Scottish Fold

[ Home ] [ English ] [ 中文 ] [ download ]

¡@

Up
Persian
Scottish Fold
Birman
American Curl

scottishfold.jpg (6715 bytes)

Appearance
Scottish Folds are medium-sized, compact cats with powerful builds and folded ears. Shorthaired Folds are more popular than longhaired Folds. Almost all color and coat patterns are available. The most popular is probably the brown patched tabby with or without white markings. Folds have huge button eyes, short, broad noses, and rounded cheeks.

Personality
Folds are amusing cats that love to be held. They sleep on their backs with their legs spread out. (They have no shame, it seems.) While they're playful, they're not destructive. Most Folds are so friendly they'll greet strangers at the door.

History
In 1961, a folded-ear kitten appeared on a Scottish farm in an otherwise normal litter of mixed-breed British Shorthairs. This kitten reproduced itself easily--a few kittens in each of its litters had folded ears--and a new breed was developed. These cats have ears that look as if they're folded down, like some dogs whose ears don't stand. They're very different from the American Curl which looks as if its ears are curled back.

However, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy in Great Britain noticed that the folded-ear cats seemed to have a high incidence of ear mites and deafness, so they wouldn't allow the breed to be registered and shown.

Breeders argued that the problems came from the color of the cats, not from the folded ears. Most Folds were white with blue eyes. (This color combination often results in deafness.) When this color was weeded out in the Scottish Folds, the deafness was no longer a problem.

The trouble with this breed didn't end there, however. Another genetic problem arose: a skeletal defect that produces a short, inflexible tail and paralyzed legs. Eventually, breeders realized that this came from breeding two cats with folded ears together. Today, breeders mate only Scottish Folds with folded ears to others with straight ears.

The Scottish Fold has been popular in the United States since it arrived in 1970. However, veterinarians sometimes criticize breeders who breed these cats because of the risk involved.

Health
Other than the skeletal defects caused by breeding folded-eared cats together, these cats are strong and healthy. Cats with short faces sometimes suffer from blocked sinuses and have runny noses.