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Breed profile the Scottish Fold and Highland Fold, & Scottish Shorthair Dr David Richardson August 2005 Contact Australian Scottish Fold Breeders
History of the Scottish fold The Scottish fold had its origins in 1961 when a shepherd called William Ross noticed a litter of kittens on the merger adjoining farm with folded ears. He and his wife decided to breed these cats initially to a domestic and then later to a British shorthair. Unfortunately problems with arthritis and joints soon developed and so Mary Ross sent some of the cats to a geneticist in America who into bred them with American shorthairs and exotics. In the early 1980’s the breed which had already become popular in America was reintroduced back in to Great Britain and Europe.
Description of the Scottish fold The Scottish fold still shows its origin in the British Shorthair however it is a smaller cat with a semi cobby rather than a cobby body. The head is very rounded a broader than it is high, the round eyes set widely apart, and the ears that fold forwards. The neck is short and thick leading to the sturdy body and medium tail with rounded tip. Like the British the legs are sturdy with round paws, however can be somewhat finer than in the British Shorthair. The coat is dense and short and all colours and patterns are acceptable. A semi longhair variety of the Scottish fold has been developed, these are also called the High land Fold. All Scottish faults are born with upright ears, these begin to fold and about four weeks of age. When judging a Scottish fold we should look for problems which may be carried by the same gene as the fold of the ear. These are gnarling of the feet, a stiffness of the joints which may cause some difficulty in walking and a rigidity of the tail. I'm looking for at a medium cat with a well rounded head and muscle and prominent cheeks especially in the males. The neck should be short and nose should be short with a gentle curve and a minor stop is allowed. The ears should be folded forward and downwards, and preferably should be small and rounded. They should be set in a caplike fashion to expose a rounded head. The eyes should be round wide open and giving a sweet expression they should be well separated by a broad nose and their colour should confirm of code cover as in the wreckage. The body should be medium round well padded and reasonably solid the legs should be strong but with no hint of mobility problems. Pause should be neat and well rounded with the rear paws facing forward. The tail should be medium and long in proportion to the body. The tail must be flexible and the longer tapering tail is preferred. The coat should be dense and resilient and standing out from the body due to density. It should be not be flat or close lying. The coat of the Highland Fold should be medium to long and length, with a full coat on the face and body with preferably breeches, tail plumed, toe and ear tufts and a ruff.
Scoring for the Scottish Fold
The ears of the Scottish fold are weighted to
30 points, the eyes are given 10, the head neck and nose 15, the
body legs
The Scottish Shorthair is a Scottish Fold with Pert ears
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Scottish folds tend to have a sweet
disposition, a sweet expression and a tiny meow. They tend to be
quiet cats suitable for Apartment living.
and paws 25, the tail 5 and 10 for the coat colour and
pattern. That adds up to a full 55 points for the head and neck.