The beautiful, Scottish Fold is a distinctive breed of cat - they have a natural gene that affects the cartilage throughout their body, which sometimes causes their ears to bend forwards; ergo their name, Scottish Fold.
Their distinctive gorgeous looks and really loving personalities make them extremely desirable pets. Here, we take a look at the history of the breed and all of the things you should have if you’re going to make a beautiful Scottish Fold your next pet.
The History of the Scottish Fold Breed
The first Scottish Fold cat was discovered in the early 1960’s in Scotland. Susie had the distinctive folded down ears and soon went on to give birth to two beautiful kittens with the same owl-like appearance. The cats went on to be registered with the GCCF (Governing Council of Cat Fancy), meaning the Scottish Fold breed was born!
The breed is known for their folded down ears, but it’s good to know, not all Scottish Fold’s will have folded ears; it all depends on the kitten’s dominant gene. Scottish Fold’s who don’t have the folded ears are often called Straights. Straights are still just as striking - who could resist those round cheeks and big beautiful eyes!
A medium sized Scottish Fold cat, can be either long or short haired and can be almost any colour. The breed is typically very good natured with with humans and other animals. They even tend to grow very strong bonds with their cat mom’s/dad’s and are usually very affectionate - often unusual for a cat! This is possibly why it makes them a very popular choice of pet. Make sure you have the time to give them lots of attention and love as they can grow lonely quite easily. If you don’t spend a lot of time at home, it might be a good idea to buy two together so they are not alone for long periods of time.
Your Scottish Fold Kitten Shopping List
If you’re adopting a Scottish Fold as your next pet (or maybe you’ve already adopted your little bundle of fluff), we’ve put together this shopping list so you can make sure you have everything you need ready for them!
1. Cat Carrier
Travel safety is an important consideration for your Scottish Fold cat - both for the day you collect your kitten and beyond! Nervous new kittens might be reluctant to get in a carrier or get out so opt for a carrier with a top opening, they’re ideal!
You will of course want your kitten to be as comfortable as possible on the journey home. Small kittens might be nervous travellers and will likely be unsure of their surroundings. A blanket will offer warmth and a feeling of security. We have scent blankets that can be left with your kittens mom for a couple of weeks before you pick your kitten up. This will allow you to bring the scent of their litter mates and mom home with them and have the comforting smell with them. A large cat blanket is a good idea to put with them in their carrier and can be added to their bed for snuggles at catnap time and bedtime.
Hygiene is an important part of your cat’s life, and whilst litter training is a crucial part of their development and cleanliness, most kittens will be fully litter trained by the time you bring them home! Ensure you have a litter tray with good quality litter and a scoop for cleaning up. When you first get your Scottish Fold kitten home, make sure they know where the litter tray is.
4. Cozy Cat Bed
Your Scottish Fold Kitten will love to nap and snooze. And new kittens can spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping, so having a comfortable bed is a necessity! A super cozy kitten bed can also help to make them feel safe and secure in their new home.
5. Cat Bowls
Your Scottish Fold kitten will need bowls for food and water. You’ll need a minimum of two bowls and you might even consider a third one if you want to feed dry and wet food separately or provide cat milk. Choose a shallow design as it makes them particularly whisker friendly.
6. Cat Food
A good quality, dry kitten food is necessary for growing kittens. It’s likely they’ll come home with a favourite food, and if you decide to move them on to a different food - make sure it’s suitable for kittens and make sure the changes are gradual.
We’d recommend you keep their dry food down all day for your kitten to graze on and then supplement with one or two wet food meals a day. The benefits of dry food is, it’s great for dental health, but the wet food has the benefit of a high water content which is great for cats, especially if they don’t like drinking water from a bowl. Make sure your kitten always has fresh water down for them - even if they don’t drink much.
7. Cat Treats
Choose some real tasty treats for your kitten. Treats are a great reward for their good behavior and can be used celebrate and bond when training with them.
8. Cat Toys
If your cat’s going to live indoors, remember they’ll love playing. Even if they’re an outdoor cat, they’ll want to play too, so choose good, quality toys that appeal to your cat’s senses. Hunting, chasing, pouncing and climbing are just some of the traits your cat would have done in the wild, and giving them toys that allow them to exercise this in their indoor environment will make sure they are entertained and stimulated. Remember to swap the toys over so your cat doesn’t get bored!
9. Cat Scratch Posts
Your fluffy Scottish Fold kitten will definitely want to scratch, which isn’t seen as naughty behavior, just a natural instinct which is to be encouraged. Never reprimand your kitten for scratching furniture, instead you should provide specific scratching products for them to satisfy their scratching needs. A good quality scratch post should be tall enough for your kitten to stretch whilst scratching. If your cat is going to live fully indoors, you will need to invest in a tall scratch post with platforms and ledges for them to climb and exercise.
10. Cat Grooming
Cats are renowned for grooming themselves, but you should get them used to being brushed and in some cases bathed too from early on. Short haired Scottish Fold’s will only need a small amount of brushing but a long haired cat may require a daily brush. Grooming is good for their socialisation and bond with you.