Is it possible to cross a Briton and a Scot: why is it not recommended when mating is possible?

A cross between a British and a Scotsman - all about the crossbreeds of the two breeds and the possibility of crossing

If it is expensive to buy a purebred kitten, a British mixed breed will do. There are crosses between British cats and the Scottish Fold, Siamese, Persian and mongrel. The owner should know how the breeds differ, when it is possible and not recommended to cross animals. The owner must also have an idea of ​​what a mixed breed looks like, the features of keeping, care and health of the pet.

According to felinologists, the breed combination of British and Scottish cats is meaningless, since both breeds have become independent and have an international standard. Therefore, the world associations of cat lovers banned interbreeding in 2004.

What is the character of Scottish Fold cats?

Scottish lop-eared

The cat has an easy, patient
character
. These cats are intelligent and not vindictive. He is good with children, so he will fit in with a large family. The curled ears of representatives of this breed have no functional purpose.

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Description of breeds and differences

British and Scottish cats are very similar. However, among the British there are no cats with floppy ears. The main common features of both breeds:

The differences between the cats are as follows:

Interbreeding options

Scottish and British cats were often crossed with representatives of other breeds. The kittens of some of them have received recognition from world associations of cat lovers. Others simply remained mestizos, who do not participate in breeding or exhibitions. Experimental crossbreeding of Britons and Scottish Sheeps was carried out with the following breeds:

A few rules

In order for the offspring to be born strong, you need to adhere to the following tips:

• A Scottish cat cannot be bred with a British cat.
• It is better not to cross two Scots with floppy ears.
• You need to select partners for your pets in a club from experienced breeders specializing in certain breeds.
• Choose a cat for your beauty that is attractive in color. The offspring will be unusual and original in their external characteristics.
• Before mating, it is necessary to find out whether the partner is vaccinated. If there is the slightest sign of ill health, mating cannot be carried out.

Is it possible to cross breeds?

When is breeding possible?

Folds no longer mate with Scots. However, sometimes this is necessary to improve the color or gain new features in appearance. Experimental matings are carried out, and the litter is carefully studied by specialists. Interbreed mating is undesirable, since the standard characteristics are lost, and the babies may develop joint problems in the future.

When is breeding prohibited?

The Fold cat can only mate with Scottish cats with straight ears due to a gene that lowers the ear flaps. Only one carrier of such a gene is allowed in a couple, otherwise the offspring will die or have severe genetic abnormalities. There is no ban among the British. Only cats with deviations from the standard - malocclusion, squint, or creases in the tail - are not allowed for breeding.

Scottish breed breeding video

Mating a Scottish Straight requires adhering to a certain number of rules that will help you produce healthy offspring and avoid unwanted deviations in the breed.

Scottish Straight cats are attractive not only for their natural beauty, but also for their excellent genes and phenomenal health, which make this animal a real contender for the title of the best. Despite the fact that straight-eared Scottish Straights are not recognized by the world cat organization, they are indispensable partners when breeding Scottish Folds, the mating of which is unacceptable with representatives of their own variety. the Scottish straights themselves .

Mating Scottish Straight has a number of its own characteristics, the implementation of which is necessary if the owner wants to get healthy and full-fledged offspring. When breeding Scottish cats, it is worth considering that this activity requires patience.

What does a mestizo look like?

Half-breeds contain the features of both parents, so their appearance allows for any deviations. The main external data of a mixture of British and Scots is shown in the table:

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Maintenance and care

Mixed breeds should be cared for in the same way as other cats. Brush should be done at least once a week with combs for short-haired cats. The tray should be spacious and filled with bentonite or wood. It is necessary to feed the cat with high-quality holistic, super or premium food - “Bozita”, “Farmina”, “Acana”, “Trainer”, “Pronature”, “Origin”. The diet should include lean meat, greens, low-fat cottage cheese, and hard-boiled eggs. Ears and eyes should be cleaned every week with special animal products “Beafar”, “Trixie”, “Bars”. Teeth require daily care with Dentavedin, Nutri-Vet, and Zubastik products. You should bathe your cat only when dirty. To prevent dangerous infections, your pet should be vaccinated in a timely manner.

Source

Scottish mixed cat

Metis, that is, a cross between two different breeds, is an unpredictable creature, because its genes can appear in the most unexpected combinations. Sometimes they turn out to be successful (for example, a softer character or good health appears), sometimes they are undesirable. Let's see what the consequences are and what kittens are born from two different breeds.

