Cat Breed Profile: The Scottish Fold

The Scottish Fold.  How Owldorable!

Ah, the Scottish fold. One of my personnel dream cats. How can you not love them in their undeniable cuteness? They look like furry little owl cats. They have big round eye's, characteristic folded ears and the cutest rolly poly bodies to go with the rest. Not to mention a great personality. Aren't your "must cuddle cat" instincts going wild?


History:
All Scottish fold cat's are descended from one very special kitty. Her name was Susie, and she lived on a farm in Scotland in the 1960's. Susie had a very unusual feature caused by a mutated gene. Her ears were folded down onto her head, giving her the resemblance of a very cuddly owl.  When she delivered her litter of kittens, two of them had her folded ears.Luckily for all us cat fanciers, she and her furry little bundles of joy were spotted by a fellow cat enthusiast. His name was William Ross, a neighboring farmer. He got his mits on one of her kittens, and officially registered the Scottish Fold as a breed. Along with the help of a buddy and conveniently a geneticist Pat Turner, he bred 76 kittens. Let us all give thanks to Susie and William (and Pat) for giving us this unique cat breed. A little over half the kittens were born with folded ears.

I'm cute. Now feed me hoomin!

Character:
All cats have a lot of character, and the Scottish Fold is blessed with a sweet temperament. Whether with folded or straight ears of course. Let us not be earist! Scottish Folds are cute no matter what.

Straight ears is no excuse, you need to give me tons of pettins.

Affectionate,loyal, soft-spoken, intelligent, adaptable and gentle are just a few of the words used to describe this breed of cat. They are also very playful cats! They act like big kittens. They keep their playfulness well into their adulthood (maybe us hoomins should take note!). Their loyal nature shines through as they have a tendency to get particularly attached to one person in a household. Thankfully, their affection does not spell extreme clingyness. They are content to be with you when you have time for them, and appreciate just sitting by your side as you go about your daily business. This breed is famous for sitting in a unique position. They sit upright with their legs stretched out straight in front of them. They then place their paws on their lovely stomach. This is known as the "Buddha position".

                                      

The "Buddha position" 

Health concerns:
Scottish Folds are generally healthy cats, with an average lifespan of 15 years. However, there is a condition known as Osteochondrodysplasia (sheesh that is a big word). This is basically the fact that the folded ears of the Scottish fold are caused by a defect in the bone and cartilage of their ears. A healthy Scottish Fold only has its ears effected by this condition. However, breeding a Scottish Fold with folded ears with another Scottish Fold with the same ears is a serious no-no. This can cause kittens to be born with various degenerative bone and joint diseases. Please, pay attention to this and ensure that if you want to get a Scottish Fold kitten, you will take extreme care in finding a breeder. Make sure that the parents have different ears. Some breeders also breed Scottish Folds with other breeds to decrease the chances even more. One populare paring is with the British Shorthair. They have similar heavy set bodies and round faces, and this means kittens with the wonderful grey coat and orange eye's of British Shorthairs. This is shown in the picture of the "Buddha position" to the left.


So in conclusion, Scottish Folds are an adorable and unique looking cat breed. Take care of their health, and cherish them for the cute little owl cats they are. They will be your loyal affectionate little companions, and make you laugh with their goofy antics. If you liked reading this article, please share it and comment. I'd love to hear your opinion, and if you have a cat story you'd like to share please feel free.

Mr. Serious Scottish Fold approves of this blog post.