Can fold kittens be crossed?

At the beginning of the breed's development, breeders created pairs of two fold-eared cats to form a full-fledged population. But genetics answered negatively - sick kittens were born.

Let's find out why you can't bring two Scottish Folds together, and how to achieve stable production of healthy offspring.

Optimal age for breeding a Scottish cat

The age of feline puberty is 6–9 months. During this period, the female experiences her first estrus. But the animal is still in adolescence, the formation of the body is completed only at the age of one year.

A one-year-old Scottish cat has a formed skeleton; hormones that control reproductive function stop growth processes in the body.

In this regard, mating during the first heat is not recommended, otherwise the cat will not grow to normal breed dimensions and its body will remain small. Experienced breeders advise mating Scottish Folds on the third heat, when the female is already mature and fully formed.

Scottish cats that have received high exhibition scores are allowed for breeding. Preparing a fold-eared kitten for an exhibition begins after vaccinations and quarantine, and the pet can only wait until it is 1.5–2 years old to be allowed to breed.

At what age to knit

A cat's first heat begins at the age of 5–6 months, depending on the environment, climate and nutrition. It may not be too noticeable. If you breed a cat at this age, it may have a bad effect on her young body and cause further infertility, and the offspring may not be viable.

It is best to skip the first 2 heats. The most favorable age for breeding a cat is from 1 to 1.5 years, when it reaches full physical development. If the female is not untied until the age of 1.5 years, then later, during the first mating, she will show significant resistance to the cat.

Before introducing animals, it is advisable to trim the cat’s claws in order to protect the cat in case of aggression towards him. You should also make sure that the female is in satisfactory health, in particular, check her for common infections:

Breeds of potential partners

Scottish fold cats are bred within the breed. Interbreeding is unacceptable; it leads to anatomical and physiological abnormalities of the offspring. Even if the kittens are born healthy, they will be mixed breeds that cannot be sold at a decent price.

Scottish fold cats are descendants of their British relatives. Until 2004, “Scots” and “British” were considered one breed, and matings between these two varieties were allowed. But when the Scottish breed became independent, with its own breed standards, interbreed matings were banned.

The prohibition of crossing with British relatives is associated with:

Deterioration in appearance, disappearance of Scottish Fold breed characteristics, including ears adjacent to the head.
The appearance of skeletal abnormalities in the offspring associated with weakening of cartilage tissue. Scottish pets have a light skeleton and an elongated spine. And in British individuals the skeleton is heavier and more massive. Offspring are born with twisted limbs or backs.

NOTE! Mating of Scottish and British cats is practiced, but in extremely rare cases, under the strict control of the phenological service. The result must be recorded in the nursery's breeding journal.

Why you can’t cross two fold-eared cats

Crossing a fold-eared cat with a fold-eared cat is unacceptable; the problem lies in the genetic characteristics of the breed. The result is highly likely to be the birth of sick offspring.

And the culprit for this will be the lop ear gene, designated Fd. It is dominant, which means that when paired with the reverse gene, it still leads to the appearance of droopy ears.

But the problem is that this gene also negatively affects the condition of the joints. If he creates a pair with a similar gene, then the resulting offspring will most likely have serious skeletal pathologies, depriving them of a full life, causing lameness, and pain when moving.

Therefore, a fold-eared individual (Scottish Fold) can only be mated with a straight-eared one (Scottish Straight).

If both individuals are Scottish Straight, then mating should not cause concern, since they carry the recessive fd gene, which does not affect the condition of the skeleton. But the kittens will be born with straight ears and will cost less.

Care and maintenance

Caring for and maintaining a Scottish fold cat does not cause much trouble.

For short-haired individuals, combing should be done no more than once a week (this is their main advantage compared to long-haired ones - for the latter, combing must be done every 2 days).

Each cat takes care of its own hygiene - everyone knows how cats love to lick themselves. Unfortunately, in doing so, they can ingest fur, which ultimately clogs the intestines, which is why it is so important to regularly comb the coat with a special brush that collects excess hair.

Due to the curled ears, regular ear cleaning is a mandatory procedure for all Scottish cats - earwax accumulates in them quite quickly. Scots don’t need to bathe – they take good care of their hygiene themselves.

However, if the kitten is very dirty, it is necessary to wash it with warm water, avoiding getting water into the ears and eyes. It is not recommended to use soap - chemical components in detergents can cause allergies in cats.

After bathing, be sure to wipe your pet dry and avoid exposing it to drafts - a kitten that is not completely dry can easily catch a cold.

Did you know? Scottish breeds are the only cat breeds that like to be brushed against the grain.

