Personality:
- Disposition matches their sweet expression.
- Adore human companionship.
History:
In 1961, William Ross found a litter of folded eared kittens on a farm in Scotland. He used one, a white cat he named Susie, to develop the breed. The folded ears are the result of a spontaneous mutation. Breed was further established by crosses to the British Shorthair and American Shorthair. Longhaired Folds appeared in litters with their shorthaired counterparts and were developed into a separate division and accepted for championship by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) in 1992.
Body Type:
- Medium with a rounded, well-padded body.
- There should be no sign of immobility due to short, coarse legs or splayed toes, and the tail should be long and flexible.
- The head is well rounded with rounded whisker pads.
- Ears fold forward and downward.
- A small tightly folded ear is preferred over a loose fold and large ear.
- Eyes are wide open with a sweet expression. Color corresponds to coat color.
Coat:
- Coat is medium long and silky with ruff, britches, ear furnishings, toe tufts, and a plumed tail.
- All colors are accepted with the exception of those showing evidence of hybridization resulting in the Himalayan pattern, chocolate, lavender, or those combinations with white.
Health and Wellness:
- Neonatal isoerythrolysis.
- Prognathism.
- Vertebral deformities.
- Osteochondrodysplasia.
What you should know:
- Although all kittens are born with straight ears, only about 40% will develop folded ears.
- If ears are going to fold, they begin to do so between three and four weeks of age.
- Ear can be a single fold, double fold, or triple fold with the latter considered the most desirable.
- Preferably, your kitten should come from a mating of a fold-eared cat to a straight-eared cat.
- Your kitten should walk easily and not have a stiff, thick or short tail.
- Scottish Folds should be purchased when they are at least four months of age
- The best Longhaired Scottish Folds frequently come from shorthaired parents.
