Recent from talks
Scottish Fold
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Scottish Fold
The Scottish Fold is a breed of domestic cat characterised by a naturally occurring autosomal dominant mutation associated with feline osteochondrodysplasia (FOCD). This genetic health condition affects cartilage development throughout the body and produces the breed's defining feature: ears that "fold" forward and down towards the front of the head, contributing to its often described “owl-like” appearance.
Research has revealed that all Scottish Fold cats are affected by FOCD, a developmental abnormality that affects cartilage and bone formation throughout the body. This systemic disorder causes the ear fold as well as skeletal abnormalities that may lead to painful, progressive degenerative joint disease, sometimes manifesting at a young age. In certain individuals, the disorder may progress to a severity that requires euthanasia, even at a relatively young age. Due to these welfare concerns, breeding of Scottish Fold cats is prohibited in several countries, and the breed is not recognised by some major cat registries.
The breed's name, originally Lop-ears or Lops after the lop-eared rabbit, became Scottish Fold in 1966. Depending on registries, longhaired Scottish Folds are varyingly known as Highland Fold, Scottish Fold Longhair, Longhair Fold, and Coupari.
The original Scottish Fold was a white barn cat named Susie, who was found at a farm near Coupar Angus in Tayside, Scotland, in 1961. Susie's ears had an unusual fold in their middle, making her resemble an owl. When Susie had kittens, two of them were born with folded ears, and one was acquired by William Ross and his wife, Molly, neighbouring farmers who were cat fanciers. The breeding programme produced 76 kittens in the first three years – 42 with folded ears and 34 with straight ears. The conclusion from this was that the ear mutation is due to a simple dominant gene. Ross registered the breed with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in the United Kingdom in 1966 and started to breed Scottish Fold kittens with the help of geneticist Pat Turner. However, by the early 1970s the GCCF stopped registering the cat due to concerns about potential health issues such as ear infections and deafness.
In 1970 the first Scottish Fold kittens were introduced to the USA via Neil Todd of Massachusetts who was researching the mutation. Further cats were brought over and the Scottish Fold breeding program continued with American Shorthairs and British Shorthairs being introduced.
In 1978 the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) granted the breed championship status. In the mid-1980s the long-haired version started to gain recognition. The International Cat Association (TICA) was the first registry to recognise the longhairs for championship competition in the 1987–88 show season and CFA followed in 1993–94.
Scottish Fold kittens that do not develop folded ears are known as Scottish Straights.
The breed's distinctive folded ears are produced by an incomplete dominant gene that affects the cartilage of the ears, causing the ears to fold forward and downward, giving a cap-like appearance to the head. Smaller, tightly folded ears set in a cap-like fashion are preferred to a loose fold and larger ear. The large, round eyes and rounded head, cheeks, and whisker pads add to the overall rounded appearance. Despite the folded ears, Folds still use their aural appendages to express themselves—the ears swivel to listen, lie back in anger and prick up when the treat bag rustles.
Hub AI
Scottish Fold AI simulator
(@Scottish Fold_simulator)
Scottish Fold
The Scottish Fold is a breed of domestic cat characterised by a naturally occurring autosomal dominant mutation associated with feline osteochondrodysplasia (FOCD). This genetic health condition affects cartilage development throughout the body and produces the breed's defining feature: ears that "fold" forward and down towards the front of the head, contributing to its often described “owl-like” appearance.
Research has revealed that all Scottish Fold cats are affected by FOCD, a developmental abnormality that affects cartilage and bone formation throughout the body. This systemic disorder causes the ear fold as well as skeletal abnormalities that may lead to painful, progressive degenerative joint disease, sometimes manifesting at a young age. In certain individuals, the disorder may progress to a severity that requires euthanasia, even at a relatively young age. Due to these welfare concerns, breeding of Scottish Fold cats is prohibited in several countries, and the breed is not recognised by some major cat registries.
The breed's name, originally Lop-ears or Lops after the lop-eared rabbit, became Scottish Fold in 1966. Depending on registries, longhaired Scottish Folds are varyingly known as Highland Fold, Scottish Fold Longhair, Longhair Fold, and Coupari.
The original Scottish Fold was a white barn cat named Susie, who was found at a farm near Coupar Angus in Tayside, Scotland, in 1961. Susie's ears had an unusual fold in their middle, making her resemble an owl. When Susie had kittens, two of them were born with folded ears, and one was acquired by William Ross and his wife, Molly, neighbouring farmers who were cat fanciers. The breeding programme produced 76 kittens in the first three years – 42 with folded ears and 34 with straight ears. The conclusion from this was that the ear mutation is due to a simple dominant gene. Ross registered the breed with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in the United Kingdom in 1966 and started to breed Scottish Fold kittens with the help of geneticist Pat Turner. However, by the early 1970s the GCCF stopped registering the cat due to concerns about potential health issues such as ear infections and deafness.
In 1970 the first Scottish Fold kittens were introduced to the USA via Neil Todd of Massachusetts who was researching the mutation. Further cats were brought over and the Scottish Fold breeding program continued with American Shorthairs and British Shorthairs being introduced.
In 1978 the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) granted the breed championship status. In the mid-1980s the long-haired version started to gain recognition. The International Cat Association (TICA) was the first registry to recognise the longhairs for championship competition in the 1987–88 show season and CFA followed in 1993–94.
Scottish Fold kittens that do not develop folded ears are known as Scottish Straights.
The breed's distinctive folded ears are produced by an incomplete dominant gene that affects the cartilage of the ears, causing the ears to fold forward and downward, giving a cap-like appearance to the head. Smaller, tightly folded ears set in a cap-like fashion are preferred to a loose fold and larger ear. The large, round eyes and rounded head, cheeks, and whisker pads add to the overall rounded appearance. Despite the folded ears, Folds still use their aural appendages to express themselves—the ears swivel to listen, lie back in anger and prick up when the treat bag rustles.
Recent media