The Scottish Fold

In Scotland, 1961, William Ross noticed a cat with folded ears in his neighbor's yard. The cat was a white barn cat named Susie. Her ears were bent forward about half way and her face looked round and owl-like.

A year later, Susie and a tom cat had a litter of two kittens. The female kitten, who had folded ears, was given to William and his wife, Mary. The Ross' named her Snooks. The Ross' bred Snooks' son to a British Shorthair, thus beginning the Scottish Fold breed.

In the early 70's, Mary Ross arranged to ship some of her folds to a geneticist in Massachusetts. Soon, the first American Scottish Fold litter was born.

Through research, it was found that folded ear cats should only be bred to straight ear cats. If a fold ear cat is bred with another fold ear cat, degenerative joint disease can occur. It is very important to only bred fold ear cats to straight ear cats.

Scottish Folds are known for their beauty, friendliness and even disposition. They are noted for their big, round eyes, round heads, short necks, and folded ears. Susie had "single fold" ears. The ears of today's breed can have anything from a loose, single fold, to the very tight, triple folds seen at cat shows today.

Scottish Fold cats are quiet and sweet natured. They like to play with you and be close to you. They adjust well to other animals in the household. They make incredibly wonderful pets, for years and years!!!

Author:

Lori Osmond,
CATSOFOZ Cattery - California/USA

http://www.geocities.com/MadisonAvenue/8660

E-Mail: flcco@mail.telis.org