The Longhair Scottish Fold originated in Scotland, as its name implies. The first known cat of the breed, was a barn cat named Susie. A neighboring farmer was captivated by this cat with a pixie-like appearance, brought about by its naturally-folded ears. The ears fold downward and forward on the head. The Longhair Scottish Fold is a fairly "young" breed of cat . . . Susie was born in 1961, and the breed itself was formally established in the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) for championship status, in 1978.

GC, NW STARRPAWZS GOT MILK?, Second Best of Breed Scottish Fold - Shorthair Division, Black & White Male. Photo: © Chanan 1999

The Scottish Fold devloped a look all its own . . . the breed developed with a spontaneous mutation, produced by an incomplete dominant gene. There are two accepted types, the folded ear and the straight ear; it was determined in 1966 that it was necessary to breed a fold ear to a straight ear in order to avoid genetic abnormalities.

In the Scottish Folds beginnings, an offspring of Susie was bred to a red tabby domesticated cat. One of the resulting kittens from that litter, was a white folded ear cat. He was bred to a white British Shorthair. Cats from these litters were then bred to Persians (both longhair and shorthair), American Shorthairs and British Shorthairs.

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The Scottish Fold does not necessarily resemble the American Shorthair's hard, powerful body and squared-off muzzle, nor does it look like the British Shorthair's massive, compact body, short legs, and flat planed top-head. Instead, the Scottish Fold is a medium cat with a rounded, well-padded body and a short, dense, and resilient coat; it has large, round, broadly spaced eyes, well-rounded whisker pads and a short nose with a gentle curve in profile.

GC, RW STARRPAWZS

At birth, the Scottish Fold has straight ears. At about three to four weeks of age, their ears fold -- if they are meant to! Only the folded ear variety can be shown in cat shows. However, the straight eared variety are invaluable in a breeding program. A breeder can normally determine the quality -- pet, show or breeding -- around eleven to twelve weeks of age. The Scottish Fold can be hard to find, due to the rarity of the folded ear and due to the fact that not every kitten born has folded ears.

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Much like their barnyard ancestors, the Scottish Fold is a hardy cat. They are not extremely vocal and have tiny voices. They adore human companionship and display this in their own quiet way.

Scottish Folds have a sweet disposition, and adapt to almost any home situation (they are as comfortable in a room full of noisy children and dogs as they are in a single person's dwelling) and don't usually panic at shows or in strange hotel rooms. They adjust to other animals extremely well, and are an undemanding cat. Their only requirements are a clean environment, proper nutrition, and generous doses of love.

The Scottish Fold comes in many colors and variations, with the exception of those showing evidence of hybridization (resulting in the colors chocolate, lavender, the Himalayan pattern, or a combination of these and white).

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Pricing is determined on type, applicable markings and bloodlines, distinguished by Grand Champion (GC), National or Regional winning parentage (NW or RW) or of Distinguished Merit parentage (DM). Kittens made available by breeders, are usually from twelve to sixteen weeks of age. By twelve weeks, a kitten should have all its innoculations and developed the physical and social stability needed for a new environment.

The CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) recommends keeping your Scottish Fold indoors, spaying/neutering and providing a scratching post - for the natural behavior of scratching. The CFA disapproves of declawing or tendonectomy surgery.

For more information on this delightful, fairly young breed of cat, please contact:

CFA
PO Box 1005
Manasquan, NJ 08736-0805

GC, RW FOLDILOCKS FROM EAR TO ETERNITY, Best of Breed Scottish Fold - Shorthair Division, Red Mackerel Tabby & White Male. Photo: © Larry Johnson 1999

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