Scottish fold kittens are born with erect ears. Only in the third or fourth week of life the auricles begin to sink, and by the twelfth week they “lie down” on the head, which gives their breed such a recognizable look. However, this process does not occur in all animals, even in one litter. Scottish cats with regular ears are called Scottish straight, and although they are allowed to exhibit, champion titles are not awarded by all systems. Thus, these individuals are valued cheaper.
So what kind of beast is Scottish Scottish fold? This is a strong cat of medium size. Her body has a rounded shape. The eyes are large, set wide. The transition from forehead to nose is soft. Lop-eared can be of all kinds of colors, both with a long coat and short. The latter have a pronounced undercoat, while the former have a silky fleece, not prone to stalling, “frill” and “panties”. The paws should be strong, but not coarse and not massive.
Despite the fact that Europeans heard about “lop-eared cats from the East” in the 19th century, the breed appeared relatively recently. The history of its occurrence is quite interesting and worthy of briefly telling about it. In 1961, Susie was born on an ordinary Scottish farm. From the other kittens in the litter it was distinguished by ears that simply lay on its head. The owners showed the exotic kitty to the breeders William and Mary Rossam, who became interested in such a spontaneous mutation, opened the Denisla nursery and began to cultivate the fold, christening the future Scottish fold breed.
Rossa breeders first bred Susie and her descendants with British Shorthair cats. However, in most kittens, the ears were only slightly bent, and not “falling”. It was logical to admit that it was necessary to tie two individuals with fully hanging ears. But the result was even worse: kittens were born not viable, with violations of the articular joints, which led to fusion of the vertebrae and paralysis of the animal. It is good that by the 70s, genetics had achieved some success. The English scientist O. Jackson isolated the Fd gene, which was “responsible” for both the unusual shape of the ears and the disease of the musculoskeletal 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, lop-eared remained, and the negative “attendant factors” were eliminated.
But in order to protect yourself from accidents, when acquiring Scottish fold kittens, you must definitely test the mobility of their vertebra. Slide your fingers along the spine and tail of the animal - your actions should not cause any discomfort in the cat. Also, do not give preference to massive individuals (after all, the breed itself is characterized as strong and round) - with age, their weight can serve them poorly - the vertebrae can grow together.
Despite the fact that the health of cats Scottish fold due to the above reasons is not always blooming, this breed is very popular. Scottish fold are calm and friendly, self-confident, get along well with dogs and other cats, philosophically treat running noisy children. For the long-haired version (Highland fold) the care is the same as for other owners of the wavy fleece - combing, combing and combing again. The short-haired version has plush fur, which the cat herself perfectly cares for.