Everything You Need For Your New Scottish Fold Kitten

The Scottish Fold is a beautiful and distinctive breed of cat. They have a natural gene that affects the cartilage throughout their body, sometimes causing their ears to bend forwards; hence their name, Scottish Fold. Their distinctive good looks and loving personalities make them extremely popular pets. Here we take a look at the history of the breed and then discuss all the things you should have if you’re going to make a Scottish Fold your next pet.   The History Of The Scottish Fold Cat The First Scottish Fold cat was discovered in Scotland in the early 1960’s. Susie had the distinctive folded down ears and soon gave birth to two kittens with the same owl-like appearance. The cats went on to be registered with the GCCF Governing Council of Cat Fancy) and the Scottish Fold breed was born. The breed is renowned for their folded down ears, but it’s important to note that not all Scottish Fold’s will have folded ears; it all depends on the kitten’s dominant gene. Scottish Fold’s who do not develop the folded ears are often called Straights. Straights are no less attractive - who could resist those round cheeks and big eyes! A medium sized cat, Scottish Folds can be either long or short haired and can have almost every known colour. The breed is typically very pleasant natured with with humans and other animals. In fact they tend to grow very strong bonds with their human owners and are usually very affectionate. This makes them a very popular choice of pet. Just make sure you have the time to give them plenty of attention as they can grow lonely quite easily. If you work full time, it might be a good idea to buy two together so they are not alone for long periods of time.   Scottish Fold Kitten Shopping List Are you planning to get a Scottish Fold? If you’re making one your next pet, or are considering it, we’ve put together this shopping list so you can make sure you have everything you need ready to collect them and bring them home. Cat Carrier Travel safety is an important consideration for your cat, both for the day you collect your kitten and beyond. Choose your carrier carefully and look at their really practical features. The main thing we love about cat carriers is a top opening with double door closure. It allows you to easily get your kitten in and out. Nervous new kittens might be reluctant to get in a carrier or get out so the top opening is ideal. Also a lot of our carriers are certified safe for various forms of travel including land, sea and air so all travel forms are covered.   Kitten Blanket You will want your kitten to be as comfortable as possible on the journey home. Little kittens may be nervous to travel and will be unsure of their surroundings. A blanket will offer warmth and a feeling of security. We have scent blankets that can be left with Mum for a couple of weeks before you pick your kitten up. They can bring the scent home with them and have the comforting feeling of home with them. A large cat blanket is a good idea to put with them in their carrier though and can be added to their bed for snuggles at catnap time and bedtime.   Pet Calming Products for Kittens Pet Remedy make a range of calming products suitable for both cats and dogs. You might like to spray their blanket with some of the natural solution to help keep your kitten stress-free on the journey. You could also spray their bed at home to help settle them in. Pet remedy make a range of different products including kits for New Homes and for Travel. Feliway is a brand of calming products designed especially for cats and kittens. Their plug-in diffusers can be plugged in a week or so before you bring your kitten home and will help to make them at home more quickly. They are 100% pet safe, tried and tested to help calm nervous pets in a range of situations. Feliway is great to use in the lead up to trips to the Vet and at any other times that your cat may feel particularly stressed.   Cat Litter Tray & Accessories Pet hygiene is an important part of your cat’s life, 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, so just ensure you have a litter tray with good quality litter and a scoop for cleaning. When you first get kitten home, make sure they know where the litter tray is. We have a wide range of litter tray types, but we’d suggest a medium to large size for your Scottish Fold and a clumping litter.    Cosy Cat Bed Kittens love to nap and snooze. New kittens can spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping, so having a comfortable bed is a must. A cosy kitten bed can also help them to feel safe and secure in their new environment. A hooded cat bed is a really good option as cats like to feel sheltered and safe. Choose a cat bed with a sherpa top as cat’s love the texture of this type of fleece.    Cat Bowls Your Scottish Fold will  need bowls for feeding time! A minimum of two bowls or saucers for food and water is essential. You might also consider a third one if you want to feed dry and wet food separately. Some of our favourite bowls are the shallow designs. Tarhong make really durable melamine saucers that are just perfect for pouches of wet food or water. The shallow design makes them particularly whisker friendly.   Cat Food A good quality dry kitten food is essential for developing kittens. Your breeder is likely to suggest the best food for them and will probably send you home with a sample of the food they’ve been eating so far. If you decide to move them on to a different food, make sure it’s suitable for kittens and make sure changes are gradual over a week or two. Sudden changes to diet can have negative effects on kitten’s digestion. Our recommendation is that you keep dry food down all day for your kitten to graze on and then supplement with one or two wet food meals a day (make sure you read the packaging for portion sizes as different foods will vary). Dry food is great for dental health, helping to keep plaque at bay, but wet food has the benefit of a high water content which is beneficial for cats, especially for those who don’t like drinking water from a bowl. You should always keep fresh water down for them, even if they don’t drink much. Cats can suffer from urinary tract problems; making sure they drink enough can keep such problems at bay.   Cat Treats Choose some good quality treats for your kitten. Treats are a nice little reward for good behaviour and can be used to instil good behaviour when training them to scratch their scratch post. We have a wide selection of treats from brands including The Innocent Cat and Felix.   Cat Toys Whether your cat will live indoors or outdoors, they will love playing. Choose good quality toys that appeal to an array of your cat’s senses. Hunting, chasing and pouncing are just some of the things your cat will do in the wild, so giving them toys that allow them to do the same in their indoor environment will make sure they are entertained and stimulated. We have a fun collection of catnip toys as well as enticing cat wands and teasers from brands including Catit, KONG and All For Paws. Don’t forget to swap toys around so your cat doesn’t get bored!    Cat Scratch Post Your Scottish Fold kitten will definitely scratch, which shouldn’t be seen as naughty behaviour, but rather a natural instinct to be encouraged in the correct places. Never scold your kitten for scratching furniture, but instead provide specific scratching products for them to sate their scratching needs. A good quality scratch post should be tall enough for your kitten to stretch when scratching. You may choose a small compact one to begin with and size up as your kitten grows. If your cat is going to live solely indoors then you will need to invest in a tall scratch post with platforms and ledges for them to climb and exercise. Indoor cats live long healthy lives as long as you give them plenty of things to do. A tall cat tower is ideal for indoors cats.   Cat Collar If you are going to let your kitten outdoors eventually you may want to invest in a cat collar so you can attach an ID tag in case they go missing. Choose a cat collar with a safety buckle incase it gets caught when climbing and consider something with a reflective strip so your cat can be seen in the dark. You may well choose to keep your Scottish Fold as an indoor only cat, which is perfectly fine as long as you provide them with plenty of activities to keep them active and stimulated indoors.    Cat Grooming Tools Cats are very good at grooming themselves, but it’s also a good idea to get them used to being brushed and in some cases bathed too. Short haired Scottish Fold’s will only need minimal brushing but a long haired cat may require a daily brush. Grooming is good for their socialisation and helps build a strong bond with you. You could get your cat used to bathing too. Shampooing your cat isn’t always necessary, but you may choose to get them used to a bath every now and then; it might be necessary if you intend to show your cat. If your cat doesn’t like water, you could try a waterless shampoo spray. It’ll condition the hair and make it smell Devine.

By Zac Girdlestone