Before we start sharing the secrets of this unusual-looking cat, let’s listen to Luna, the Scottish Fold, ready to hiss out her biggest secrets:
Heya, I’m Luna, the Scottish Fold cat, and I can still hear any wrapper’s sound, while you’re trying to have a snack without me! Play me, praise me, and treat me like a goddess!
🐈 Luna, The Scottish Fold Cat
Stay tuned for more precious inside info about this interesting cat breed.
Temperament & Personality
The Scottish Fold is an adorable-looking cat, with a matching character. Its affectionate nature and calm temper reveal a great companion with a sweet personality.
It enjoys human company, but its rather independent nature makes it less needy when receiving attention. If left alone for too long, it may develop anxiety and attachment disorders.
Physical Characteristics
This cat’s unique appearance is given by its distinctive folded ears and large, round eyes.
The Scottish Fold is part of the Scottish Breed Group, which has more variants: the Longhaired Folded version, the Scottish Straight, the straight-eared version of the Scottish Fold as we know it, and the Longhaired Scottish Straight.
Females reach 6-9 lbs (2.7-4.1 kg) and males 7-10 lbs (3.2-4.5 kg).
The Scottish Fold’s ears are pleated forward and downward, with rounded edges, giving its head a round shape, seen from any angle. It has a short, wide muzzle, which ends with a flat nose.
It is a medium-sized cat, with a well-rounded body, and medium-sized legs, that end with rounded toes.
The Scottish Fold has a short, dense, and plushy coat, which can come in any color and pattern: white, cream, tabby, calico, tortoiseshell, red, chinchilla, black, silver, lilac, cinnamon, shell cameo, chocolate, and others. Only the semi-long and long-haired Scottish have toe tufts.
Most Scottish Fold cats have copper-colored eyes, but some have blue eyes, like the silver and chinchilla-colored cats, and hazel eyes, like the tabby ones.
Compatibility with Kids & Other Pets
The Scottish Fold’s calm and affectionate temper makes it great for families with children, even small ones.
It easily tolerates kids’ energy bursts and doesn’t get scared or shy. The Scottish Fold loves engaging in chasing games with the little ones.
It has a very tolerant nature; this can be easily observed toward other animals. Though it may get scary at the first encounter, gradual socializing with another cat or dog will work wonders.
They can adapt easily when introduced into houses with multiple pets.
Scottish Fold Kittens
The Scottish Fold kittens don’t resemble Scottish adults at first. Their ears are straight and upright at birth and start to fold after the 18th day of life, but only if they possess the gene responsible for this trait, which is, in fact, a genetic mutation. This comes from an incompletely dominant gene that results in both folded and straight-eared cats.
The Scottish Fold kittens only have one true Scottish Fold parent. Breeding two Scottish Fold cats would lead to obtaining a litter with severe degenerative issues. Breeders use one Scottish Fold parent and breed them with American or British Shorthairs.
That’s why only 50% of the litters with one Scottish Fold parent will develop those folded ears. The rest of the cats from the same litter with upright ears will be known as Scottish Shorthair cats.
Scottish Fold kittens are active fellows; these bundles of joy need lots of playtime and exercise. They need three daily meals with only high-quality food, rich in vitamins and minerals, to sustain growth and development.
To protect them from contracting infectious diseases, parasite control must begin at 4-5 weeks of age, followed by complete vaccination at the age of 10-12 weeks.
To ensure your Scottish Fold grows into a well-behaved adult, house training must begin as soon as it arrives at the house. Shaggy, noisy toys, balls, and cat trees it can climb will keep it entertained and happy.
These cats need tender touches, because, in some kittens, the tail begins to stiffen, for the same genetic reasons that make their ears fold. This makes their tail painful at the slightest touch.
Traits, Training & Social Skills
The Scottish Fold is an intelligent cat, who can easily read human behavior. It is a very trainable cat, due to its desire to please and be around people.
More perseverent owners can teach this cat to high five, come on command, or even fetch.
The Scottish Fold loves human company and always prefers cuddling and lap time. Some Scottish Folds love to follow their owners around the house and suffer terribly if left alone at home for too long.
The Scottish Fold is very well-mannered around strangers. It is so friendly, that it can invite a burglar and even show it around the house.
Playtime & Activities
The Scottish Fold is a playful kitty. It loves chasing games and will never refuse playtime, especially with its human companions.
For a more busy owner, there’s always an automatic, programmable laser beam toy or an automatic chasing toy to keep this fellow entertained and not feeling lonely.
Grooming Needs
Although the Scottish Fold is a heavy shedder, it doesn’t require much grooming.
Its short, dense coat requires twice a week combing and brushing, using a rubber mitten or a Furminator to remove dead hair.
Bathing isn’t required, unless it has outdoor access, because, like all cats, it grooms itself.
Nails should be trimmed twice a month, to prevent the cat from scratching in unwanted places.
To prevent infections and other ear-shape-related health concerns, the ears should be inspected and cleaned twice a month.
Lifespan, Health Issues & Nutrition
The average lifespan in this adorable weird-eared cat is 14-16 years.
However, many people don’t know that the Scottish Fold’s ear shape is the result of a genetic disease. It’s called osteochondrodysplasia (or short for SFOCD), and it is a disorder inherited from the parents.
This disease causes skeletal deformities, such as tail rigidity, the shortening, and distortion of the cat’s feet, followed by severe arthritis, the shortening of the spine and it affects the cartilage in the entire body.
