The first Scottish Fold appeared in a litter on a Scottish farm in 1961. It was noticed that this kitten had an unusual fold on her ears. Since then the breed has been crossed with the British Shorthair to develop into a breed of medium sized, well padded cats with large, round, broadly spaced eyes and, of course, the typical folded ears. As the gene for the folded ear is a simple dominant gene, kittens with normal erect ears (known as ‘pert’ ears) will occur, and these are then known as Scottish Shorthairs.
Appearance
Scottish Folds have a look all of their own. They have a round head, accentuated by their tightly folded ears. It has been described as if the cat appears to be ‘wearing a helmet’. Their whisker pads are prominent and give the impression of a ‘smiling’ cat.
Scottish Folds can be found in almost every colour and combination of colours.
Temperament
The Scottish Fold is a sweet-natured cat which loves to play and enjoys supervising whatever you are doing. Their activity level is moderate and many have the peculiarly un-catlike habit of sleeping flat on their back!
Scottish Folds adore company and are not happy if left alone for long periods of time. Consider buying two Scottish Folds to keep each other from being lonely.
Grooming
The Scottish Fold has short dense coat that is easy to care for and requires very little grooming. However, brushing helps remove dead hairs.
Health concerns
For the latest research in breed-related problems in the Scottish Folds, visit the University of Sydney’s LIDA (Listing of Inherited Disorders in Animals) website.
