Scottish Fold vs Ocicat - Breed Comparison | MyCatBreeds

The Scottish Fold is a domestic cat that has an owlish look to it. This is because of the natural dominant-gene mutation that affects cartilage in the cat.

The ears of the Scottish Fold cat folds in a weird way so that the cat has an owl-like look to it. These cats are also known as Highland Fold and Coupari.

It seems that the first Scottish Fold was a white barn cat with the name of Susie. When Susie had kittens, there were a couple of them born with these folded ears. A cat fancier registered the breed in the United Kingdom and in 1966 started a breeding program. These cats were later exported to America.

Virginia Daly was the first breeder of Ocicats, hailing from Michigan. She wanted to breed an Abyssinian-pointed Siamese in 1964 and the first kittens looked to be Abyssinian.

With the next litter, the Abyssinian-pointed Siamese and a spotted kitten, nicknamed an Ocicat. Further breedings produced more spotted kittens and became the basis of the Ocicat.

A breeding program was started for Siamese to Abyssinian, and the kittens bred to Siamese. Later the American Shorthair was introduced to the Ocicat and this brought in bigger boning as well as adding silver to the 6 colors of the Ocicat.

It was during the 1980s that the cat was accepted for registration in The Cat Fanciers' Association.

This is a medium-sized cat that weighs between 3 and 6kg. The entire body of this cat is of a rounded nature. The legs are also fairly short.

All Scottish Fold kittens are born with regular ears but within the first few weeks after birth, the peculiarity with the ears starts to come in. However, some kittens don’t develop folded ears.

The first cats had one fold but with selective breeding, some have 2 or 3 folds or creases so that the ears lie flat against the head. The cat has a round head and large, round eyes. These cats can have a long- or short coat which is thick and soft and the coat can be in a number of colors.

Temperament:

Your Scottish Fold is a good-natured, placid cat and adapts well to different homes and lifestyles. He gets on well with children and pets, becoming just a little bit more attached to the one who feeds him.

He ‘talks’ with quiet meows and purs. They’re playful cats and love to spend time outdoors. A climbing tree and stimulating toys will be a good idea for this energetic feline as he is active and curious. He won’t like being left for long periods though.

Ocicats, with their wedge-shaped heads, are strong, large cats with muscular legs that have striped markings. The cat can weight between 4 and 7kg. The ears are large and pointed.

The cat has almond-shaped eyes. The fur has dark spots and there are many color variants that are approved by the major cat registries. The standard colors for the cat are chocolate, cinnamon and tawny.

Temperament:

These large cats have got personality traits from both cats – the Siamese and the Abyssinian. They are friendly, playful, and sociable cats, making excellent family pets, getting on well with children and other pets. Those who have owned them say owning such a cat is similar to owning a dog as they can be taught basic commands and tricks and even walk on a leash.

They are even known to swim with you. They’re cats that crave the attention of their human owners, but bond specifically with one person. It won’t do at all well in a household where it is left alone for long periods of time.

It's an intelligent cat and will most certainly need toys and a lifestyle that is stimulating.

With his big, round eyes, the Scottish Fold has an amicable looking face and he is a friendly calm cat.

They love attention and get on well with children and pets who have been trained to be gentle around cats. It is also quite a vocal breed although he 'talks' in a quiet voice.

Because they thrive on pampering and attention, it is better for this cat not to be in a home where the owners are away at work all day.

The Ocicat is a friendly, non-aggressive cat that is devoted to his human family. It’s a cat that thrives on being around people and won’t relish being left alone for long periods of time.

The largish cat is intelligent and easily trainable. He loves toys and it will be good to buy him some toys that require him thinking a little bit.

Highly energetic, he’ll love nothing more than for you to become involved in his games. Give him the attention he craves and he’ll become your best friend.

Perhaps one of the things to look out for with these cats is a disease known as osteochondrodysplasia.

This is a hereditary disorder of the bones and cartilage. The disease is caused by an autosomal dominant trait and a cat can inherit just one copy of the abnormal gene to have the disease.

Having this disease comes with other health issues and a cat with this disease will be reluctant to jump and may even become lame.

Whenever you suspect anything wrong with your Scottish Fold cat, get him to the vet just as soon as possible.

Diet is a crucial part of being a healthy cat, There are many excellent commercially manufactured cat foods on the market and your cat might prefer the wet- or dry type of cat food.

The idea is to choose the highest quality cat food that is packed with meat and protein as your cat is a carnivore. One good way to choose a good cat food is to read the ingredients and make sure that the first ingredients are meat.

He wants chicken, tuna, liver and pheasant in his diet. Make sure that the food also contains taurine as this is an essential amino acid that every cat must have.

If in any doubt, speak to your vet as cats require certain vitamins and minerals to remain healthy. Always ensure a fresh supply of cool drinking water.

Your cat requires being vaccinated and dewormed.

Get to know a good vet in your area so that if your cat is sick, you don't have to waste precious time searching for a vet.

Scottish folds have thick fur and you should at least brush it once a week to get rid of dust and loose hair.

Keep your cat’s nails trimmed otherwise you could get a nasty scratch.

Provide your cat with a climbing tree as well as a scratching post as these are two things – climbing and scratching – that are in the nature of cats.

Provide your Scottish Fold with a litter box and make sure that it is kept clean and that you remove the feces every single day.

Provide your pet with stimulating toys as they are active, intelligent cats.

Protect your cat from fatal cat diseases by having him vaccinated. Your vet will inform you about which vaccines are best. Kittens need vaccines when they are between 6 to 8 weeks old These vaccines come in a series but you don’t have to stress, as the vet will give you a card with the date on which your kitten must return for his next vaccine.

Your Scottish Fold needs to receive the highest quality cat food there is as these foods are balanced with the right amount of vitamins and minerals. When it comes to commercial cat foods, you’ve got choices. You can choose wet or dry food or even combination – something to tempt the fussiest of cats. Cats are carnivores and their food needs to be almost entirely of meat.

Provide your Ocicat with companionship as these are cats that can’t be left for hours on their own.

Provide your Ocicat with a litterbox that is kept clean. Your ocicat’s dropping must be regularly raked up out of the litter box sand and removed. A cat won’t use a dirty litterbox.

Treat your Ocicat for parasites. In fact, treating parasites isn’t a once-off treatment but ongoing. You can consult with your veterinarian for advice on the best and safest way to treat your pet for worms, ticks, fleas, and mites.

Brush your Ocicat’s fur once a week. They have short fur so they are fairly low maintenance. You can use a rubber hand brush and you can even wipe the fur down with a damp cloth to remove dust. He will have to have his claws trimmed.

Nobody should buy a pet and then do as little as possible for it. Your Ocicat’s going to need daily exercise as well as mental stimulation and he will require this through interaction with his human family. Buy him stimulating toys to keep him busy, play games with him and buy a cat leash so you can take him on walks outdoors for a bit of sunlight.