SCOTTISH
FOLD ORIGIN
In 1961 a shepherd by the name of William Ross spotted the first known Scottish Fold cat at a farm near Coupar Angus in the Tayside Region of Scotland, Northwest of Dundee. Ross asked the owners if he could have one of the kittens, and proceeded to develop the breed from the original, Susie, a white barn cat. The unique thing about this cat was that her ears folded forward and downward on her head. The resulting look gave the impression of a ¡°pixie¡±, ¡°owl¡±, or ¡°teddy bear¡± that has captured the hearts of many American cat fanciers and judges. The Scottish Fold was granted championship status by The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) in 1978.
Scottish Folds come in two types: folded ear and straight (normal) ear. The folded ear is produced by an incomplete dominant gene and is the result of a spontaneous mutation.
Over the last two decades the Scottish Fold has developed a look all its own...even though allowed outcrosses include American Shorthairs and British Shorthairs. The Fold does not necessarily resemble the American Shorthair's hard, powerful ¡°working cat¡± body and squared-off muzzle. Nor does it look like the British Shorthair's massive, compact body, short legs, and flat planed top-head. The Fold, instead, is a medium cat with a rounded, well-padded body and a short, dense, and resilient coat. It has large, round, broadly spaced eyes full of sweetness; well-rounded whisker pads and a short nose with a gentle curve in profile.
Scottish Fold kittens are born with straight ears. At about three to four weeks of age, their ears fold...or they don't! It is usually around eleven to twelve weeks of age that the breeder can determine the quality (pet, breeder or show). Presently, only folded ear cats of Scottish lineage are permitted in the show ring, and naturally, every breeder wants to produce show cats. The straight ear progeny of Scottish Folds, nevertheless, are invaluable to the breeding program.
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