What breed is better to mate Scottish Fold cats

If you are a happy owner of a Scottish Fold cat, then you probably have more than once the question of who to knit this breed of cats with, because, as you know, it is impossible to cross folds with each other. This can lead to gene mutations, resulting in the birth of unhealthy kittens, with signs of deformity and even disability.

The reason for this feature is a gene mutation, due to which the offspring is doomed to bone defects (fusion of the caudal vertebrae with part of the main spine, curvature, fusion of the joints of the paws, shortening of the paws …). That is why the crossing of the lop-eared among themselves is prohibited, otherwise the offspring produced from such a mating will be doomed to suffering and disease.

There are CFA standards, according to which an exhibition copy of a Scottish Fold cat must have the specified characteristics, namely: a medium or long tail, proportional to the body, which must be narrowed towards the end, or terminate in a thickening; the head is round, with a wide nose, the eyes are round and expressive, set wide apart; mustache pads rounded, strong jaws and chin. Here are the main signs of a thoroughbred cat.

To achieve such a luxurious appearance, breeders decided to cross cats with the lop-eared gene with a similar Scottish Street breed, which differs from the Scottish Fold in straight erect ears. As a result of such crossings, kittens were born, both with straight and hanging ears, with a predominance of straight, but healthy and without any disorders of the musculoskeletal system. When work was just beginning on breeding, improving and consolidating the breed characteristics of this breed, the folds were knitted with American Exotics, as well as with British Shorthairs. But today, in view of the new standards, such crossing for exhibition specimens is not approved, and even prohibited. A similar union with Exotics and British Shorthairs makes the constitution of the fold more severe, which can lead to diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

If the owners do not intend to take part in exhibitions with their pet, then the question of with whom to knit a cat disappears by itself. For a cat, it does not matter what breed of cat to continue the race with. The main thing is to ensure that the mating partner does not have the lop-eared gene, which belongs to the semi-lethal genes. To get purebred healthy offspring, you need to strictly understand that in no case should you cross lop-eared cats with lop-eared cats.

The Scottish Fold breed arose not so long ago, thanks to the painstaking work of breeders, by whom the manifestation of the lop-eared mutation did not go unnoticed. In 1961, a kitten with signs of lop-earedness was found on a Scottish farm, and after 17 years, a cat breed was recognized with an unusual ear cartilage mutation.

It is best to buy kittens in specialized catteries, where you can meet mom and dad, and sometimes grandparents of your pet.

If finding a cattery is a problem, and you have to go to the market in search of a kitten, then you need to properly examine the animal. First of all, examine the nose, ears and eyes, any discharge may be signs of disease. The kitten should have clean skin, with no signs of skin diseases. Normal weight and active behavior also indicate the health of the kitten.

Let’s get back to crossover. To get healthy purebred offspring, you should cross Scottish Folds with Scottish Streets, only in this case purebred kittens will be born healthy and will give their owners only positive emotions.