How to Buy a Scottish Fold

The Scottish fold is a breed of cat with ears that bend forward and down toward their face, resulting from a natural mutation to the ear cartilage which contains a fold. The first one was discovered in Scotland, hence the name Scottish Fold.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cat Beds
• Cat Carriers
• Cat Collars
• Cat Combs/Brushes
• Cat Dishes
• Cat Food
• Cat Litters
• Cat Scratchers
• Cat Shampoos
• Cat Toys
• Cat Treats

Select a Scottish Fold

1. Locate a responsible breeder who will guarantee that your Scottish Fold is in good health and is free from the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) or the feline leukemia virus (FeLV).

2. Be prepared to pay $200.00-$600.00 for your Scottish Fold.

3. Pick up and examine the cat for good muscle tone.

4. Make sure the cat does not have any respiratory problems, i.e., sneezing or sniffling, and that the eyes are free of discharge. The ears should also be pink on the inside, and free from ear mites.

5. Examine the cat’s coat. A Scottish Fold can be long- or short-haired. If it is a long-haired Scottish Fold, the hair is semi-long, and should be free of knots and/or mats. Check the skin as well for dry and/or flaky patches.

6. Check for fleas. Look behind the ears and at the base of the tail. If you see something that looks like black sand, that is flea dirt, a telling sign the cat has fleas.

7. Ask for a written sales agreement from the breeder that provides the breeder’s health guarantee.

8. As soon as possible, make a visit to your vet with your Scottish Fold to confirm a clean bill of health.

9. If selecting a kitten, do not take home one younger than 12 weeks of age. The kitten should be fully weaned from the mother, and should have no problem eating solid foods.

10. Keep the Scottish Fold inside, and plan to have it spayed or neutered. Veterinarians recommend both to keep cats happy, free from disease, and help them live longer lives.

Tips & Warnings

• Scottish Folds are considered to be sweet-natured cats, and they are moderately active. They also love to be around people and are very sociable.
• Scottish Folds are one of the heartier breeds, and can often live long lives.
• Ask how the cat was bred. If it was a Scottish Fold to Scottish Fold, there is a chance it could have a degenerative joint disease, not life threatening, but it can be disabling. Ethical breeders will only breed folded-eared cats to folded-ear cats to prevent this disease from occurring.

Resources

• Wikipedia: Scottish Fold
• Cat Fancier's Association: Scottish Fold

[sfoldmistake]

on 2/9/2009 (1)"the only ethical manner of breeding Folds is Fold/nonfold and not Fold/Fold"

(2)"Ethical breeders will only breed folded-eared cats to folded-ear cats to prevent this disease from occurring."

(1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Fold

(2)http://www.ehow.com/how_2306082_buy-scottish-fold.html

*Could somebody please fix this discrepancy*