It is important to understand that a cat is not a cute fluffy toy, but a creature that considers itself at least an equal member of your family. When purchasing a Scottish fold cat, you should have a more or less clear understanding of the rules and principles of raising your pet. You need to teach your cat to observe the rules of decency from a very early age, as soon as the baby appears in your home. Considering the natural intelligence of Scottish Folds, this will not be so difficult.
What foods should not be given to fold-eared kittens?
Sugar, chocolate, candy, cakes and everything sweet disrupts metabolism, weakens the immune system, dulls the coat, and causes dental disease. Chocolate contains theobromine, and for cats it is a poison; it causes severe poisoning, including the death of the animal.
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No - brute force
First you need to figure out how Scottish kittens behave and why. Each behavior has its own logical explanation. Therefore, there is no need to immediately, headlong, rush to punish for the trick. Understand its reasons first.
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If you have had dogs in your house, then you probably know that they need to be raised from a position of strength, showing that you are the leader. Otherwise the dog will not respect you. With a cat, everything is different - raising Scottish fold and straight-eared kittens is different from raising puppies: they do not accept punishment and rudeness, screaming and spanking. There are times when an animal begins to simply ignore a person for rough treatment.
Raising a Scottish Fold or Straight-eared cat should be soft, affectionate, and cunning. For example, many cat owners are faced with the problem that a kitten or even an adult cat walks on the computer keyboard. The author of the article taught his kitten to do this in a completely simple and affectionate way: every time his Scottish cat tried to walk across the keyboard, a barrier was put up with his hands so that the tailed creature would go around. And literally a month later, the cat stopped climbing on the keyboard, and instead walked around it.
Neat games
But “no brute force” also means that you should not allow the cat to be rude to you. Another tip on how to raise a Scottish Fold and Straight-eared kitten is that if he fights, bites, attacks you, tries to pull your hair, chases your legs under the blanket, this needs to be stopped. But not by force. First, just don't play with your kitten with your bare hands and feet. Secondly, if he attacks himself, you can flick him on the bridge of his nose, but not too hard. Or hiss. The hissing of a mother cat is used as an effective tool against kitten violence. Therefore, they are all afraid of such sounds: this means that the offended party is desperate and is ready to take any measures to protect itself.
Don't forget about games
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Sometimes a pet's overly intrusive, loud or gangster behavior is the result of boredom and unspent energy. Therefore, for a cat, there must be interactive toys and gaming complexes in the house: let him throw out all the crap while playing, instead of bothering the family. If you don’t have the money or space to install the complex and buy large toys, you can buy a regular tennis ball.
Nutrition
Scottish Fold cats are gluttonous, but not picky; they happily eat everything.
Nurseries advise giving Scottish babies harmonized bagged food. Kittens younger than one month can be supplemented with canned baby cat food; later the animals can be accustomed to bulk food.
The choice should be made on elite premium food, which is low in carbohydrates, but full of high-quality protein of animal origin. They are also saturated with vitamins, minerals and taurine.
A full menu should alternate bagged food with canned food. The cat should be provided with uninterrupted access to drink, replaced every day.
It is not advisable to feed milk; young Scottish Folds sometimes suffer from indigestion. From time to time it is good to pamper your pet with sprouted wheat or oats. Chewing special greens helps remove matted hairs from the digestive tract.
You cannot feed your baby food from your table. From time to time it is permissible to pamper your kitten with special treats from the pet store. You can also sometimes treat your pet with boiled meat and fish products, entrails, vegetables and bread.
Smoked meats, foods containing sugar, and poultry bones should not be given.
Health
Scottish cats have a genetic predisposition to various diseases. This may not occur in all animals, but it is important to be aware of what problems a future owner may face. Thus, fold-eared cats are predisposed to diseases that are associated with the skeleton. Osteochondrodysplasia, which is inherited, is not excluded. This disease causes skeletal deformation, impaired movement and problems with the tail. The disease can develop in both a kitten and an adult.
The following signs of pathology are observed:
- lameness;
- stiff gait;
- avoidance of jumping;
- touching the cat's tail hurts;
- the animal walks squat.
Scottish cats are prone to heart disease. If you get vaccinated and visit your doctor regularly, preventive measures can improve your pet's life. On average, this breed lives from 10 to 15 years.
