Scottish Fold Cats
Scottish Fold cats have distinctive folded ears that tilt forward to lie against the head. These round, medium-sized cats have a short neck, large round eyes, sturdy legs, and a large, fluffy tail.
Characteristics
The coat of a Scottish Fold cat is of medium length, smooth and dense, with hair that falls away from the body and requires very little grooming. These cats come in most colors and patterns.
All Scottish Fold kittens are born with straight, unfolded ears that don’t start to wrinkle until about 21 days old. Most have a single fold, but due to selective breeding, some cats have a double or even triple fold that makes the ear completely flat against the head.
The Scottish Fold body type is medium in size, males weigh between 9 and 13 pounds, and females weigh between 6 and 9 pounds. These cats have round outlines; Their bodies appear round and padded with short, muscular legs, their heads are domed at the top, their eyes are very round, wide, and large, and their noses are short and rounded.
Temperament
Scottish Fold cats have a sweet nature and a mild temperament. They are sociable and good with children, but also calm and autonomous. Due to their reputation as loving companions, they are highly sought after as pets and are somewhat expensive compared to other popular cat breeds.
Brief history
The original Scottish Fold cat was a long-haired white cat found in a barn on a farm in Perthshire, Scotland in 1961. She had two kittens born with their ears folded, one was adopted by a neighboring farmer and cat fan named William. Ross. Ross, in collaboration with geneticist Pat Turner, started the Scottish Fold cat breed. In three years they produced 76 kittens, 42 with wrinkled ears and 34 with straight ears.
It is important to note that Scottish Folds cannot be crossed with other Scottish Folds due to the danger of an inherited crippling bone problem. However, the gene that causes wrinkled ears is dominant, so Folds can be crossed with straight-eared cats.
Due to fear of ear problems such as infections, mites and deafness, Scottish Folds were not accepted in Great Britain and Europe. Eventually this breed was exported to the United States, where it was established by crossing with British and American Shorthairs. And, in addition to an issue with ear wax build-up, initial worries of mites and ear infections have proven to be unfounded.
