Scottish Fold Cats

Scottish Fold Cats have distinctive folded ears whichsought after as pets and are somewhat pricey
bend forward to lie against the head. These mediumcompared to other popular cat breeds.
sized, rounded cats have a short neck, large roundBrief History
eyes, sturdy legs and a large fluffy tail.The original Scottish Fold cat was a white, long-haired
Characteristicsfemale cat found in a barn on a farm in Perthshire,
The coat of a Scottish Fold Cat is medium in length,Scotland in 1961. She had two kittens born with
soft and dense with hair that stands away from thefolded ears, one was adopted by a neighboring
body requiring very little grooming. These cats comefarmer and cat-fancier named William Ross. Mr. Ross,
in most colors and patterns.working with geneticist Pat Turner, started the
All Scottish Fold kittens are born with straight,Scottish Fold breed of cats. In three years they
unfolded ears that do not begin to crease until aboutproduced 76 kittens, 42 with creased ears and 34
21 days. Most have just one crease, but due towith straight ears.
selective breeding some cats have a double or evenIt is important to note that Scottish Folds cannot be
triple crease that causes the ear to lie totally flatbred to other Scottish Folds due to the danger of an
against the head.inherited crippling bone problem. However the gene
The Scottish Fold body type is medium sized withthat causes creased ears is dominant, so Folds can
the males weighing in at 9-13 lbs, and the femalesbe bred with straight-eared cats.
weigh between 6-9 lbs. These cats have roundDue to the fear of ear problems such as infection,
contours; their bodies appear round and padded withmites and deafness, Scottish Folds were not
short muscular legs, their heads are domed at theaccepted for showing in Great Britain and Europe.
top, eyes are very round, wide set and large, andEventually this breed was exported to America
their noses are short and rounded.where it was established by cross breeding with
TemperamentBritish and American Shorthairs. And, other than a
Scottish Fold Cats have a sweet nature and gentleproblem with wax build-up in the ear, the initial
temperament. They are sociable and good withconcerns of ear mites and infections have proven
children, but also quiet and self-contained. Due to theirunfounded.
reputation as loving companions, they are highly