Attention! Information about the possible origin of the mestizos presented in the article is approximate, because without having documents for the cat, it is impossible to say what breed it is. Roots can only be determined approximately by eye. Therefore, if we say that a given cat is a Scots-Persian mix, then there is no 100% guarantee that this is really the case. However, these cats look exactly like mixtures of these breeds.

What you need to know when breeding Scots for the first time

Readiness for the first mating is determined in cats not only when they reach sexual maturity. Considering its delicate characteristics, this breed may show signs of readiness to have offspring as early as 9-10 months, but mating during this period is strictly prohibited. During early pregnancy, a young female may develop serious diseases, and the offspring may even die during childbirth or be born with serious pathologies and abnormalities.

Having reached the age of one and a half years, the cat becomes completely ready for potential mating. The owner only needs to determine the moment of estrus and look for a partner for his cat. But it is necessary to find a truly worthy partner, since estrus in Scottish Straight cats lasts no more than 4-6 days.

As for Scottish Straight cats, when they reach sexual maturity, they can mate at absolutely any time. They are not at risk of diseases associated with reduced fertility or those that will interfere with their further normal development. Males who have reached the age of 10 months are considered an adult, ready for reproduction.

The peak of increased activity and greatest fertility occurs in males in the spring season. So, the cat begins to behave restlessly, aggressively, begins to call the cat or mark the territory with urine with a characteristic specific smell.

British and Scottish cat mix

Most often you can find a mixture of British and Scots. It’s not even entirely appropriate to call them a mestizo of the British and Scots, because... According to some felinological systems, it is allowed to record such a litter as purebred Scots. Previously, such matings were generally carried out often and were a variant of the norm, because The Scottish breed at the first stages was obtained, among other things, from crossings with the British. But now the breed is established and does not need such matings. With proper crossbreeding, a cat that is a mixture of a Scotsman and a Briton can look very impressive. But this doesn't happen so often.

Basically, from the crossing of British and Scots, either defective individuals are born, or with insufficiently expressed breed qualities. In addition, a cross between a British and a Scot may have musculoskeletal problems.

President of the International Feline Association Elena Shevchenko

For a long time, the process of selecting couples was not regulated in any way. As a result, a significant number of straights of completely different types were obtained. Matings with the British breed result in British-type straight cats - rather heavy, squat, with a round head, a short thick tail, almost corresponding to the standard of a British cat. Matings with medium-type British dogs and other straights result in straights of “no type” - stretched out, the head is not round enough, the tail is long, the legs are high, the eyes are deep set. According to breed standards, the advantages of a British cat are the disadvantages of a Scottish cat. As a result of such matings, the type of both the British and the Scottish type deteriorated.

However, kittens resulting from the mating of a British and a Scot are considered a Scottish breed. It is recorded in documents, because, for example, the WCF rules do not prohibit crossing the British with the Scots. As Britons, such a litter cannot be recorded.

Difficulties that may arise during knitting

When mating straights and folds, complications may arise that will prevent you from conceiving offspring. Overcoming these difficulties is possible if you are close to the male and female during the mating process to provide assistance.

1. Different sizes. A cat and a female cat may differ in size. This is especially inconvenient if the cat is slightly smaller than the female, since he will not be able to grab the cat by the withers and cover it correctly. In this case, the owners are advised to hold the female at the withers themselves;
2. The cat may not give in to the cat, experiencing mistrust and fear. Not all females can overcome these barriers. In such cases, mating cannot occur and, alas, practically nothing can be done;
3. Stopping estrus can be caused by stress and illness. That is why both the mental and physical health of the animal must be carefully monitored. An estrus that has stopped due to stress recovers on its own within a few days, but it is still better to avoid such an unpleasant moment;
4. Cats very often fall to the side when mating with a cat reaches the active phase. To avoid difficulties during mating, it is best to hold the cat in the desired position.

Where is the best place to look for a suitable mating partner?

Finding a suitable Scottish Straight cat for mating is quite difficult, since this task requires a responsible approach and the ability to distinguish a healthy cat from an unsuitable male. You can find a partner in a special breeders club that specializes in Scottish Folds. Specialists from the club will help you choose the right partner and provide assistance in mating. The cat will be selected taking into account all the characteristics, from the shape of the ear to the weight and correct shape of the skull and skeleton.