Breed description, standards, appearance
Scottish Straight cats are flexible cats with straight ears, a rounded, well-proportioned body and soft plush fur. Scots have characteristic features that make them easy to distinguish from other breeds.
Dimensions and weight
Scottish Straight cats are not large in size. The average weight of an adult male is 5-6 kg. A female Scottish Straight weighs between 3-5 kg.
Anatomical characteristics
A classic representative of the Scottish Straight cat breed must meet the following description:
Color and coat type
The Scottish Straight is a short-haired cat with a dense, silky down that feels like plush.
The Scottish Straight standard allows for the existence of any colors. But most often the following color options are found in the breed:
Possible breed defects
Flaws in appearance, in the presence of which a Scottish Straight cat will not receive a high expert assessment:
Problems with affection
Scottish cats, despite their plush appearance, do not always like to be held and do not always like to be actively petted. Unfortunately, this problem cannot be solved 100%, because... It's just a character trait that you have to put up with. But you still need to carry out a certain ritual to accustom him to hands.
To do this, in the first days of the kitten’s stay in the house, try not to forcefully pick it up, but only stroke its back and head. Let him understand that hands are nice. And only after a few days try to pick him up, if, of course, he hasn’t come to you before. This way the cat will gradually get used to your hugs.
One more nuance: when you take a Scottish cat in your arms, you need to make sure that its butt, hind and front legs have solid support, otherwise the animal will feel insecure.
Ban rules
Your home, your rules. The cat should fit into them, and not you adapt to it. Although, of course, this process in practice is always mutual. However, you need to choose what is unacceptable to you and strictly prohibit it. Most often, the list includes walking on the dining table, destroying flowers, tearing furniture, climbing curtains, gnawing on wires, and sometimes lying on the master's bed.
Teaching a cat not to do all this is much more difficult than teaching a cat. In my opinion, it is easier to raise a Scottish male kitten than a girl. Cats are more straightforward, and cats are more cunning. The kitty, if she needs something, will begin to act in roundabout ways, trying to soften the rules. For example, the author’s cat defended her right to walk on the table. Her path to her favorite window sill ran through the table, so it was impossible to completely deny her access; she had to be allowed to be on the table “passing through.” After a few days, she began to linger on the edge of the table, pretending that she had been preparing for a jump for a long time. A few days later she began to sit on the edge of the table with a thoughtful look, pretending that she was not on the table at all. So gradually she taught her family to be normal about her sitting at the table with everyone else. And now the tailed one brazenly lies on the table whenever it wants. The moral is: if your cat forces you to make a small compromise, immediately imagine how it might end. If you are not satisfied with what you presented, stop trying immediately.
How to wean a cat from unwanted behavior? Firstly, at first this behavior must be physically stopped with the words “ugh” or “no”. But don't hit! You can clap your hands and wag your finger. And then, if the pet does not obey, it must be removed from the place where it is causing mischief. In the case of claw sharpening, it must then be moved to the correct place. They do the same if a cat shits in the wrong place.
But if he gets into the habit of climbing on flowers or in undesirable places, then most often he has to put up barricades or move vulnerable objects away. But there is another way. Place something that falls and rattles in the place where you don't want your pet to climb. When he jumps there, the object will fall with a roar, and the cat will get scared. If this happens several times, then perhaps the pet will wean itself from going where it shouldn’t.
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You can also stop unwanted actions with a spray bottle: this way the pet will develop a reflex that the action will be followed by an unpleasant water procedure. Unfortunately, the answer to the question of how to raise a Scottish Fold or straight-eared kitten is sometimes an unpleasant irritant that follows undesirable behavior.
Vaccination
Kittens, regardless of breed, must be vaccinated according to the vaccination schedule. Timely vaccination allows you to avoid many serious diseases or at least minimize their consequences. Vaccination is carried out a week after treatment against worms.
Reference!
Any vaccination is carried out subject to the animal’s complete health. The dose and drug are prescribed only by a veterinarian.
Character
The Scottish cat has a slightly playful character, kindness and calmness. This breed becomes strongly attached to its owner and is good friends with other pets and small children. The main advantage of the Scottish cat is silence; they rarely meow and are very quiet.
This breed will be ideal for a person who leads a quiet life without fuss. Small lop-eared kittens may behave badly as children, but do not cause damage to the home. Animals love to hide various small objects. These cats love cleanliness very much, they are quite smart.
