Friday's Pretty Kitty: The Scottish Fold

Happy Friday, Missians!

We've made it to another weekend.  Thanks for meeting me here once again for a new Missy Show post.  We're getting even closer to announcing our upcoming Christmas in July schedule!  Be sure to check back here for our June 29th post to find out what's coming up. 

Okay, now onto more pretty kitties...

Today's pretty kitty is the Scottish Fold cat.  Scottish Folds' most striking characteristic is their folded ears.  Whenever I've seen these cats in the past, (back then I didn't know their breed), I always thought they didn't have ears at all!  Upon closer inspection, I can now see that they do indeed have ears--although some of them still look like they don't to me.  LOL

A Scottish Fold Kitty

Today's Scottish Fold info is courtesy of Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Fold

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.^[1]

Originally called lop-eared or lops after the lop-eared rabbit, Scottish Fold became the breed's name in 1966.^[1] Depending on registries, longhaired Scottish Folds are varyingly known as Highland Fold, Scottish Fold Longhair, Longhair Fold and Coupari.

History

Origin

Susie's only reproducing offspring was a female Fold named Sans who was also white; a second kitten was neutered shortly after birth. Three months after Sans' birth, Susie was killed by a car. All Scottish Fold cats share a common ancestry to Susie.

Acceptance

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. 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.

Popularity

The rare distinctive physical traits of the breed, combined with their reputation as unusually loving companions, make Folds highly sought-after pets and Fold kittens typically cost considerably more than kittens of more common breeds.

Characteristics

Ears

All Folds are born with straight, unfolded ears, and those with the Fold gene will begin to show the fold usually within about 21 days. The kittens that do not develop folded ears are known as Straights. The original cats only had one fold in their ears, but due to selective breeding, breeders have increased the fold to a double or triple crease that causes the ear to lie totally flat against the head.

The breed's distinctive folded ears are produced by an incompletely dominant gene that affects the cartilage of the ears, causing the ears to fold forward and downward, giving a cap-like appearance to the head. Smaller, tightly folded ears set in a cap-like fashion are preferred to a loose fold and larger ear. The large, round eyes and rounded head, cheeks, and whisker pads add to the overall rounded appearance. Despite the folded ears, folds still use their aural appendages to express themselves—the ears swivel to listen, lie back in anger and prick up when the treat bag rustles.

Body

The Scottish Fold is a medium-sized cat, with males typically reaching 4 to 6 kg (9–13 lb), females 2.7–4 kg (6–9 lb). The Fold's entire body structure, especially the head and face, is generally rounded, and the eyes large and round. The nose will be short with a gentle curve and the cat's body well-rounded with a padded look and medium-to-short legs. The head is domed at the top, and the neck very short. The broadly-spaced eyes give the Scottish Fold a "sweet expression".

Scottish Folds can be either long- or short-haired, and they may have nearly any coat color or combination of colours (including white).^[5]Short hair Scottish Folds have thick and soft fur, with long hair Folds having longer and exceptionally dense fur around their upper thighs, toes, ears, and tail.

Sleepy Kitty

Temperament

Scottish Folds, whether with folded ears or with normal ears, are typically good-natured and placid and adjust to other animals within a household extremely well. They tend to become very attached to their human caregivers and are by nature quite affectionate. Folds also receive high marks for playfulness, grooming and intelligence.^[2] These animals like to be outdoors and enjoy outdoor games and activities very much. Loneliness is something they heavily dislike and which makes them feel depressed.  It is also common for Scottish Folds to be stubborn.

Habits

Folds are also known for sleeping on their backs. Scottish Folds typically have soft voices and display a complex repertoire of meows and purrs not found in better-known breeds. Folds are also known for sitting with their legs stretched out and their paws on their belly. This position is called the "Buddha Position".

To read the rest of the article on Scottish Folds, be sure to check out the Wikipedia link above.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed learning about this pretty kitty.  I'll see you all back here Monday for an all new post.

Until then,

Have an awesome weekend!

This is your host J,

signing off...

Baby Scottish Fold