calm and friendly, confident, get along well with dogs and other cats, philosophically refer to running noisy children. For the long-haired version (highland fold) care is the same as for the other owners of the wavy rune - combing, combing and combing again. The short-haired version has a plush fur, behind which the cat itself takes great care.