The Scottish Fold is basically a British Shorthair cat with noticeably forward hanging ears, so-called fold ears. This main feature is based on a gene mutation and is so special that the Scottish Fold cat – independent of the British Shorthair Standard – has been recognized as an independent cat breed. Since this genetic defect hides a painful disease, breeding in Germany is prohibited under the Animal Welfare Act.
Size: small – medium
Weight: cat 2.5-4 kg / 3.5-6 kg
Life expectancy: 12-17 years
Build: The body is stocky with stocky legs.
Coat colors: Often blue/silver but basically over 300 color variants are known
Special features in appearance: Ears bent forward, from about the 4th week of life
Breed type: shorthair breed
Country of origin: Great Britain
Recognized cat breed by TICA, CFA
Typical diseases of the breed: Increased ear secretion can occur, breed tends to be overweight, should only be bred heterozygous, if at all, since a homozygous expression of osteochondrodysplasia (OCD) leads to serious damage to health!
The nature of the Scottish Fold
The Scottish Fold is a gentle and patient breed that gets along very well with children. She loves human company and gets along well with other pets. She can adapt well to new situations, is very affectionate – but never intrusive. She rarely lives out her hunting instinct, preferring to play with a beautiful intelligence toy for cats. With her calm and patient nature, she is an enrichment for every animal-loving home.
History and origin
Even in earlier times, there were repeated reports of cats with noticeably hanging ears. However, hardly anyone was interested in this particular anomaly. It was not until 1963, after a mating of a fold-eared tomcat and a British Shorthair cat had produced several kittens with fold-ears, that targeted breeding began: the foundation for Scottish Fold breeding was laid. In 1966, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) recognized the Fold Cat as a distinct breed.
Not long after the new cat breed became popular, opponents of the breed complained that the folded ears would lead to health problems such as ear mites and deafness. Since this accusation was neither confirmed nor denied and therefore the accusation of torture breeding could not be averted, the breed was revoked in 1971. Breeding of the Fold cat then shifted to the USA, where the breed – in contrast to almost all European breed associations – is recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) and the TICA.
Since in the earlier Scottish Fold history, the mating of Fold-eared cats with each other sometimes led to severe bone defects, this is not done today. In order to stabilize the health of the breed, “British Shorthair genes” are regularly crossed in (heterozygous breeding – with only one parent with folded ears). Despite this cross-breeding, the German Animal Welfare Act still recommends a ban on breeding.
Interesting facts about the Scottish Fold
The most distinctive feature of Scottish Fold cats – the snapped ears – is not immediately apparent as kittens are born with normal, erect ears. The eponymous ears only begin to “buckle” from the fourth week. From then on, the characteristic attentive but also naive to cute facial expression of the cat breed develops, in combination with the big eyes and the round head.
Known Scottish Fold
The Scottish Fold was rarely seen in film and television, but the little cat made it into many a computer game: the cat avatar in the game Sonic Forces is based on a Scottish Fold, and a Scottish Fold also served as a character in the game Kingdom Hearts X Role model for the important character Dream Eater. In the computer game No More Heroes, the main character Travis Touchdown owns a Scottish Fold named Jeane. As a player you can interact with the cat in your hotel room.
The cat with the unusual ears can also be found in literature: the novel The Cat Who Went to Paris by Peter Gethers is about Gether’s Scottish Fold cat Norton. The book, published in 1990, was followed by two sequels: A Cat Abroad and The Cat Who’ll Live Forever, with the last story also dealing with Norton’s death and how it affected Gethers.
Perhaps the most well-known Scottish Folds are singer Taylor Swift’s cats. Olivia Benson and Meredith Gray – the names of the two cats – gained worldwide fame especially through the Instagram account of the Grammy winner. Incidentally, the two cats got their names from TV personalities: Olivia Benson got her name from the commissioner of the same name in the hit series Law and Order and Meredith Gray was named after the main character of the series Grey’s Anatomy.
Notes on keeping the Scottish Fold
Whether as a senior cat or a family cat, the sociable Scottish Fold is drawn to everyone. In the apartment she needs a high scratching post and also scratching furniture, whether self-made or bought, should not be missing.
