Scottish straight cat: breed description and temperament

Scottish straight is one of the Scottish breeds, whose distinctive features are as follows: short plush hair and straight ears. Hence the name of this charming cats. In total, among the Scottish cat breed there are four varieties: Scottish Straight, Scottish Fold (short-haired fold-eared), Highland Straight (semi-long-haired straight-eared) and Hyland Fold (semi-long-haired fold-eared). Each has its own distinctive appearance.

Scottisch straight cat appearance and personal traits

This variety of Scottish cats won its recognition firstly because of its appearance, which is due to the short and very thick hair reminiscent of a bear cub, and secondly, a good temperament, which distinguishes it from many other breeds. Plus, Scottish cats are easy to care for. This is one of the most convenient breeds for apartments. And yet, the Scottish cat is good for a large family, because it is not bad for noisy companies and does not hide in unknown directions in case of a kid, although, of course, it can fight back if too much cuddling.

Temperament and difficulty level of caring for the Scottish Straight Cat

Friendliness	70,00%
Level of molting	90,00%
Talkativeness	60,00%
Kids friendly	70,00%
Health	70,00%

Scottish Straight is loved firstly because of its appearance, which resembles a bear cub, and secondly because of its good personality, which distinguishes it from many other breeds. Plus, Scottish cats are easy to keep. This is one of the most convenient cat breeds for apartments. And also a Scottish cat is good for a large family, because it is good for noisy companies and does not hide in unknown directions at the sight of kids, although, of course, it can show displeasure with many cuddles.

Who Scottish straights are good for

Scottish straights are affectionate and need companionship. Therefore, it is good if you or one of your family members spends part of the day at home. This cat breed is not good for those who are not home all day. They are also not suitable if you are allergic to cats. Scottish straight also will not suit such people who vitally need the cat to sit in their arms all the time. They’d better to pay attention to the Sphynx cats, Ragdolls, Persians and some other breeds.

The Scottish breed cats are purebred, and they need the appropriate diet: special dry food or raw diet. But if you intend to buy a rat catcher, it is not for the Scottish cat. Yes, he can hunt and catch a mouse. But eating mice can be dangerous: if the neighbors poisoned rodents, and the cat ate them, he will be poisoned too.

Scottish cats are also not suitable for those who want to buy a cat for training. The fact is that Scottish straights, like Scottish Folds, are not very trainable. Of course, not because they’re goofy, but because they don’t think it’s necessary to follow commands. You can train such a cat, but only if you manage to show that doing the trick is beneficial to him in the first place and not to you. In particular, these cats can perform commands because it is additional communication, which they like so much.

The character of Scottish cats is balanced, but sometimes a little whimsical and demonstrative. And these cats are also: real optimists, not vindictive, compassionate and good-natured.

History of the Scottish Straight breed

For a long time, the existence of such a breed as Scottish straights was not recognized. Because, first of all, Scottish straights are very similar to the British. Secondly, they are born in one litter with Scottish folds, and to single them out somehow separately in this connection seemed to felinologists a very strange decision. But, nevertheless, in 2004 they were separated into separate breed with code SFS71 (WCF classification). And at the same time semi-long-haired breed, Highland Straight, with code SFL71 according to WCF was recognized. However, some felinological organizations still do not recognize them. But this does not prevent Scottish straights to participate in exhibitions under the patronage of WCF and take prizes.

Strategies of the Cattish Straight

Scottish Straight breed standards are defined by the World Cat Federation (WCF) and has clear specifications. It will be interesting and useful to get acquainted with them, especially if you plan to participate in cat shows.

Body of Scottish-strat cat

On average, an adult female Scottish straight weighs 3-3,5 kg, and a male 4-5 kg. But there are also giants weighing 6 kg. Although in general Scottish straights cats are considered medium-weight, with a moderately long body, muscular, with medium backbone.

Paws of the Scottish straight cat

Paws are of medium length. Too long or too short are considered a significant disadvantage.Paws should be with the toes pressed firmly together. Paws are of medium length. Too long or too short are considered a significant disadvantage.Paws should be with the toes pressed firmly together. Paws should be with the toes pressed firmly together. The hind paws should not be bent when there is a deformity toward the O- or X-shape. The latter, it should be noted, is very common in Scottish Straight cats.

Tail of the Scottish Straight

Long to medium length. If it is folded along the body, it will reach to the middle of the shoulder blade. Long tails score higher than medium tails at shows. The tail should be able to move at all joints and bend without difficulty. Tail should not be bent.

Head and Muzzle of the Scottish Straight

Round skull shape, with slightly convex forehead and round muzzle.

The nose is short, the transition to the nose from the forehead is a little bent, there is no noticeable hump or depression on the nose. The chin is round, quite noticeable, strong, but not protruding. The mustache is set on full, convex cheeks. The neck is quite short, but not as powerful as in British cats. The shape of the Scotsman’s body resembles a skittle.

Scottish Straight Eyes

A Scottish straight’s eyes should be large, round, and well open. This creates a cute baby face expression known as a baby face. Eye color can be blue, amber and other shades that should match the type of color of the coat.

Cottish Straight Ears

Medium sized ears, with slightly pointed tips, wide at the base. They are set wide and high. The tips are slightly out to the sides. Ears must not be semi-lopen: in this case, perhaps, we are not dealing with a Scottish straight, but with a Scottish Fold, who has risen ears.