Scottish fold mating has its own characteristics. Crossing two individuals of this breed is strictly prohibited - it leads to serious bone mutations. In history, there have been attempts to cross two Scottish Folds - all the kittens born had bones.

Crossing a Scotsman can be done with a Scottish Straight cat. A fold-eared female can be crossed with a straight-eared cat, and a fold-eared cat can be crossed with a female with straight ears.

It is noteworthy that as a result of such a union, both straight-eared and lop-eared kittens will be born, however, it is possible to determine whether the ears are curled or not only 3 weeks after the birth of the offspring (initially, all newborn kittens are the same, and the cause of lop-earedness is some defect in the cartilage, which cannot hold the ear straight - this will be determined no earlier than 20 days after birth).

Mating Scottish Folds with straight-eared ones is the most successful crossbreeding; it is practiced by specialists involved in breeding the breed.

Mating rules

To successfully breed a Scottish Fold cat, owners must follow the following rules:

Mating occurs on the third day of estrus, when the probability of successful fertilization is highest.
The cat is sent to the cat, and not vice versa. The male will feel confident in his native territory.
The female is taken to mating with her tray and usual food. The pet will feel familiar smells, making mating less stressful for her.
The cat is left with the gentleman for 2–3 days, since mating usually does not occur on the first day. Animals need to be given time to get to know each other.
For pets you need to prepare a separate room or fenced area.

IMPORTANT! Animals that have had cancer are not sent for breeding. In cats, malignant tumors are often hereditary and can appear in offspring. Also, sudden hormonal fluctuations can cause a relapse of cancer cell growth.

First mating

Mating for the first time and subsequent times in Scottish cats follows approximately the same pattern:

The cat is slowly approaching the cat. The female scares away the gentleman, hissing at him, rushing with her claws.
The male behaves with restraint and caution, pretending that he is not interested in the guest. Then the cat, wanting to attract attention to itself, begins to toss and turn, lying on the floor, meowing invitingly.
But as soon as the boy shows interest, the girl becomes aggressive again. And so on several times.
Then the cat gives in and allows the gentleman to approach her.
The male climbs onto the female and grabs her by the withers with his teeth.
Sexual intercourse in cats is short, lasting about 10 seconds. It ends with ejaculation of the male and the cry of the female.
The cat runs away from his girlfriend. And she lies down on her side and begins to spin around with satisfaction.

Possible difficulties

Mating is not always completed successfully. Possible problems:

The cat didn't get pregnant. I'll have to knit it again.
The female does not allow the gentleman to approach. In this case, the owner either strokes the area of her external genitalia or injects a drug that causes ovulation. The last resort is the use of a vaginal probe. Although it is usually enough to give the cat time to groom.
The opposite problem happens: the cat is not interested in the guest. There is only one way out - to find another cat to breed.
An inexperienced gentleman may cling his teeth to his girlfriend’s withers too high or low, and then the sexual process may turn out to be uncomfortable. Sometimes the cat falls on its side. In these cases, the owner helps the pets, carefully and gently correcting the position of their bodies.

Genetics of Scottish cat colors

Scottish fold cats come in different colors; to get kittens of the desired color you need to choose parents with knowledge of genetics:

In order for a Scottish kitten to turn out red or cream, the coat of both the male and female must be the required color.
Dominant colors (white, black, smoke, tabby, bicolor, chinchilla) are passed on from parents to offspring, not through generations.
A Scottish kitten with a dominant color has at least one dominant parent.
If both dad and mom have a recessive color (cream, blue), then they will not have a single dominant cub.
A cub with a light undercoat must have a parent with the same undercoat.
A Scottish chinchilla kitten must have at least one parent with this coat (or tabby). And a tabby baby must have at least one tabby (or chinchilla) parent.
A chinchilla cat can give birth to smoky offspring, but a smoky cat cannot become the mother of chinchilla kittens.
A bicolor Scottish kitten must have one of its parents bicolor.
To produce a color point litter, both mom and dad must be this color.

The owners are responsible for the success of mating and the health of their pets. It is important to choose the right individuals, prepare a comfortable place for them, and minimize stress. Inexperienced owners should consult with breeders and breed club specialists before organizing mating.

Source

Is it possible to cross Scottish cats with Scottish cats?

Many readers contact the editors of the Scottish cats website “MURKOTIKI” with the question of whether it is possible to cross Scottish cats with Scottish cats? They also ask why you can’t mate two fold-eared cats? What are the consequences of crossing fold-eared animals with fold-eared animals? Where does such a frequent question come from and what will be our answer to it?

