What is the difference between Scottish and British cats. Difference between British and Scottish cats. External difference from the British

Often on felinological Internet forums, people ask: "What is the difference between British and Scottish cats?" Interest in pets from Foggy Albion did not arise by chance. Recently, the expression “Fold Briton” has appeared in the conversations of cat lovers, which is not mentioned in any classifier.

Legends and myths usually arise from a banal absence or lack of accurate information. So it happened with the imaginary cat breed. "The Lop-Eared Briton" is a myth generated by ignorance of the intricacies of breeding work. Therefore, experts shrug their shoulders when asked how the Scottish Fold differs from the British Fold.

Let's make it clear right away: if the first breed mentioned in the question was bred recently, in the middle of the twentieth century, then the second is clearly confused with the oldest British shorthair. It is worth noting the differences between these breeds in order to have a clear understanding of each of them.

Exterior features

The difference between British and Scottish cats is clearly visible in the photo. The British are large and muscular animals, similar to "teddy bears" - they are 32-35 cm tall and weigh 4-6 kg (can reach 10-12 kg). They have good health, live for 14-20 years.

Identified by the following features:

a skin fold is clearly visible around the short neck;
on a large, round head, a convex, not in the least sloping forehead stands out;
the muzzle is rounded, cheeky, with widely spaced erect ears, clearly visible on the round contour of the head;
the body is compact, dense, with a strong bone, resting on paws of medium length and ending in a small tail rounded towards the end;
with a densely padded fur coat, the Briton looks like a Scotsman, but his hairline is more elastic to the touch.

Expert's video answer:

Representatives of the Scottish and British cat breeds enjoy well-deserved popularity. The velvety texture of the coat, the spectacular exterior, the high intelligence are traits common to the British and Scots. However, there are fundamental differences between these animals. If you do not know about them and make a mistake when choosing a kitten, the pet can disappoint with an unexpectedly explosive temperament or too melancholic disposition. To understand the intricacies of distinguishing a Scottish cat from a British cat, international breed standards will help.

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Key differences between breeds

The key differences between British and Scottish cats will become clear if you know a little about the history of the origin of these breeds. Moreover, the main difference between these animals lies not so much in the features of their appearance, but in their behavior and habits.

In order to distinguish a Scottish cat from a British one, one photo may not be enough. There are fundamental differences in the behavior and temperament of these animals, which are important to consider when choosing a pet:

for couch potatoes and lovers of quiet leisure in the company of a melancholic and affectionately attached pet, representatives of the Scottish breed are ideal;
for those who work and travel a lot, prefer an active lifestyle and value independence, British cats and cats will become excellent companions.

British cats - travelers and hunters

During the First World War, the British became a huge rarity and survived literally by a miracle through the efforts of breeders. In subsequent years, interesting experiments were carried out: British cats were crossed with Persian, Cartesian, Russian blue cats. Therefore, it can be very difficult to determine the breed only by its appearance.

Since 1950, there has been an official standard in the United States. In the pedigree, animals belonging to this breed must have a BRI mark. These are classic representatives of the British breed with a characteristic appearance - a chubby muzzle and velvety hair.

British cat

Regardless of whether the exterior of the cat meets the official breed standard or he is a mestizo, all modern British cats are excellent hunters who prefer an active lifestyle. Since the ancestors of the Britishcats in ancient times were wild and independentanimals , their modern descendants calmly endure loneliness.The British tolerate travel very well, a change of scenery, and easily adapt to a new society.

Scottish cats are quivering couch potatoes

Scottish cats are the descendants of the semi-wild white fold cat, whose specific appearance is the result of an unusual genetic mutation.

Scottish cats are distinguished by a friendly disposition, calm character. They get along with all family members, are very impressionable and emotional.

In each litter, both fold kittens and babies with ordinary erect ears appear. Therefore, within the framework of the breed standard, options for the shape of the ears are provided.

Scottish kittens

The breeding work of felinologists led to the appearance of additional variations in the appearance of Scottish cats - not only short-haired animals with velvety hair appeared, but also long-haired individuals.

Since lop-earedness is the result of a genetic mutation, mating animals with such a feature among themselves leads to the birth of seriously ill kittens with serious congenital abnormalities.

In the pedigree of animals assigned to the Scottish breed, there may be marks SFS (for fold cats), SSS or SCS (for straight-eared individuals).

Lop-eared scotsman

Straight-eared scotsman

Common to all representatives of the Scottish breed are quiet and docile nature, a very strong emotional attachment to the owner. Scottish cats value stability, and it is difficult for them to go through a change of environment and environment. Moving to a new place of residence for an adult animal can be a real emotional trauma.

