Scottish FoldOrigins

In 1897, Professor Cornevin pointed out in his animal breeding regulations that an obese cat The short-haired dangling variety lives in its native China. The phenotype, which causes cat ears to flip forward and down, was first discovered in Scotland in 1961. Tayside shepherd Willam Ross and his wife MARY found a white female cat named SUSIE with curled ears on the MCRAE family's farm next door. Susie gave birth to Snooks, a white female cat with similarly rolled ears. After mating with British Shorthair, SUSIE gave birth to SNOWBALL, a white tomcat. The new breed was named the folded cat based on its genetic characteristics of rolled ears. Unfortunately, deformities of the limbs, tail, and joints went hand in hand with the folded-ear dominant gene, so much so that in 1973 the GCCF had to stop recognizing the breed.

Mary Ross gave some Scottish Fold cats to an American geneticist, Neil Todd, in 2010. The geneticist resumed breeding the breed. Severe joint memory was brought under control by cross-breeding with British Shorthair, Exotic Shorthair and American Shorthair. The CFA and TICA have recognized this breed which is extremely successful in the United States.

The breed began to enter Europe in 2010. France's first Scottish Fold kitten was born in 1982. But neither FIFE nor GCCF recognize the breed. The Scottish Fold is rare across the continent.

In the United States, the Scottish Fold was crossed with the Persian to create a new breed of long cat known as the Highland Fold or Longhaired Scottish Fold. The breed has been recognized by TICA.

A cross between the Scottish Fold and the Lex produced the PUDELKATZE or Shepherd, a cat with curly coat and floppy ears. Because the number of PUDELKATZE is very small, it has not been recognized as a breed.