Scottish Straight

Other names: Scottish Straight

The Scottish Straight (Scottish Straight) is a breed of calm and serious domestic cats, closely related to the Scottish Fold.

Characteristics of Scottish Straight

Basic moments

• Scottish Straights do not require increased attention to their own person and do not perceive the absence of the owner as a catastrophe of a universal scale.
• Representatives of this breed do not share spheres of influence with other pets and are loyal to dogs.
• They easily learn the norms of cat etiquette: torn wallpaper on the walls and slashed sofa upholstery – this is not about the Scots.
• Many individuals are quite passive. They love to dive into themselves and contemplate the surrounding reality, in their thoughts they are carried away somewhere far away.
• Stress-resistant and relatively quickly get used to the new environment.
• Scottish straight-eared cats are afraid of heights, so these pets almost never climb above the table.
• Smart and independent. Always achieve the goal.
• Scottish Straights are incredibly photogenic. Any photo in which fluffy cute guys managed to “light up” automatically turns into a model of mi-mi-target.
• The favorite toy of the Scottish straight-eared cat is a feather teaser. She can drive such a treasure around the apartment for hours.
• The Scots need affection and tactile contact, but categorically cannot stand it when they are picked up.

Scottish Straights are serious plush intellectuals who do not tolerate familiarity, but are able to create an atmosphere of comfort and peace in any place, wherever they are. Like true Scots, they prefer not to show their own emotions to just anyone, choosing only a trusted person for this “sacrament”. However, even in this situation, the Scottish Straight manage to remain one of the most charming and soul-catching cat breeds, yielding in popularity only to their closest relatives – lop -eared Scottish .

History of the Scottish Straight Cat breed

Scottish straight ears are the same Scottish folds, but with a modified position of the auricle. The ears of the straights do not have a characteristic crease and are set straight, and this, in fact, is the only external sign that distinguishes them from the lop-eared counterparts. Scottish is considered one of the youngest cat breeds. The first cat with an unusual, flattened shape of the ears appeared on a Scottish farm in the early 60s. Surprisingly, the progenitor of modern folds and straights had no pedigree and simply chased mice around the barns of local peasants.

The first official Scottish breeder was an ordinary villager, William Ross, who adopted a kitten from the aforementioned lop-eared mousetrap. A few years later, professional breeders also joined the process. At the same time, specialists became witnesses of an interesting phenomenon: in litters brought by even the most purebred Scottish, no, no, and there were babies with upright ears. Of course, no one was going to single out such individuals as a separate breed. Yes, and kilometer-long queues for straight-eared kittens did not line up, because against the background of touching folds, they frankly lost. But here nature intervened.

Very soon Scottish breeders noticed that attempts to fix and strengthen the lop-earedness of animals had a negative impact on their health. The mutated gene responsible for the flattening of the auricle of folds began to inhibit the function of the skeletal apparatus of cats. As a result, the Scots began to suffer from bone thickening and osteochondrodysplasia. To keep the breed afloat, the breeders rushed to look for “fresh blood” that would help the Scottish survive and reduce the number of their genetic defects. Through trial, error and outcrossing, it was found that the healthiest and most beautiful offspring can be obtained from crossing a fold cat and a straight-eared male of the same breed. It was thanks to this discovery that breeders and felinological associations finally turned their attention to straight-faced Scots.

Video: Scottish straight cat

Appearance of the Scottish Straight

Scottish Straights are easy to confuse with the British , although representatives of these two breeds have a minimum of common genes. Scottish straight cats are much smaller than their competitors from Foggy Albion, although they have a longer body. The weight of an average straight is 3-3.5 kg. Modern breeders are still wondering what offspring they will get after mating a fold and a straight, since initially all kittens are born with ordinary ears that change their position only by the end of the first month of life.

Head

According to the WCF standard, Scottish Straights should have a rounded skull. The forehead and cheeks of the representatives of this breed are convex. In cats, the area of ​​the cheekbones and cheeks is noticeably more rounded than in cats. The chin of the Scots is firm, rounded, but does not protrude forward. The vibrissa pads are characterized by a characteristic “swelling” and have the shape of a regular oval.

Nose

Wide and short, with a slight arch of the back and a pronounced base, practically without a stop.

Eyes

Large and round, set wide apart. The look is open, inquisitively focused. Eye color depends on the coat color of the animal.

