The first Scottish Fold was found by a shepherd on a farm in Perthshire, Scotland in 1961. He noticed a white, female barn cat, whose name was Susie, who had ears that looked different. The ears were folded like those of a puppy. Other kittens within the litter were normal and as a result, the folded ears were thought to result in a spontaneous mutation.
The cat with flat ears was allowed to breed and two more folded eared kittens were created; then a brand new breed was established. Initially, this new breed had considerable opposition within the cat fancy in England. The premier cat association in England, the GCCF, wouldn’t accept the breed for competition. Although the Scottish Fold continues to be controversial, it’s still quite popular within the US.. this is often a medium-sized cat and you may see this cat all told colors and patterns except chocolate, lilac and, point.
The ears show a certain fold line leading to a forward fold giving the impression that the cat is wearing a cap on his rounded head.
This cat’s eyes are large and rounded which when added to the rounded head and flat ears create a really cute and kittenish appearance, which has been attributed to the current breed’s popularity.
Despite being popular, the only gene that causes the Scottish Fold’s unusual ears is additionally to blame for other physical abnormalities, which may occur when the gene is within the heterozygous state but most typically these problems are manifest and severe in cats that are homozygous for the mutation.
If a pair of Scottish Folds are bred the kittens have folded ears but they’re also likely to own fused tail vertebra and abnormal cartilage formation within the joints of the legs and paws.
In homozygotes, individual cats these abnormalities will be very severe and cause the cat to be crippled.
Responsible Scottish Fold breeders minimize these physical health problems by always breathing a Scottish Fold to a cat with a traditional ear type, which avoids kittens being born with the homozygous combination of the mutated gene.
On a practical level, when the ear flap is folded flat to the pinnacle there are other potential issues like a possible increase in ear infections and also the inability to speak with the ears. As you’re aware, cats communicate with their ears as a style of visual communication. Sound sensitivity can also be impaired.
The people that support this cat breed maintain that the aforementioned skeletal problems will be prevented with careful breeding practices which in heterogeneous cats the gene isn’t detrimental to the cat’s health.