Taylor Swift made a huge social media splash when she adopted her beautiful Scottish Fold kitten, Olivia. Everyone seems to be falling in love with those adorable folded ears! These unique kitties have a new found fame. Adding one of these cats to your family is a great idea, but it should be done with caution.
A Kitty-Owl? Nope it’s a Scottish Fold!
There’s no mistaking the sweet face of the Scottish Fold cat. Some say they look like an owl, others say they look like a pixie, or a teddy bear. The Scottish Fold has a beautiful rounded face with large, round eyes, topped with their most striking feature – folded ears! Due to a dominant genetic trait, the ears of some Scottish Fold cats are folded forward and down toward their head. There can be no folds in the ears, 1 fold , 2 folds, or even 3 folds (most coveted) in the ears. All kittens are born with straight ears which may begin to fold at about 3 or 4 weeks of age.
Don’t let those folded ears fool you – these cat are still very expressive. Those ears are soft and can still move like any other cat’s ears. A Scottish Fold’s folded ears may be less pronounced whenever the cat is distressed, ill, in heat, or upset.
The body of the Scottish Fold is medium sized, rounded, and well padded. They can have either short or long hair (though short is traditional). The coat is dense, resilient, and can be found in a large variety of colors and patterns. It’s very easy to see that cuddly “teddy bear” image!
History of the Scottish Fold Breed
The Scottish Fold is a fairly new cat breed. In 1961 a Scottish shepherd named William Ross spotted an unusual cat on a neighboring farm. The cat was a white barn cat named Susie which had ears that folded forward and down. Ross spoke to the owners of the farm, the McRaes, and found out that Susie’s mother had normal straight ears and her father was unknown. Susie’s brother had also had folded ears, but he had disappeared from the farm.
When Susie had her own litter of kittens, a few of which had folded ears, Ross asked to have one. The McRaes gave him a white female from Susie’s litter that had folded ears. Ross named her Snooks. With the help of a geneticist, Ross went on to develop the breed, which he called the “lop ear” after the lop-eared variety of rabbits. Later he would rename the breed the Scottish Fold.
By the 1970’s concerns developed about the health of Scottish Fold cats and the GCCF stopped allowing them to be shown. Determined to see the breed continue, Ross sent some of Snooks’ folded ear kittens to Dr. Neil Todd in the United States who was researching spontaneous genetic mutations. Dr. Todd’s research would soon come to an end, but a few of the kittens from his breeding ended up in the hands of Salle Wolfe Peters. Peters is the breeder credited with building the Scottish Fold breed in the United States. The Persian, Burmese, American Shorthair, and Exotic cat breeds were all used in the development of the Scottish Fold breed.
Health Concerns & Ethical Breeding Controversy
There are some health concerns related to the dominant genetic trait that results in those cute folded ears. It is very important that breeders take extreme care when choosing which cats to mate. Not all Scottish Fold cats have folded ears. With a breeding pair that has 1 cat with folded ears and one without, each kitten in the litter has a 50/50 chance of having folded ears. If both cats in the breeding pair have folded ears, it is likely that more kittens in the litter will have folded ears, but also that they will have some pretty devastating genetic defects.
One of the potential health issues related to the folded ear gene is Congenital Osteodystrophy or Osteochondrodysplasia. That is a huge name with 3 simple meanings inside: “osteo” means bones, “chondro” means cartilage, and “dysplasia” means abnormal growth. This is a painful and disfiguring skeletal disease that mostly affects the legs and tail. The bones can become thickened and/or shortened leaving them with little mobility. Arthritis commonly develops in affected joints.
Deafness was a concern for the Scottish Fold breed for a while, but it seems that this might not actually be related to the folded ear gene. It is hypothesized that the frequency of occurrence of deafness was due to the fact that the breed originated with white cats (white cats being related to deafness). Other health problems that are related to the Scottish Fold breed include:
- Polycystic Kidney Disease
- Ear infections
- Ear mites
- Higher levels of wax in ears
Understandably, there are still groups, such as International Cat Care, that are concerned about whether breeding cats for the folded ear is ethical considering the health problems it can cause.
That Teddy Bear Personality
The Scottish Fold cat is a great addition to any family. These cats love attention and adapt well to unfamiliar people and situations. Typically, a Scottish Fold will choose one human with which they will attach to, but they are still social with others. Children, dogs, and other pets aren’t a problem for these kitties! They stay playful into their adult years and even enjoy an occasional game of fetch.
Not a fan of talkative kitties? The Scottish Fold is purrrfect for you. They have small, soft voices and don’t usually have a lot to say. These cuddly companions will stick to your side (not so much on your lap) and enjoy your company. Of course, in true cat fashion, they will enjoy your company on their own terms.