Differences in appearance

The easiest way to identify the representatives of the Scottish Fold breed. But this can be done only if the kitten is already 4 or more weeks old - it is by this age that the auricle is finally formed.

Lop-eared cats are representatives of the Scottish breed only.

A variety of the breed is the Hiland Fold (Highland Fold, Scottish Long-haired Fold).

Highland Fold - Scottish Long-haired Fold cat

Among the parents of such kittens, one must necessarily be the owner of ears of the usual shape, otherwise the offspring will be the carrier of congenital incurable diseases.

How to distinguish a British from a straight-eared Scotsman?

The situation is more complicated when it is required to distinguish a representative of the British breed from a Scottish Straight - a Scottish straight cat.

This task is so difficult that for a long time even scientists refused to recognize the Scottish cats as an independent breed. But the results of long-term observations made it possible to reveal fundamental differences in the structure of the body and skull of representatives of these breeds. Each of them now has a precise description that is included in international standards.

The main differences in the appearance of the two cat breeds:

Appearance characteristics	British cats and cats	Cats and cats Scottishbreeds
The size	Large	Medium
Body assembly	Stocky, stocky	Graceful, proportional
Neck	Weakly expressed	Clearly expressed
Tail	Relatively short, thick, with a rounded tip	Quite long and thin, with a sharp tip
Paws	Massive, short in relation to body proportions	Graceful, relatively thin, proportional to body length
Head	Rounded shape with well defined cheeks	"Owl" shape with a well-defined chin
Ears	Only the usual form (standing upright).	They can be of a regular shape or drooping (pressed to the head).

Color, coat length and eye color are difficult to use as criteria for distinguishing between British and Scottish cats. The most significant differences that make it possible to accurately determine the breed of a particular animal without comparing it with other individuals are behavioral features.

Features of character and temperament

Observation of its behavior can provide valuable information on how to choose a breed. Scottish and British cats are fundamentally different in the habits that are inherent in them at the genetic level:

Features of behavior	British breed	Scottishbreed
Height	They love to watch what is happening from a height, climb up and jump with pleasure	They are afraid of heights, do not like to climb and jump
Show of jealousy	Don't be jealous. Are calm about the presence of children and animals in the family	Very jealous, do not always get along with other animals
Resting-place	A secluded place, preferably higher off the floor	Next to the owner
Intelligence	Very smart, they learn everything themselves	Smart, easy to train
Temperament	Active, active, curious, wayward, vindictive.	Soft, fearful, obedient, docile, touchy, modest.

Perhaps representatives of no other cat breeds are not confused as often as British and Scottish Fold cats. Perhaps people are confused by the fact that they both came from Foggy Albion, or the general type is so striking that the nuances are not visible behind it - but the fact remains.

Although it will not be difficult for an observant person to distinguish a Fold-eared Scotsman from a British, there are several visible differences.

The main thing is the ears!

The most important difference lies in the name: the Scottish Fold cat differs from the British in the structure of the ears, and this cannot be noticed unless a blind one. Fold Scots (Scottish Folds) are the only breed that can boast of such a peculiar calling card - small ears folded in double folds.

In ideal Scottish Folds, the ears are barely noticeable, tightly pressed to the head and wide apart (in an adult cat, a palm is placed between the ears). But very rare and expensive specimens have so-called "strong" ears. Most Scottish ears are loosely pressed to the head and not folded in half, as required by the standard.

As a result, in some animals only the tip of the ear is slightly lowered forward. This is primarily due to genetics, but also to hormonal changes (pregnancy) or health conditions. However, even the finally raised fold ears are difficult to confuse with ordinary cat ears - such as those of the British.

The ears of British cats are of regular size, wider at the base, more rounded at the tips, set apart and tilted slightly forward. British Fold cats do not exist in nature - this is a myth generated by the elementary illiteracy of some "cat experts".

Difference # 2: the head of the British and Scottish fold

The shape of the head is another difference between Scottish Folds and British cats.

Scottish folds

The main distinguishing feature of the Scots is the roundness of the head. It is said that a portrait of this cat can be drawn with a compass.

A round skull, the outlines of which are not broken even by the ears, a bulging forehead, round and "stuffed" mustache pads, rounded cheeks, absolutely round, like those of owls, wide-set eyes. The picture is complemented by a soft profile without sharp lines and sharp corners and an overall "sweet" expression of the muzzle.