Scottish straight coat

Dense, plush, thin, not fitting, medium length, thickly covers the body. To see the skin, you need to pull the coat apart. The texture of the coat also depends on color and season.The structure is double, there is a hair and a thick undercoat.

The colors of the Scottish straights are wide-ranging. This is perhaps one of the breeds that offer the greatest number of colors and pattern options.The colors of the Scottish straights are wide-ranging. This is perhaps one of the breeds that offer the most color and pattern options.

Behavior

The colors of the Scottish straights are wide-ranging. This is perhaps one of the breeds that offer the most color and pattern options.

General appearance

A Scottish Straight’s movements should be plastic and free at the joints. A healthy Scottish Straight-Eared cat should be bouncy, which strong hind legs with good thrust allow.

Scottish Straight Care and Nutrition

Is the Scottish Straight cat easy to care for? The Scottish Straight can be confidently classified as a breed recommended for beginners. The reason for this is good temperament and fairly good health. Yes, the Scottish straights are somewhat capricious and independent, but these cats are great friends.

The second reason why Scottish Straight cats are easy to care for is their short coat. These cats usually shed twice a year, in the spring and fall. This time can be quite difficult if you don’t use special brushes to comb out the coat. At any other time, combing out the coat once a week is sufficient.

The third reason we say Scottish Straight is easy to care for is nutrition. They usually need the standard diet of the standard pedigreed cat. That is, they don’t need special supplements like Scottish Fold cats prone to joint problems, for example. Yes, if your cat has health problems, the vet will prescribe special diet, but in all other cases nothing special is required. You’ll just have to choose between a dry food and a raw diet.

The only inconvenience that the Scottish straight can cause in terms of care is the need to wipe the eyes. The fact is that this breed is prone to tearfulness. The problem is due to the structure of the nasal septum and skull in general, as a result of which the ducts responsible for the drainage of secretions from the eyes through the nose, cope with their function insufficiently, and therefore tears leak through the eyes, oxidize, changing color to reddish, and dry up. Note that this problem is not observed in all Scottish straights.

Otherwise, the care of this cat is simple: you can clip claws if you want, and, if necessary, clean ears and teeth.

Pros and cons of Scottish Straight cat

For clarity, we have made a table listing the main pros and cons of Scottish cats. As you can see from the table, the advantages of these cats are much more than the disadvantages. Of course, the table is only some averaged data on the breed.

Pros	Cons
Recommended for beginners	Does not like excessive cuddling
Friendly and not aggressive	Does not usually like to be held in hands
Intelligent	Shows temper if unsatisfied
Loves people and is affectionate	Can be pushy occasionally
Not fearful	May shed heavily with hair all over the house
Gets along well with other pets	Rarely has heart health problems

What is important to know when buying a Scottish Straight kitten

Depending on what level of breeder you buy a Scottish Straight kitten from, it will be a good, medium or weakly expressed breed traits, which depends directly on the genetics of the parents. Yes, it is not guaranteed that champions will have perfect kittens, which will also become champions. But they are almost guaranteed to give birth to quality kittens with a well-defined breed. Therefore, choose the Scottish Straight breeder carefully, preferably not far from you. Then you can visit the cattery several times and look at the kittens and adult cats, living conditions and talk to the breeder. After all, you are choosing a pet that will be a member of your family for over 10 years.

Diseases and Defects of Scottish Straight-Eared Cats

Scottish Straight is an excellent choice for those who really want a Scottish cat, but are confused by the fact that Scottish Folds have a gene that can cause joint problems. The Scottish straights do not have this gene.

According to genetics, two genes are needed for offspring to develop a particular trait, one from the mother and one from the father. There are dominant genes that, no matter what other genes are paired with, will always show up. There are recessive genes that are suppressed by the dominant genes if paired with them. For example, people with brown eyes are carriers of at least one dominant gene for brown eyes, and they can have the second gene as a second dominant gene, which is brown, or a recessive blue gene, but it is suppressed. In the blue-eyed, on the other hand, both genes are recessive.

Scottish Fold cats carry two different genes: one dominant – Fd (it gives folded ears) and one recessive – fd (gives straight ears). Fd gene is a mutation: Besides the ear cartilage defect it carries also other joint problems, which can be not apparent if a cat is born with Fdfd genes (i.e. from mating of a straight-eared cat and a lop-eared cat or vice versa), but can appear.

Now let’s look at what happens in Scottish straights. Their ears stick straight out, and it is a recessive gene and it just can’t be paired with the folded gene, otherwise the cat will be folded. That means the pair of genes in Scottish straights looks like this: fdfd. And gene fd does not carry cartilage and joint defects, so there is no propensity to such diseases in Scottish straights cats.

However, both Scottish straights and Scottish folds are prone to other health issues. This, in the first place, teary eyes, cardiomyopathy (heart disease), overweight (when overeating), malformed eyelids (resulting in sometimes even having to do surgery). But don’t let this list scare you. It lists only the tendencies that occur rarely. Similar lists are in every breed. In general, the health of Scottish Straight cats is considered to be strong. And skilled breeders exclude from breeding cats carrying defective genes.