Ears

Upright, small, with a wide base. The tips of the ears are rounded and look forward. The outer part of the auricle is covered with dense, tight-fitting hair. The inside is decorated with lush and hard hair brushes that extend beyond the edge of the ear.

Neck

The Scottish Straight cat has a muscular and short neck.

Frame

Moderately long, muscular and broad, tending to a rectangular type. The line of the silhouette is soft, rounded.

limbs

Proportional to the body, that is, moderately long and strong, with well-developed muscles. The paws are oval, the fingers are tightly compressed.

Tail

Medium or long, mobile, reaching to the middle of the shoulder blades.

Wool

Short or semi-long (in Highland individuals). Double, plush type, with well developed undercoat. Does not adhere to the body, but tightly covers it. The texture of the coat may vary slightly depending on the season, as well as the type of color of the animal.

Color

All types of colors found among representatives of this breed are allowed by the standard. The most typical color options for Scottish Straight cats are solid, bicolor, point, tabby, particolor, chinchilla, ticked, van and shedded.

Defects in appearance and disqualifying vices

Individuals with semi-erect or too wide ears with a British set are considered not the most successful representatives of their breed. The flat forehead, pronounced stop, long legs and small eyes of Scottish Straights also do not adorn. Animals with an insufficiently long, inactive and broken tail, cryptorchidism and twisted fingers are subject to unconditional disqualification. Weak and sick cats are also not allowed to participate in exhibition events.

The character of the Scottish Straight

It would be a big mistake to label all Scottish Straights as phlegmatic philosophers. Moreover, among these imposing cats sometimes there are real lively people who love to chase a clockwork mouse and measure their strength with the owner. And yet, for the most part, Scottish straight cats do not have a violent temperament. Proud and serious, they cannot stand total control and are unlikely to allow themselves to be squeezed into a semi-conscious state. This, of course, does not make ascetics and dull hermits out of Scottish, they just need a little more independence and personal space than representatives of other breeds. Straights prefer to spend their free time in peace and quiet, lounging on the couch and comprehending Zen in the Buddha pose.

The Scots are happy to make contact and join the games, but only when they themselves want it. In all other cases, the cat is best left alone. The peak of the motor activity of the straight-eared Scottish falls on the first year of their life. By the way, Scottish babies in their playfulness and restlessness practically do not differ from ordinary outbred kittens. Adults, on the contrary, are famous for exemplary behavior and patience. If you went away for a couple of hours on a visit, leaving the straight alone, he will easily survive this. However, weeks of loneliness, interrupted by rare forays of the owner, will not make the character of the animal better. As for the soothing purring of straight-eared Scottish cats, it still needs to be earned: cats purr infrequently, and meow even in exceptional cases, from their own point of view.

Scottish Straight cats are emotionally stable and not subject to sudden mood swings. However, no one has canceled the exceptions to the general rule, so amateur videos with catchy headlines like: “The most dissatisfied Scottish in the world” periodically “jump” on the Internet. In addition, straights are characterized by amazing perseverance. If a cat wants something, he will definitely achieve it, following the owner on the heels, and sometimes reinforcing his actions with annoying meowing.

Training and education

Intelligent by nature, Scottish straight-eared cats are easy to educate and very poorly to fully train. It is not difficult to teach a Straight to use a tray and a scratching post, provided that this process was started in time until your pet has matured. By the way, young Scotties are active and sometimes uncontrollable, so in the first months of a baby’s life, they will have to put up with the inevitable destruction in the house.

Even if the glory of Yuri Kuklachev haunts you, it’s better not to get carried away with the serious drill of straights. Whatever experts say, but unquestioning obedience to commands is not a strong point of Scottish straight cats. Instill in your pet the basics of etiquette and teach him to observe subordination – this will be quite enough. As for a full-fledged training program, save it for show class individuals who will have to demonstrate their talents at exhibitions in the future.

• If the animal allows itself too much, try to stop it with the “No!” command, which is given in a strict and loud voice.
• If the kitten does not respond to a strict tone, take it by the scruff of the neck and imitate a cat’s hiss. The child will understand this language faster.
• Do not try to poke the kitten with its muzzle into the puddle it has made or drive the basics of cleanliness into it with a slipper. After the endured stress, the cat will definitely make a mess in another place, but this time already safely hiding from you.
• Have you noticed that your plush ugly perches in an unambiguous pose on the carpet or tries to steal food from the table? Scare him with a loud whistle or a handclap. Make no mistake, fear is a very powerful educational tool.
• Never scold or praise a Scottish Straight cat after the fact. Despite the rather high level of intelligence, the animal is not able to link together yesterday’s exemplary behavior and today’s encouragement.