The British

The head of British cats in full face is wider. The area between the ears is flat. Too pronounced pads are considered a fault, and the cheeks are so thick that they are the hallmark of the breed.

The outer corners of the eyes are slightly elongated, and the expression of the muzzle resembles the famous smile of the Cheshire cat.

Boxer and aristocrat

If you have a Scottish Fold cat and a British one, the differences can be noticed in their constitution.

Do you know that the birthplace of modern boxing is England? So, British cats, as true representatives of their homeland, are similar to boxers - they are squat, strong and powerful, very muscular, with broad shoulders and chest. Their limbs are short and strong.

Scottish cats have a longer body, medium bone and slender medium limbs. They also look athletic, but don't leave the heavyweight impression.

Attention to the tails!

How else is the British cat different from the Scottish Fold? Tail!

Ideal Britons have tails that match their entire solid and solid appearance: short and thick, which are sometimes compared to a small log. The tip of the tail is neatly rounded.

Scottish Folds have different standards of beauty: a longer and thinner tail, tapering to the tip. Moreover, due to the fact that Scottish cats are carriers of a genetic mutation that causes splicing of the vertebrae, special attention is paid to the flexibility and mobility of the tail.

At exhibitions, experts carefully feel the tails - cats with a deformed tail cannot get a title and are not allowed to breed.

So different…

Experts who evaluate cats participating in shows can add many more points to this list of differences. But they, most likely, will be applied to the best representatives of breeds - show-class cats.

For an ordinary person, to distinguish a British from a Scotsman, it is quite enough that we have listed. Even if a straight-eared Scottish cat is in front of you - Scottish Straight, you can distinguish it by many additional signs, read more about it.

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If you are just a lover of beautiful plush cats, then you think that there is no fundamental difference between the Scottish and British breeds. However, if the conversation about this goes in the company of notorious cat lovers, then they can break out on this topic in a long tirade. Let's try to understand what is the difference between Scottish cats and British cats!

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Let's understand the terms

Both kittens look incredibly similar. These are creatures with small rounded ears and plush hair. Even professionals can not always distinguish the British and Scottish shorthair cats outwardly.

The difference is that only from the Scotsman you can get the lop-eared offspring. That is, the British Shorthair is a plush, in most cases, ash cat with straight ears. Her Scottish neighbor is the same, but her ears are both upright and rolled up. In this regard, it is called either Scottish Fold (curved), or Scottish Straight (straight).

The British cat is much older than its Scottish relative. It traces its origins back to 1880, when its first representatives appeared in London. And the Scottish breed emerged almost a century later. In 1961, a Scottish farmer's cat had a kitten with an atypical shape of ears, which "founded" a new breed.

Note that for successful breeding of the now popular Scottish Folds, you need to knit a straight-eared Scotsman with a fold. Both parents with the lop-eared gene are unable to produce healthy offspring. And this is due to the fact that unusual lop-earedness is obtained as a result of mutation of cartilaginous tissue and is inherited.

It is easy to guess that cartilage is present not only in the ears, but also in many other places. If both parents pass on mutated genes to the kittens, they will have serious problems with the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the Scots are different, when mating Fold and Straight, some of the kittens will inherit the fold, and some will not. While the British do not have hanging ears under any circumstances.

In order not to be too confused with the breeds, passports with pedigrees and descriptions of the closest “relatives” of the kitten you are holding in your hands have long been invented. After all, even his straight-earedness is not a guarantee that this is a Briton. So, the British cat must have a BRI mark in the documents, the Fold Scotsman must have SFS, and the Upright Cat must have SSS or SCS.

Differences in body structure

We can say that today's acquaintances British and Scottish cats are sisters. However, even such close relatives have their own differences and characteristics - more about them later.

Torso and limbs

The British have a more massive, squat and rounded body (this is noticeable in the photo below). The Scots seem to be "fit". But at the same time, both those and other cats look quite athletic. The paws of the British are shorter and thicker, the Scots are longer and thinner. But in both breeds, paw pads are plump and round.

Head and ears

In the British, it looks larger than in the Scots, due to the fact that the cheekbones and jaw of the latter are more pronounced. Both breeds have wide, round eyes, although they sometimes appear larger in the Scots, in large part due to the contrast with the miniature ears. By the way, the combination of huge eyes coupled with small ears reminds many of the "owl" expression on the face of the Scots. They were also called the owners of "babyface" (baby face).