Adult cats are affectionate, calm and understand everything well. They know how to obey if it is in their interests. They can be stubborn if they don't want to do something. This breed loves to be friends with people; cats choose their leader and are constantly with him. Animals are very loyal, but never impose themselves. They love to lie near their owner, but not in a person's arms.
Most owners say that this breed is considered an ideal pet, as it does not harm and is well-bred. Externally, cats are cute, beautiful and gentle, they will not leave anyone indifferent. The character of the Scottish cat itself is good and harmless.
Scottish cat care
Fold cats themselves adore cleanliness and take good care of themselves. They get their coats in order and quickly become toilet trained. If you have a scratching post at home, cats will not damage the furniture. Scottish cats quickly remember everything and try to behave well.
We must not forget that there must be care for the coat of a Scottish cat. If your pet has a short coat, it will be easier to care for it. Then you will need to comb the cat once a week with special brushes.
You need to wash the animal depending on its coloring. As a rule, it is recommended for a cat to take water treatments once a month. If a cat participates in exhibitions, then it is washed a week before the event. You need to purchase a special shampoo for this breed.
Regular examination of the ears and eyes is a must. Most often, Scottish cats have clean ears. If dirt becomes noticeable, take a cotton swab and remove the dirt. It is best to use special lotions to clean the ears. The eyes become wet in small kittens, so you need to apply eye drops and monitor the condition of the animal.
Appearance
The Fold cat has gained popularity due to the fact that it has a gentle character and beautiful appearance. The animal has a rounded head and a firm chin. The cat's jaw is powerful, extending into a small neck. The cat has beautiful round eyes, their shade goes well with the coat.
Cats have a short nose, but at the same time wide. If you look at the pet, its profile is streamlined and soft. The cat's ears point forward and are triangular in shape. The tips of the ears are slightly rounded.
Talkative pet
A separate article will be devoted to this problem on our website, but for now let’s say: if your pet is healthy and talks all the time, it’s not scary, he just might be a talker. There are some cats who comment on literally everything. But there are those who constantly manipulate you with their “meow”. In this case, you need to understand that they are doing this only because the technique works. If you basically ignore the kitty's cries, then she will understand that you can shut up, because... this will not have the desired effect on the owner. Of course, before you start ignoring, you need to find out if the cat is in pain: sometimes, by meowing, the pet tries to draw your attention to some problem.
A common problem is when a cat yells in the morning to wake up the owner. Most often this happens because he wants to eat. It is easy to wean your pet from this behavior. Firstly, don’t fall for his persuasion either, and secondly, don’t feed him immediately after you wake up. It's better to feed before going to work. Then the cat will not associate the owner’s awakening with food and will not wake him up.
Let me enjoy it to your heart's content
Behavioral problems such as chewing plants, tearing off wallpaper, sharpening their claws on everything are not very difficult to eliminate. Firstly, the cat should be given the opportunity to sharpen its claws in a designated area, and to prevent it from gnawing on plants, a private lawn of grass should be planted. If your cat sharpens his teeth on everything he comes across, buy special “chews” for cats (sticks, toys) - perhaps he’s just teething.
And sometimes your kitty just wants to act crazy. Give him this opportunity! For example, the author of the article periodically buys a salad with roots in the ground at the supermarket and, when there is almost nothing left of it, throws it to the pet - and he begins to chase this lump of earth with grass throughout the kitchen: it is clear that real happiness has come to the cat. Think: maybe it’s better to let him chase something forbidden around the kitchen and play to his heart’s content, but then not eat your flowers?
Love a cat
If you truly love your pet, you will never allow him to do anything that is harmful to him, you will never hit him, you will not forbid him to sleep next to you and do the like. And most importantly, you will not artificially limit his freedom, for example, by excessive caresses. The cat, in turn, always feels that he is loved and respected.
And cat love is designed in such a way that love will not arise for those whom the cat does not trust. Therefore, first of all, earn the trust of your pet. But if you already see that the cat loves and trusts you, rest assured: this is not an act, because cats do not know how to portray such emotions. Any others know how (for example, resentment), but love does not.
Do you have your own tips for raising a Scottish cat? Or, on the contrary, you are confused and don’t know what to do with the problem. Share this in the comments.
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