It is important to agree on a fee in advance with the owner of the male. One calf per lamb is the most common payment for services provided by a pet. In rare cases, the fee is paid in cash. This is possible in the case when the owner of a male Fold cannot get a Fold kitten, since the litter consists of only Scottish Straight kittens.

Video on the topic

Is it possible to crossbreed a Briton and a Scot?

All cat breeds have a common genetic sex pattern and the same number of chromosomes, so they can be bred with each other. In the process of breeding history, the Scottish Fold (low-eared) breed was formed.

Mating between this breed is strictly prohibited. Both partners have a gene for lop ears, which leads to genetic mutations. It was possible to get rid of the defect by crossing Scottish Fold cats with straight-eared British cats.

To maintain the standard of the Scottish breed, it was allowed to breed Britons with Scots, although matings between them were prohibited in the British breed.

The litter belonged to the Scots, they were recorded as:

Gradually, the appearance of the Scots began to differ significantly from the British. The ears, body size, length of paws and tail have changed. Unlike British cats, Scottish cats are lighter in bone, smaller in size, have a rounded head with huge eyes, small ears, and long hair. They are harsher in character.

Straight ears are the only difference between the Scottish Straight and the Scottish Fold. The World Cat Federation has registered the Scottish Straight as "Scottish Shorthair". The breed received the right to participate in the championship. To preserve the breed characteristics of the Scots, Folds stopped crossing with the British and started with Scottish Straights.

Kittens born from two British parents are considered British. If other representatives of the breeds participated in the crossing, the breed characteristics deteriorated. As a rule, the color of the British is blue. When crossed with exotics and Persians, the shade of the coat changed to other colors - smoky, black.

What should you pay attention to and who should you breed Scottish Straight with?

There is only one answer to the question of who can breed a Scottish Straight cat with. Mating of straight-eared Scottish cats Scottish Straight

carried out only with direct relatives of these animals, namely Scottish Folds. The excellent compatibility of genes and breed characteristics allows you to breed animals with wonderful appearance and excellent health indicators. The gene present in folds is predominant and main, therefore mating with a representative of a similar breed is disastrous for animals, as it leads to the development of abnormalities and chronic diseases in kittens.

The first mating is the most exciting for the owner. In order for the result to be positive and everything to work out as it should, it is necessary to select a healthy breeding male who will be somewhat older and more experienced than a young cat. However, the first Scottish Straight pregnancy may be unsuccessful. This happens if the cat suffered stress and did not allow the cat near her or was not at all ready for this process. When preparing for mating, you should carefully prepare and take into account all the nuances of the subsequent meeting between male and female.

Important points to take into account when knitting:

• Both partners must be treated for parasites and vaccinated. The presence of vaccinations must be checked according to the animal’s documents;
• The cat is always sent to the cat's territory when mating. Therefore, she needs to be provided with comfortable conditions, her usual diet and her own tray with filler, since it has her scent;
• Cats don't always welcome their partners. Therefore, for the safety of animals, it is worth trimming their claws;
• Animals need to be given time to get to know each other and get used to the smells;
• Pets should not be forced to mate if one of them is not ready for this.

The main rules for mating the Scottish Straight

:

1. The color and external features of the cat must correspond to the norm. It is important to pay attention to the uniformity of color, body proportions and coat. The coat should be smooth and free of dandruff. If the cat’s hair is very matted, and there is discharge from the eyes and nose, it is better to completely abandon mating;
2. The condition of the cat for mating must be satisfactory. It is important that the male chosen for mating has a strong, healthy physique and is sufficiently active. A lethargic and apathetic cat is not the best option, so it is better to refuse mating with such a representative;
3. When choosing a Scottish Fold
   , it is important to pay attention to the ears and their folding. The ears should be symmetrical and not extend beyond the cat's skull. Cats with folds on their ears are especially prized. They are rare and mating with them costs many times more.

When is it possible to crossbreed a Briton and a Scot?

You can match a Brit with a Scot when:

Such matings are called experimental and are carried out in a nursery under the supervision of specialists who carefully study the litter.

Since during cross-breed mating, babies lose standard traits and have problems with the musculoskeletal system, cat owners are not advised to mate animals of the same breed.