But of course, the main difference is the ears. In the British, they are erect, but small, slightly widened at the base, and the tip is rounded. In straight-eared Scots, the ears are also erect, only slightly narrower, they are practically not tilted to the side or forward, but are in an upright position. Fold Scots have small ears, as if folded in half and pressed to the head. The tips of the nose and ears form a regular triangle between each other.

Infinitely cute video starring little kittens of Scottish and British breeds for your viewing further!

Tail

May help identify breeds from the British continent. The Scottish has a medium thickness and length and is quite flexible, but the purebred British have a tail, as a rule, thicker and shorter.

Character differences

There are also behavioral differences. This is due to the fact that the British themselves are a breed that in the distant past had a very specific purpose - to catch rats and mice. This determined their places of hermitic behavior and independence. British cats may well be without human society for a long time, without suffering from this in any way.

In contrast, there are the outgoing, playful and humane Scots. They easily get along with other four-legged family members and love children. They never show aggression and need a human society.

Breeding features

Sexual maturity in both British and Scots occurs at 6-7 months, as in most felines. But this age is still considered insufficient to safely bear and give birth to kittens. Therefore, the first mating is best done at the age of about 1 year. The British are knitted only with the British, but the Scots - as we have already mentioned today: one parent is taken with a Scottish fold, and the second is a straight-eared one.

Therefore, the presence of Straight Scots is simply necessary for the continuous reproduction of this breed. Moreover, Scots with ordinary ears can also take part in exhibitions, only they will hardly receive a title. And one more thing: British and Scots are never knitted, mixing of two different breeds is not permissible, unless you are a supporter of genetic experiments.

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Video "Differences Between Scottish and British Cat Breeds"

Once again, you can learn how to distinguish between such externally similar British and Scots with the advice of an experienced breeder in the video below!

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The Real British: What Are They?

- One of the main questions of interest to future owners of a British kitten is, oddly enough, the shape of its ears: straight or lop-eared?
Correct British kittens are born from a British cat and a British cat (BRI + BRI). The whole family always has ears straight. There is no "British Fold" breed!

- The buyer, entangled in two breeds, is looking for an almost fabulous creature. But fold kittens are quite real creatures, only they are called differently and are of two types: Scottish Straight, or Scottish Straights (SFS71), and Scottish Fold, or Scottish Folds (SFS).
And if with lop-eared kittens everything is more or less clear (the ears are close to the head), then how to distinguish a straight-eared Scottish Straight from a British kitten, which also has straight ears?

There are several "popular" methods. Here is a Scottish straight, not a British, if:
1. One of the kitten's parents is lop-eared.
2. One of the brothers or sisters of littermates is a lop-eared.
3. And even if options 1 and 2 are not suitable .. you should definitely look at the pedigrees of the kittens' parents, because real British kittens have only BRI pedigrees.

- Modern Scottish Fold cats (Scottish Folds) trace their lineage since 1961 from one cat in Scotland, whose ears spontaneously "fell". This mutation is also known among other animals, for example, in dogs and rabbits. The farmer - the owner of the first lop-eared cat - decided to fix this mutation by starting targeted breeding work. This lop-eared breeder was crossed with ordinary cats and got lop-eared and straight kittens in the litter.
- As a result of a long selection, Scottish cats have acquired a modern look. Outwardly, they differ from the British in the size and position of the ears, the shape of the body, the length of the legs and tail. In addition, among Scottish cats, there are two types: shorthaired (SFS) and longhaired so-called highland folds (SFL-highland folds). Both of these types are fixed and spelled out in the Scottish breed standard.
- Scottish fold sizes, body lengths, tail and limbs vary according to the standards of various feline organizations. In one, all the standards converge and clearly indicate: in Scottish folds, the ears should fit snugly to the head, and the tips should "look" simultaneously down and forward, in other words, the ears should fit into the general contour of the head.

- Cats Scottish Straight and Scottish Fold differ only in straight ears. In breeding Scottish Folds, standards must be strictly observed, therefore Scottish Straight plays an important role, since mating between two representatives of Scottish Folds is strictly prohibited.

- Cats Scottish Straights and Scottish Folds are much lighter in the backbone of their close relatives British. These cats are not as large and stocky as British cats, the body is more elongated, and the shape of the head has a smoother outline.

- Also, Scottish Straights, unlike British cats, have much smaller ears and position, and they are not as wide at the base as British cats. As it is not surprising, the thickness of the ear cartilage of Scottish Straights is thinner to the touch than that of the British, and the ears themselves are softer to the touch.

