![]() Some countries have also banned selling of Scottish fold cats, or the breeding with any cat that bears the gene mutation resulting in osteochondrodysplasia, so even breeding with some of the Scottish straights. In order to protect the animal welfare, several countries and states have prohibited breeding with Scottish folds, including the Netherlands in 2014, Austria in 2020, Flanders ( Belgium) in 2021, Victoria ( Australia), and even the birthplace of the breed, Scotland. Scottish folds are also popular among celebrities, one of them being American singer Taylor Swift, who owns two Scottish fold cats named Meredith Grey (the titular character of the medical drama series Grey's Anatomy), and Olivia Benson (the protagonist of the police drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). The rare distinctive physical traits of the breed, combined with their reputation as unusually loving companions, make Folds highly sought-after pets, with Fold kittens typically costing considerably more than kittens of more common breeds. The concerns about deformities may have been caused by osteochondrodysplasia, which causes abnormalities in bone and cartilage throughout the body. Since the initial concerns were brought, the Fold breed has not had the mite and infection problems, though wax buildup in the ears may be greater than in other cats. The breed was not accepted for showing in Europe and the GCCF withdrew registrations in 1971 due to crippling deformity of the limbs and tail in some cats and concerns about genetic difficulties and ear problems such as infection, mites, and deafness, but the Folds were exported to America and the breed continued to be established using crosses with British Shorthairs and American Shorthairs. All Scottish Fold cats share a common ancestry to Susie. Three months after Snooks' birth, Susie was killed by a car. Susie's only reproducing offspring was a female Fold named Snooks who was also white a second kitten was neutered shortly after birth. The conclusion from this was that the ear mutation is due to a simple dominant gene. The breeding programme produced 76 kittens in the first three years – 42 with folded ears and 34 with straight ears. Ross registered the breed with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in the United Kingdom in 1966 and started to breed Scottish Fold kittens with the help of geneticist Pat Turner. When Susie had kittens, two of them were born with folded ears, and one was acquired by William Ross, a neighbouring farmer and cat-fancier. Susie's ears had an unusual fold in their middle, making her resemble an owl. The original Scottish Fold was a white barn cat named Susie, who was found at a farm near Coupar Angus in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1961. Due to these health conditions, breeding Fold cats is prohibited in several countries and some major cat registries do not recognise the cat breed. Fold cats therefore have malformed bone structures and can develop severe painful degenerative joint diseases at an early age. This condition causes the ear fold in the breed and studies point to all Fold cats being affected by it. Depending on registries, longhaired Scottish Folds are varyingly known as Highland Fold, Scottish Fold Longhair, Longhair Fold and Coupari.Īll Fold cats are affected by Osteochondrodysplasia (OCD) a developmental abnormality that affects cartilage and bone development throughout the body. Originally called lop-eared or lops after the lop-eared rabbit, Scottish Fold became the breed's name in 1966. ![]() The Scottish Fold is a breed of domestic cat with a natural dominant gene mutation that affects cartilage throughout the body, causing the ears to "fold", bending forward and down towards the front of the head, which gives the cat what is often described as an " owl-like" appearance. ![]()
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