Considering adding a Scottish Fold kitty to your family? Check out the PetFinder to find adoptable Scottish Fold cats near you!
Have you ever met a Scottish Fold cat?
Sources
Scottish Fold Breed Profile – CFA
Scottish Fold Breed Profile – PetFinder
Scottish Fold Video – Animal Planet
Scottish Fold/Highland Fold – VetStreet
Bone Deformity and Dwarfism in Cats – PetMD
Scottish Fold Disease – Osteochondrodyplasia – International Cat Care
These kitties are definitely interesting!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
I agree! They have some very special qualities.
They’re so cute! I almost got one years ago, but ended up with a shelter cat instead. The history is really interesting.
I agree – they are adorable. I’m glad that you were able to give a shelter cat a home. Statistics show that cats do not fair well in shelters.
Thank you for sharing! I have never heard of this breed before! 🙂
Your Fluffy Pal, Spencer the Goldendoodle
spencerthegoldendoodle.blogspot.com
You’re welcome 🙂 I’m glad I could show you something new.
Love the Folds, they’re so sweet. And yes, it’s very important to know what you’re doing re: breeding, or you can have devastating results.
You are very right about that! It would be easy for a novice breeder not to know the ins and outs necessary to handle a breed like the Scottish Fold.
we haz never meeted a reel life Scottish fold…but we lovez maru’s videe ohz !!
Those videos are pretty pawsome! Maybe one day you will get to meet one of these cool kitties in person 🙂
One of my favorite books is about Norton, the Scottish fold called The Cat Who Went to Paris.
That sounds like a really pawsome book! I bet it is a really fun read.
Author Peter Gethers wrote several books about his amazing cat, who was a Scottish fold. They are some of my human’s favorite cat books.
That’s really cool. I will have to look Mr. Gethers up! I love reading about pawsome kitties 🙂
How interesting! I’ve never been around a Scottish Fold. I admit that they are absolutely adorable!
I think they are adorable too! There are a few very unique things about them. 🙂
I’ve always loved this breed! So adorable! And I too love The Cat Who Went to Paris! 🙂
This is a wonderful breed of cat. I’m going to have to look up the Cat Who Went to Paris now that 2 of you have said you love it 🙂
Never saw this breed of cat before. Interesting! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I find it amazing how many different types of cats and dogs there are out there. There’s always something new to learn.
Their folded ears make them very cute ! Purrs
I agree! Those folded ears are so unique. It really does make them look like stuffed animals.
Great info! I had no idea… they sure are cute kitties!
Thank you! I agree – they are adorable. I’m glad I could introduce you to the Scottish Fold 🙂
What an interesting-looking cat! They do look like an owl, don’t they? I think they’re adorable. I’d never heard of them before. Thanks for sharing.
I can definitely see the resemblance to an owl. It’s the super round face with the wide set round eyes and small nose, I think. I’m glad that I could introduce you to these cool kitties 🙂
I’m very familiar with these breed as a good friend of mine has had several! They have such cute personalities.
How cool that you have gotten to know some of these kitties in person! They are still a fairly rare breed. I bet your friend’s kitties are a true joy.
I’ve always found this breed so adorable. A lot of the funny cat videos I watch (especially ones from Japan) have these guys in em.
I agree – they are super cute cats. I have noticed that a lot of Japanese cat videos include the Scottish Fold. It must be really popular there.
They are adorable! Like anything, know who your breeders are.
Exactly! The breeders are really important. It would be easy to create a lot of problems breeding cats like these.
So adorable! I know so little about cat breeds so I love reading these posts!
I’m glad you enjoyed learning about the Scottish Fold 🙂 These are some very cute and unique cats. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s something new to learn.
Thank you for a very informative post. I am concerned that someone like Taylor Swift “adopting” this breed will only encourage over breeding and unwanted, unhealthy kittens. I am also concerned why it was necessary to continue this deformity in cats. I agree it was for science and to study gene mutation but when thousands of cats are destroyed every year it doesn’t make sense. Love Dolly
You’re welcome. I share your concern. These are very cute cats and when they are healthy, they’re great. I also wonder how many straight eared Scottish Folds are shoved to the side and how many cats are born with deformities in attempts to breed folded eared cats. It does seem like there is a lot of opportunity for shady stuff to be going on. Of course any breeding of cats when we have an estimated 70 million homeless cats in the US is in a bit of a gray area.
I’ve not seen nor heard of the Scottish Fold before now, so thanks for the enlightening information on this breed of cat. I love that round face!
You’re welcome 🙂 I’m glad I could introduce you to the breed. They do have a lot of really cool and unique features.
Oh what a cute breed. Very informative post. Thanks.
http://emmaandbuster.blogspot.com
You’re welcome. I think they are adorable too.