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The Lop-eared Scottish Fold Cat

The Scottish Fold is cat breed distinguished by a mutation
of a dominant-gene that causes the cartilage of the ear to
fold over on itself. This causes the ears to bend to the
front and down to the head, giving the cat an "owl-like"
appearance. "Scottish Fold" became this breed's name in
1966, previously, it had been known as the "lop-eared" or
"Lops" cat. Longhaired Scottish Fold cats may be classified
differently depending upon the registry and may be known as
the Coupari, Highland Fold, Longhair Fold or Scottish Fold
Longhair.

In 1961, a white barn cat by the name of Susie, having an
unusual fold in the middle of her ears making her look "owl-
like," was found at a farm in Scotland. When the cat was
bred, two of her kittens also developed folded ears. One of
these kittens was sold or given to William Ross, a neighbor
who also had a farm and who was a cat fancier. William Ross
began to breed for the mutation, and in 1966 he registered
the breed with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, or
GCCF, in Great Britain.

With the help of Pat Turner, a geneticist, William Ross
started breeding Scottish Fold cats. In the first three
years of the breeding program seventy-six kittens were born
with folded ears and thirty-four with straight ears. It was
concluded from this that the gene to make the cat's ears
fold was a single dominant gene, meaning that if a cat had a
parent with folded ears most of its kittens would also have
folded ears.

In 1971 the GCCF withdrew registration due to concerns about
genetic difficulties with ear problems like deafness,
infections and mites, although since then these concerns
have been shown to be largely unfounded.

Snooks was the only female "fold" kitten of Susie's that
reproduced offspring. She was also white. Three months after
Snook's birth Susie was killed in a car accident, but all
Scottish Folds can trace their history back to Susie.

Scottish Fold kittens are born with straight ears, but about
twenty-one days later the fold will start to occur.
Originally the Scottish Fold only had one fold in their
ears, but now due to deliberate selective breeding, the
folds have increased to double and triple, causing the ears
to lay totally flat to the head.

The Scottish Fold Cat is medium-sized, with a round face and
head and large round eyes. The nose is short and gently
curved. They have short to medium legs with a very short
neck. It is because of the roundness of the cats head and
body that they have been compared to owls, with their ears
lying flat to their head. They can be short of long haired
and be of any coat coloration and pattern except pointed.

The Scottish Fold breed is known for their placid and good
natured temperaments. They get along well with other
household pets and animals and tend to become very attached
to their families. They are quite affectionate and playful.
They are considered to be an intelligent, adaptable and
soft-spoken breed. These cats like to sleep on their backs.
Typically this position is called the Buddha position. They
also like to sit with their legs stretched out and their
paws on their bellies. All in all the Scottish Fold is a
striking, charming, and endearing breed.


Picture Scottish Fold Cat Breed





Feed your Scottish Fold kitty a Premium well balanced Food
Dr. Jane Bicks


Known for it's folded down ears and soulful eyes,
the Scottish Fold cat is a well behaved and amiable
cat that is surprisingly hardy.


Feeding yours a good balanced premium cat food diet of
high biological value protein and fat can keep it that way.


I would suggest, however, that since the Scottish 
Fold is particularly susceptible to ear mites, you
should supplement its daily diet with garlic (1/8
teaspoon) and brewers yeast or torula yeast.


If ear mites are present, you'll need a special 
medication from the veterinarian to kill them.


In any event, cleaning your cat's ears once a week
with a cotton swab dampened in a mild hydrogen
peroxide solution is a must for averting serious
potential problems.


Exercise will help keep the Scottish Fold Cat's
compact, firm, muscular bodies healthy.



Here's what I would choose for my kitty's dinner tonight:

Premium Kitty Food

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