- Very often, breeders and owners of Scottish cats ask themselves a question: is it possible to consider a kitten with straight ears, which was born from a pair of "Scottish Fold and a British", as a BRITISH, and also if there are British ancestors in the pedigree of such a kitten? In this case, if the kitten was born before 2004 i.e. before the ban on British and Scottish fold mating came into force in our country, and when the straights were registered as British. If such a kitten has more than 18 British ancestors out of thirty along the pedigree, then it can be conditionally considered a British kitten. Now, a kitten with straight ears, which was born as a result of mating Scottish Fold and British, is recorded in the pedigree as Scottish (Scottish Straight or Scottish Fold). But nevertheless, mating continues to be a place in our time between two precisely defined breeds, because each of them has advantages, and when breeders select the right pair (cat + cat), then you can get incredibly good offspring, BUT no longer a British breed.

Brief characteristics of the Scottish breed:

- Scottish Straight and Fold is also a well-balanced cat, moderately muscular, not massive, with a round head, large round eyes and a sweet facial expression. The short, dense, soft coat emphasizes the roundness of the lines. Cats are more massive than cats.

British Breed Standard:

A type: cats from medium to large size, squat, muscular, broad-boned, sexual demorphism is pronounced, i.e. cats are much more massive and larger than cats (the photo above shows a British shorthair cat and a cat at the same age of 1 year and 5 months). Sexual demorphism is also observed in some species of felines in the wild, for example, in lions)

Wool:short, thick, dense, soft and firm, not tight, fine texture, reminiscent of plush.

Body: Medium to large, with a broad chest, the shoulders and back are massive, dense, the legs are short and strong, the legs are round and strong.

Tail: short, thick, tapering to a rounded tip.

Head: round and massive, with a wide skull on a short strong neck, massive round cheeks, a pronounced chin, a short, wide, straight nose, without a stop.

Ears: short, wide, wide apart.

Eyes:large, wide open, round, set wide apart.

This is a generalized standard for the breed, which in various felinological organizations has some nuances and discrepancies. You can read the standard "in the original" on the websites of FIFe, WCF, CFA and TICA, the rest of the felinological systems, unfortunately, did not upload breed standards to their sites (click on the logo of the required system).

The appearance of the British cat, described in the standard, is unusually harmonious, therefore it is very important that all the statues of the animal are as close as possible to the standard. Everything that does not fit into the correct description introduces dissonance into the external appearance of the animal and spoils the impression of its perception. Therefore, a very important part of breeding work is to obtain a harmonious animal in all respects. This is very difficult, especially when working on unusual colors, and because of the small number of high-quality breeding sires and because of the inevitable influx of blood from other breeds, to achieve the desired result.
I would also like to note that in addition to the main disadvantages, which will be considered below, there are countless transitional and more smoothed forms.

General impression

According to the standard, the body of a Briton should be compact, deep, on short powerful legs. Stretching of the body is often found, as well as the lightness of the body on high thin legs.

Important! The use of the term "thin" applies exclusively to the ideal legs of a Briton, not cats in general. The British have very powerful limbs, and even some thinness of individual representatives of the breed cannot be compared with the long limbs of, say, the Siamese breed. The same applies to considering other shortcomings - all the terms used are relevant only in comparison with a good Briton, and not with any other cat.

Wool

The characteristic plush coat must be of the correct texture throughout the animal's body, while quite often there is a longer, tighter coat along the back, and especially closer to the tail. Unfortunately, the majority of Russian Britons, and even those received on the basis of export manufacturers, sin this shortcoming.

Another equally common drawback is the poverty of the coat. Some colors, for example, chocolate, are especially prone to this deficiency. In general, wool of different colors has its own characteristics - blue wool looks the most correct, lilac and cream are close to it, i.e. light solid color wool. Chocolate, as I already mentioned, can be thin and poor-haired, white - a dry texture, not firm enough, black - too dense and silky. Also, all kinds of tabby colors sin with an insufficiently padded undercoat.

Important! All these disadvantages relate exclusively to the texture of the coat, while there can be many more possible disadvantages, but they are related to color and require separate consideration.

Tail

It should be short, thick, tapering to a rounded tip, a kind of strip. But, often, the tail is too long for a given breed, and thin, not well dressed, or noticeably tapering towards the tip.

Head:

The greatest number of possible flaws is concentrated on the head. in addition to the general regular shape, there is a standard (and, naturally, deviations from it) for the cheeks, nose, eyes, ears, forehead. Although these parameters are considered separately in the standard, in fact, the correct set of the eyes is directly related to the length and width of the nose, as well as the shape of the muzzle, i.e. they are interconnected, which means that they should be considered as a complex.