Care and maintenance

Scottish Straights are typical domestic cats for whom outdoor walks are a pleasant pastime, but nothing more. That is why the Scots are considered ideal pets for homebodies. In everyday life, straights are unpretentious and rarely cause concern. Take the animal to scheduled veterinary examinations, carry out timely vaccinations, use high-quality food – and straight-eared Scotties will not create any problems for you.

Hygiene

Scottish straight cats are very clean cats, carefully monitoring the condition of their own fur, but from time to time they still need to be bathed. Usually, cats are washed as their “fur coat” becomes dirty, using shampoo from a pharmacy for this. At the end of the procedure, a balm can be applied to the coat. When bathing, make sure that water does not get into the ears of the animal and be sure to protect the wet pet from drafts.

Owners of show-class individuals preparing to participate in exhibitions will have to strain a little more. In particular, a few months before the start of the event, the cat begins to be washed daily to completely remove dead cells from her skin and stimulate the growth of new hair. In addition, you will have to spend money on a lot of professional hair care products, ranging from degreasing paste to texturizing conditioner. Scottish cats are brushed once a week with a short hair brush. Nails are trimmed as they grow. Be sure to monitor the condition of the cat’s eyes and remove unwanted discharge with a swab dipped in hygienic lotion.

Feeding

The diet of Scottish Straights is no different from the “menu” of their lop-eared counterparts. Just like folds, Scottish straight-eared cats benefit from lean meat, offal, boiled sea fish, dairy products, and egg yolk. In addition, vegetables (raw or stewed), cereals and germinated wheat should be included in the animal’s diet.

Prohibited

• Fat meat.
• Beans and potatoes.
• Bones.
• Sweets, spices, smoked meats.
• Garlic and onion.
• Bread.
• River fish.
• Citrus.
• Mushrooms.
• Raw eggs.

In serious nurseries, Scottish Straight kittens are sold starting from the age of three months. During this period of life, the baby no longer feeds on mother’s milk, which means that it is able to eat the same food as an adult animal.

An important point: the straights, which are on natural feeding, receive less of the vital microelements. This problem is solved by vitamin-mineral complexes, which can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy.

Cats of the Scottish Fold breed can also be fed with industrial food, if you are ready to invest in its non-budget varieties – “premium”, “super premium” and “holistic”. The ideal “drying” for Scottish should contain at least 26% protein and about 9% fat. It is desirable that the composition of the feed does not include wheat and corn, which can provoke an allergy in a cat. From this point of view, the Canadian Acana Pacifica Cat and the American Earthborn Holistic can be considered the most useful drying options.

Three-month-old Scots are fed up to 6 times a day, six-month-old kittens eat 5 times a day, nine-month-old kittens – 4 times. One-year-olds are considered adults, so 2-3 meals are enough for them.

Health and disease of the Scottish Straight cat

The Scots easily live up to 15-20 years of age, but only if they are properly looked after and do not neglect the mandatory veterinary procedures. Unlike folds, straights practically did not get genetic mutations and hereditary ailments, so representatives of this breed are relatively healthy animals with good immunity. As for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the genitourinary system, sometimes diagnosed in straight-eared Scottish, they are most often caused by malnutrition.

How to choose a Scottish Straight kitten

Arm yourself with the breed standard and visit a Scottish Straight cat breeder in an informal setting to see for yourself what conditions the kittens grow up in. Scottish cats that are well cared for have fluffy, shiny coats and clear, wide eyes. The abdomen of a normally developing baby is soft, and not bloated to the state of a ball. A healthy kitten should be clean under the tail, and its fur should not smell bad and sparkle with bald spots.

Watch the behavior of a young Scottish Straight. A trouble-free kid willingly joins the game process and shows interest. Bored and unresponsive kittens are most likely unwell or depressed. Observing the character of the parents of babies is also a good safety net, since it is from them that animals inherit the characteristics of temperament.

Photo of Scottish Straight kittens

How much does a Scottish straight cat cost?

The cost of a Scottish Straight kitten is determined by its class, pedigree and coat color. For example, show-class Scottish Straight from famous and titled parents will cost 300 – 450$. Offspring with less aristocratic roots, but obligatory metrics and a veterinary passport will cost less: about 120 – 150$. Often you can find ads for the sale of animals without documents. They ask for such cats from 50 to 90$.