The Scottish Fold cat evolved spontaneously in farm cats in Scotland. Crosses to British Shorthair and domestic cats in Scotland and England helped to form the breed. The outcross in America is the American and British Shorthair. Susie is the ancestor of all true Scottish Fold cats.
Personality
Scottish Folds are often bright, good-natured, soft-spoken, and adaptable to new people and situations. They are devoted to a single member of the household. While they normally allow others to touch and pet them, their primary attachment is instantly apparent as they single out their preferred human. They thrive on attention, but only on their terms. Despite their love, they are not clinging or demanding cats, preferring to be close to you rather than on your lap. They like a nice game of catnip mouse every now and then, and they retain their playful side well into adulthood.
The Fold’s ears, despite being folded, are nonetheless expressive and swivel to listen, lay back in anger, and prick up when a can of food is opened. When the cat is unhappy or ill, the ear fold may become less apparent. Although some Fold family members notice increased wax accumulation in their cats’ ears, folded ears do not make the cat more prone to mites or ear infections. The previously documented deafness susceptibility may be due to the fact that some early Scottcan beh Folds were white, and white cats can be prone to a kind of deafness unrelated to the Fold gene.
The length ranges from short to medium-short.
History
Susie, a cat discovered in 1961 on the McRae farm in Coupar Angus, a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, is the ancestor of all Scottish Folds. This white female farm cat had distinctive, folded down ears, and British Shorthair breeders William and Mary Ross recognized her potential as a new breed after meeting her.
William Ross inquired about purchasing the cat from the McRaes and was promised a kitten from Susie’s first litter. Susie’s mother was a straight-eared white cat, and her father was unknown, thus it’s uncertain whether Susie was the first of her kind, or if the folded ears were never spotted before. Susie had two folded-ear kittens in 1963, and as promised, William and Mary Ross were given one-a folded-ear white beauty like her mother named Snooks.
On the suggestion of British geneticist Peter Dyte, the Rosses began a breeding program with outcrosses from their cattery’s British Shorthairs and random-bred domestics. They named their Fold cattery Denisla for the two rivers that flowed through their cottage, the Den and the Isla.
William and Mary Ross immediately determined that the gene responsible for the folded ears was dominant; only one parent needed the gene to pass on the distinctive characteristic. Any cat with one copy of the fold gene produced roughly half of the Fold kittens.
The Rosses originally named their new breed Lops after the lop-ear rabbit. They changed the name to Scottish Fold in 1966, in celebration of this most unique characteristic and the country where the breed was discovered. The Rosses enrolled their Scottish Fold cats with the Cat Fancy’s Governing Council the same year (GCCF). The Rosses began the process of gaining acceptance for their folded buddies with the help of other aficionados they met along the road.
Initially, a number of breeders and fanciers were excited about this new and unique breed, but the GCCF soon became concerned about potential health issues. They were first concerned about ear infections, ear mite infestations, and deafness, but these fears were proven baseless. However, GCCF quickly became concerned about genetic issues, which were, sadly, quite genuine ones. By 1971, the GCCF had stopped registration to Scottish Folds and had prohibited future registration inside its registry. The Scottish Fold had to pack its kilts and go to North America in order to compete in the show ring.
Susie is the originator of all genuine Scottish Folds. The Scottish Fold was accepted for CFA registration in 1973, and Scottish Folds were granted CFA provisional status in May 1977. The Fold was named a CFA champion breed in 1978. The Fold gained approval in all North American cat groups and a spot among North America’s most popular breeds in an astonishingly short amount of time. The longhaired variant of the breed was not officially recognized until the mid-1980s, despite the fact that longhair kittens had been appearing in Scottish Fold litters since the breed’s inception. Suzie, a cat of unknown origin, may have carried the recessive gene for long hair.
The usage of Persians in early outcrosses also aided in the establishment of the longhair gene. Today, all organisations accept the Scottish Fold Longhair for championship, while several associations have their own longhair standard, which they name the Highland Fold or the Longhair Fold. Depending on the association, the Scottish Fold Longhair is known by three different names. The breed is known as the Highland Fold by AACE, ACFA, and UFO, and the Longhair Fold by CFF. The longhaired Scottish Fold is a division of the Scottish Fold breed in CFA and TICA, and they share one standard in each organisation.
The breed is known as Scottish in CCA, and both hair lengths share one standard, although being assessed as separate breeds. Furthermore, CCA recognises the Scottish Straight Shorthair and Scottish Straight Longhair under the designation Scottish; they are Scottish Folds without folded ears. The Scottish Shorthair, commonly known as the pert-ear, shares the same personality and body shape as the Scottish Fold, but lacks folded ears. Because the Fold does not breed true, pet-quality pert-ear can be purchased for a reasonable price. The Scottish Shorthair is recognized as a breed in its own right by the Australian Cat Federation (ACF).
Physical Attributes
BODY
From shoulder to pelvic girdle, it is medium, rounded, and even. The cat should stand tall and have a well-padded body. Overall, he has the appearance of a well-rounded cat with medium bone.
HEAD
Well-balanced, with a strong chin and jaw. Muzzle whisker pads should be well-rounded. The head should flow into a short neck. Males have prominent cheeks with a jowly appearance. The profile has a moderate look.
EARS
Ears forward and downward fold. Small. The eartips are rounded.
EYES
With a beautiful look, she is wide open. The eyes are large, well-rounded, and separated by a broad nose. The color of the eyes should match the color of the coat. Blue-eyed and odd-eyed individuals can be found in all white, bicolor, and van patterns.
PAWS & LEGS
Legs are short and coarse. Short nose with a slight curvature. With five in front and four behind, the toes are tidy and well-rounded.
TAIL
The tail should be medium to lengthy and proportionate to the body. The tail should be flexible and tapered, sometimes ending in a spherical point.
COLOR
Any hue or pattern except those that show evidence of hybridization, such as chocolate, lavender, the Himalayan pattern, or these combinations with white. Eye color should match the cat’s primary color. Odd and blue eyes can appear in any bicolor or van pattern. Odd-eyed people will have one blue eye and one gold eye with similar color depth.
LONG HAIR COAT
Hair length ranges from medium to long.
SHORT HAIR COAT
Dense, plush, and consistent. The texture is soft. Full of vitality. Due to density, standing away from the body, rather than flat or close lying. Color and/or regional, seasonal changes may cause variations in coat texture.
Disclaimer
While the qualities listed below are common for this breed, cats are individuals with unique personalities and appearances. For more information about a specific pet, please contact the adoption group.
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