Cats affected are progressively no longer able to perform natural behaviors, such as grooming themselves, walking, eating, and using the litter box. This progresses up to the point the cat becomes cripple and suffers from great pain.
All cats with folded ears will develop the painful effects of osteochondrodysplasia to varying degrees. Cats who suffer should be euthanized for humane reasons.
There is no cure for this disease. Cats prone to this disease develop it at a young age and suffer throughout their entire lifetime. Some countries have banned the Scottish Fold breeding, to prevent further suffering for these cats.
This breed was removed from the UK Cat Fancy Commission’s list of recognized breeds for humane reasons. Also, this breed was banned by The Fédération Internationale Féline. Still, many countries have not taken any measures regarding this aspect and breeders still obtain litters of prone-to-deformity kittens.
Scottish Folds are also prone to other genetic conditions, such as polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM), translated as heart enlargement.
The PKD is inherited by Scottish Folds with one Persian parent, while the HCM is inherited from British Shorthaired parents.
The Scottish Fold can also develop recurrent ear infections which can eventually lead to deafness.
Vocalizations & Body Language
The Scottish Fold isn’t a vocal cat. Meowing really isn’t necessary, when the cat keeps following you around the house.
In terms of body language, the stiffness of the Scottish Fold’s tail and the ear shape won’t be very helpful. Many cats express their anxiousness or nervousness by shaking and moving around their tails and keeping their ears up and alert.
The shape of its body and eyes may help to tell if it’s sad, nervous, or curious.
Cost of Ownership
A Scottish Fold kitten can be quite expensive because it’s among the rarest cats in the world. Prices can range from $2500-$4000 for a kitten, depending on the cattery and breeder. The silver and chinchilla-colored cats are more expensive, and even rarer, because of their blue eyes.
One-time costs with this interesting cat are represented by microchipping, which can range between $20-$70, and neutering, around $250.
The Scottish will require a cat bed, bowls, a carrier, toys, a cat tree to climb on and stay entertained, or at least a scratching post, and other kitty accessories. All of these can cost between $200-$300.
Monthly costs are represented by quality cat food, dry and wet, which can cost between $20-$30.
Professional grooming or hair trimming, if you’re not a big fan of cat hair around your house, can cost $70-$100, every 3-4 months.
Regular vet visits, at least twice a year, can cost between $25-$150, depending on whether blood work is necessary.
We recommend year-round heartworm prevention, which can add $25 to your monthly expenses.
Adoption & Rescue Options
The Scottish Fold is a rather rare cat, so the odds of rescuing or adopting such a cat from a shelter are extremely low. Some organizations have maps of Scottish Fold cats available for adoption.
The International Scottish Fold Cat Rescue Group Directory lists all the rescue organizations worldwide.
In the USA, some Scottish Fold cats are available through the Petfinder Platform. Organizations like these demand a sponsorship fee, which can range from $300-$500. This amount covers the neutering, core vaccination, and microchipping expenses the shelters support out of their finances.
Interesting Facts & Quirks
The folded ears this cat possesses are due to a genetic mutation. These cats are considered mutants by some people.
All the Scottish Fold cats have the same ancestor, named Susie. In the 1960s, in Perthshire, Scotland, a kitten with folded ears was discovered in a litter of normal cats. Because everyone fancied her appearance, she was later bred with other cats to develop this cat breed.
In the 1970s, the British geneticist Oliphant Jackson demonstrated, in a series of classic genetic and radiological experiments performed in a hospital basement, that not only the ear cartilage is affected by osteochondrodysplasia, but all the body cartilage.
Some countries, like the Netherlands (in 2014), Austria (in 2020), Flanders – Belgium (in 2021), Victoria (Australia), and Norway (in 2023), have banned the Scottish Fold breeding.
In the USA, breeders use outcrosses with British and American Shorthairs.
Taylor Swift, the singer, owns two pet Scottish fold cats, named Detective Olivia Benson and Doctor Meredith Grey. She regularly shares pictures and info about them on social media.
There’s a book, called “The Cat Who Went To Paris”, that stars a Scottish Fold cat named Morton. Peter Gethers, the author, documented his life along with his cat.
Scottish Fold Names
After you decide to enlarge your family by adding a Scottish Fold to its members, naming such an odd kitty may be considered a handful. However, there are some lovely names you should consider.
For a female Scottish Fold, names like Ale, like the beer, or Alish, meaning “noble kitty”, Agnes, the Scottish saint, Annabelle, Carol, Cora, for “young maiden”; if you prefer Scottish sounding names, try Delilah, Dora, Chelsie, Ella, Maezie, Moira, or Rhona for “friend”.
Lovely Male Scottish Fold names are Abernathy, for “beginning”, Alasdair for “defender”, Argyle, Colin, Duncan for “black warrior”, Fergus, Iain, Camden, Grant, Cairn or Lennox.
Breed History & Origin
The Scottish Fold has an odd history. It all begins in a 1961 barn with Susie, a cat born with folded ears.
As a white, longhaired cat, it was considered unusual and its fanciers started breeding her to other breeds like American, British and Exotic Shorthairs, Persian and Burmese cats, to achieve the desired, round look.
The first Scottish Fold kittens were brought to the USA in 1970 for genetic research and testing of their mutation, by Dr. Neil Todd.
