The Scottish Fold cat is a beautiful domestic cat with a natural genetic mutation that affects the ear cartilage causing the ears to "bend", bending forward and down towards the front of the head, giving this cat an innocent and attractive appearance.
The history of the Scottish fold-eared cat:
The origin of this breed goes back to a white cat named Susie, which was found on a farm near Cooper Angus in Scotland, in 1961. Susie's ears had an unusual fold in their center, making her look like an owl.
When Susie gave birth to kittens, two of them were born with folded ears, and William Ross, a farmer and cat breeder, took on one of these kittens. And he began breeding Scottish cats with the help of geneticist Pat Turner.
The breeding program produced 76 kittens in the first three years - 42 with folded ears and 34 with straight ears. The conclusion from this is that the ear mutation is caused by a simple dominant gene. If one parent provides the gene for straight ears, and one parent provides the gene for folded ears, the kittens will have folded ears.
Suzy's offspring was a single folded-eared cat named Snox, who was also white. Three months after the birth of Snox, Susie was killed by a car. All Scottish fold-eared cats share a common ancestry to Susie and Snox.
The breed was not accepted for display in Britain and Europe as it was felt they would be highly susceptible to ear problems such as infection, mites and deafness, but these cats were exported to America and the breed's establishment continued. Since the initial concerns emerged, the Scottish Fold-Eared Cat has not had any problems with mites and infection, although the buildup of wax in the ears may be greater than in other cats.
Specifications of the Scottish Fold Cat:
All Scottish fold-eared kittens are born with straight, open ears and then begin to show the fold usually within about 21 days.
The Scottish Fold-eared cat is medium in size, with males usually weighing 4 to 6 kg, and females at 2.5-4 kg.
The structure of the body is completely round, especially the head and face, and the eyes are large and round. The nose is short with a gentle curve, the cat's body is well rounded with a padded appearance, and the legs are medium to short. The head is vaulted from above and the neck is very short. Widely set eyes give this cat a "cute expression."
Large, round eyes, a round head, cheeks, and whiskers add to the overall round appearance. Despite the folded ears, she uses them to follow sounds and also lowers when angry.
These cats can be either long or short-haired, and may have a mix of colors including white. Scottish cats are found in a variety of coats, patterns, and colors such as white, black, blue, red, cream, silver blue or cream blue.
The average life span of a folded-ear cat is 15 years.
These cats are considered one of the most expensive types of cats in the world, with a price of up to 2000 dollars.
personality and behaviour:
The Scottish Fold cat is usually distinguished by intelligence, gentle temperament and easily adaptable to new people and situations.
This breed is loyal and tends to bond with one person in the family. While she usually approaches others by cuddling and caressing them, her primary connection quickly becomes apparent when she watches her chosen one.
These animals love to be outdoors and enjoy outdoor games and activities a lot. Loneliness is something they never like, which makes them feel depressed. It is also common for Scottish Folds to be stubborn.
Health status:
In general, Scottish Fold cats are healthy, hardy cats around 15 years of age.
These cats are prone to polycystic kidney disease and cardiomyopathy. They are also prone to degenerative joint disease, which most commonly affects the tail, ankles and knees which can result in reduced range of motion.
Osteochondrodysplasia is a developmental disorder that affects the growth of cartilage and bone throughout the body. In studies conducted on this strain, it was shown that all of them are susceptible to infection with this disease. It is also affected by severe painful degenerative joint diseases at an early age.
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cat breeds