The idea that Scottish cats cannot be bred with each other has its origins in the topic of genetics. The fact is that if you cross fold-eared cats with fold-eared cats, or vice versa - fold-eared cats with fold-eared cats, with a high degree of probability you will get sick offspring. The lop ear gene is to blame: in the scientific world it is designated by the letters Fd. It is dominant, that is, when paired with any other gene, it causes the ears to fold. But this gene also affects the quality of joints, therefore, paired with a second similar gene received from the second parent, it can lead to pathologies of the musculoskeletal system that will not allow the cat to lead a normal life.

Kitten care

Caring for Scottish Fold kittens is easy. The coat does not require special care; it is enough to comb it once a week; it is enough to wash the eyes once every 5-7 days.

The only thing worth paying attention to is ear care. This issue should be treated very carefully. It is the ears that are the calling card of this cat breed, but at the same time they are also a weak point.

It is the ears that are the calling card of this cat breed, but at the same time they are also a weak point.

Eye examination and cleaning

If your eyes are healthy, then there is no special need for rinsing, you just need to keep them clean. But if the eyes are inflamed, they should be washed 2-3 times a day; this can be done with plain water, a weak chamomile solution or a medicated solution. To do this, you should use a cotton swab or soft cloth. If the inflammation lasts more than a week, then you need to consult a specialist.

Ear cleaning

This procedure should be done two to three (more often) times a month. To clean, use a cotton swab slightly moistened with a special liquid. The procedure must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the auricle.

The presence of a thin brown crust in the ears is an alarming sign; it indicates the presence of ear mites. In this case, you cannot do without a visit to the veterinarian. The treatment will be long with the help of a special solution. If measures are taken in time, the prognosis is favorable.

Grooming

To keep your Scottish Fold kitten beautiful and well-groomed, you need to take care of its fur; it’s not at all difficult. To properly care for the coat, you should use a special brush or silicone glove. During the shedding period, it is recommended to comb it once a week, the rest of the time once every two weeks will be enough.

While at the dacha, you should pay special attention to this procedure, carefully examine the animal every day for ticks and other parasites.

Bathing, washing

Scottish fold kittens must be accustomed to water procedures from childhood. To do this, you need to gradually moisten them with a damp towel, and then give your pet a treat so that he develops a reflex that a bath is not scary. In the future, you can safely wash the kitten. Particularly active kittens are recommended to be protected in a special way before taking a bath. To do this, cover your ears with tampons. or you can simply cover them with your hands to prevent water from entering. Your eyes also need protection; you can even drip special protective oil into them, but this is not necessary.

When washing your Scottish Fold kitten, be sure to use cat shampoo, and then its coat will be healthy and shiny. The products are not suitable for humans, they will cause skin irritation and worsen the condition of the coat; in severe cases, dermatitis is possible.

Nail trimming

Very sharp, thin claws of a kitten should be trimmed with special clippers for small animals.

The advantage of such a tool is that they give a straight cut without splitting the claw - this is very important! When caring for a kitten's claws, only the very tip is removed. Under no circumstances should you damage a blood vessel; this will cause severe pain and can lead to the most negative consequences. In this case, a simple rule works: it is better to cut off too little than too much.

In this case, a simple rule applies: it is better to cut off too little than too much.

Is it possible to breed a Scottish cat with a Scottish cat?

There is one caveat. Sometimes folds' ears stand up. Sometimes this happens so quickly that an illiterate breeder does not have time to identify them as folds. Or the cats end up with new owners, and because of their straight ears, they think that they bought straight cats. As a result, they will breed their cats as straight cats, that is, with folds. But the lop-eared gene has not gone away: it simply did not appear visually. And then the offspring will be from two folds, that is, probably terminally ill. That’s why you can crossbreed only males and females that have documents of origin (metrics, pedigree), where their breed is indicated. However, in any case, it is better to castrate cats and cats with erect ears, even if they have documents.

Now you understand where the fear arose that Scots should not be mated with Scots. Many, having never learned what is actually possible and what is not, begin to look for a representative of another breed for their cat and make a big mistake, because the kittens will no longer be purebred, with an unpredictable appearance and character. It's very difficult to sell these. And there’s no point in spoiling the Scottish breed, which does well without interbreed matings?

Is it possible to bring brothers and sister cats together?

