The first Scottish She-cat named Susie was found in 1961 near Coupar Angus, Tayside, Scotland. When she had kittens, two of them had pricked ears. Shepherd William Ross spotted one of them, asked the kittens’ owners to give it to them and started breeding them.
Scottish Fold and Scottish Straight are medium-sized cats with a rounded head and large, round eyes, with short or long hair. Long-haired Scots are known as Highland Fold in English, and erect-haired Scots as Highland Straight. A wide variety of coat colours are recognised.
Scottish Straight cats are very valuable because when breeding Scottish Straight cats, it is essential that one of the parents of the future kittens is Scottish Straight. All Scottish Lop-eared kittens are born with erect ears. A mutated gene causes the ears to flatten or remain erect after about 3-4 weeks. Not every litter has a Scottish Hairless kittens, so they are highly prized. Kittens’ ears can be very close to the head or just flattened. Scotch cats with very close-set ears are quite rare and are therefore highly prized. Ears that fit perfectly close to the head and do not leave the contour of the head are the face of the Scottish Bald Ears breed. When the kittens are about 12 weeks old, it is possible to judge whether they will take part in exhibitions.
The manner of the Scottish Hairless and the erectest cats corresponds to their appearance. It is a gentle, well-mannered cat, loves attention, has a calm and stable disposition and loves people. All Scotties, both short-haired and long-haired, are happy to be in the company of children and play with them. If a Scot finds the handling too rough and unacceptable, he will simply turn and walk away, never barking or biting. They are sociable and get on well with other animals. Scottish Pointers and Rottweilers are peaceful, rarely dominant and never aggressive.
Scots like to play moderately and are physically fit enoughThey are agile, but never pushy. Scottish coots and erect ears “speak” in a half-voice. Their quiet meows are sometimes hard to hear. You will almost never see a Scottish barking angrily. But if you ever do, you will see an expression on the muzzle that will give you a sweet laugh. Apparently, Scots do not know how to use their claws and teeth as a weapon. If you hold a Scot against its will, it will dig in, dig its feet in and protest – so you may only scratch it accidentally. Of course, this does not mean that, in a serious case, he cannot or will not stand up for himself.
Scottish deer and erect ears are not eccentric. To be happy, a cat needs a clean environment, enough food and, above all, the affection of its owner. Because Scotties are attached to the owner rather than the environment, they are very comfortable in strange places – a loving owner nearby is essential.