No no and one more time no! For that simple reason - are related marriages among people allowed? Did your brother marry your sister? Father on daughter, son on mother? And don’t talk about ethics...thousands of years ago, when there were no scientists, people understood the harmfulness of inbreeding, which was then exposed in church tenets and laws... Freaks are born and inferior... But sometimes goldfish are possible, because... It is ugliness that is considered chic! Lion heads, telescopes and so on... But when the fish breed is bred, they look for another male or female...

and the meaning. that there are no others... you risk that from close inbreeding sick puppies with physical deformities will be born

I will answer from experience in breeding cats... You can try, but you must clearly understand what you can get from this crossing, because... this is a very close inbreeding... In cats, they often return either to the father (father-daughter mating, or to the mother - mother-son mating). It is better to bring a brother and sister together with one common ancestor, for example, the mother is the same, but the fathers are different... And you should know whether the parents of the animals have any genetic abnormalities, otherwise this negative will be consolidated in the offspring, which then will practically not be eradicated...

Only ABNORMAL OWNERS can do this.... This, first of all, is a very tough experiment with the psyche of dogs (which, unfortunately, is not very stable at present), we can say that 99% of the puppies obtained from such a mating will be INADQUATE dogs

You mean inbreeding, I know that a daughter and a father can happen. But there is at least a little blood diluted there, and I think that my sister and brother are absolutely not. Although we need to consult in some club.

If you want to ruin the pedigree of both dogs and have them sweat

Is it possible to breed dogs if they are brother and sister?

15.07.11 21:12

Hello. I have the following question for you: Is it possible to bring dogs together if they are brother and sister? I called our city veterinary clinic and the doctor said that dogs are not people, in general, you can breed them, nothing bad will happen from it. But I still doubt it and so I decided to ask you for advice.

Can a fold-eared cat be crossed with a fold-eared cat?

Interbreeding of Scottish Folds is prohibited. In most cases, crossing between animals of this breed leads to defects in the physiological development of the offspring.

If babies are born healthy, they are classified as mestizos. They are more difficult to sell because they do not meet the standard requirements. It is allowed to mate Folds only within the breed.

Scottish Fold cat: who can you breed with?

The partner for Scots with downturned ears should be the straight-eared Scottish Straight. Thus, the fatal “loop ear” gene, which leads to abnormal development, is “diluted”, and the offspring are born healthy.

Partner characteristics:

In order for the babies to inherit an even coat color and meet all the requirements of the standard, the father and mother must be as identical in color as possible and have similar basic characteristics. When different colors are mixed, kittens may be born with inappropriate eye and coat colors. It is easier to sell animals of classic color and solid color than tortoiseshell.
It is necessary to choose a partner with a proportional physique. The cat must have high-quality coat of uniform color and a flexible tail. The health of the animal's spine depends on the level of flexibility of the tail. Cubs born from such a father will be completely healthy.
The male should have small ears set wide apart and pointing forward. Individuals with two ear folds tightly folded on the head are considered unique.
A partner is selected with a medium rather than large build. Exhausted individuals are not suitable for reproduction. The male must be completely healthy, with clean ears, and no discharge from the eyes and nose. Wool with dandruff indicates ill health.
If a cat is mating for the first time, it is necessary to choose an experienced partner, regardless of the cost.

The optimal age for mating is after one year. In order for fertilization to be successful, mating is carried out on the 3rd day of estrus. The female is left with the male for 2-3 days.

Before mating, the animals get to know each other for 24 hours by sniffing each other. If pregnancy does not occur after the first mating, the cat is brought back to the cat when another heat appears. During pregnancy, the female eats constantly and behaves calmly. Childbirth occurs after 9 weeks.

Why you can’t cross a fold-eared cat with a fold-eared cat

The main reason preventing the crossing of two lop-eared individuals lies in their genetic characteristics.

The probability of giving birth to unhealthy kittens is quite high:

The lop ear gene (Fd) is dominant. Thanks to it, kittens' ears become droopy. In addition, the gene has a detrimental effect on the condition of the joints.
If you form an alliance with the reverse gene, the kittens' ears will still be bent down. If crossed with a similar one, the offspring will inherit the same pair of genes. As kittens grow and develop, they can develop serious bone problems. As a rule, lameness appears, it becomes painful for animals to move, which deprives them of a full life.

This means that a fold-eared cat (Scottish Fold) can only be mated with a straight-eared (Scottish Straight) cat. Or cross two straight-eared individuals. Then the fd gene in animals will be recessive and will not affect the joints in any way. Kittens will be born with straight ears.

What is the owner of the male responsible for?

Before inviting a Scottish cat for mating, the owner of the male must know some rules so that the whole process does not lead to psychological and physical injuries .

If animals have difficulties, they need help.
Some animals can show aggression, therefore, at the slightest problem, it is better to postpone all mating actions. Maybe after a while the cats will get used to each other.
Upon arrival at your destination, it is best to keep the cat in its portable vehicle for a while. Let her get used to it, sniff it, rest and gain strength.
If animals are too aggressive, it is better to place them in enclosures so that they can get used to each other.