The Scottish Fold is considered on the the ten most popular breeds in the United States and here in New Zealand it is rapidly gaining in popularity to the extent where demand can sometimes exceed the availablity, but this largely depends on which colour you may wish to purchase. Blues of course are the most popular of the colours but most people are not aware that other colours such as bi-colours and torties are even available.
The Scottish Fold was not brought about by deliberate crossing. The first cat of the type appeared in a litter in Scotland in 1961. Her name was Susie and each of today's Scottish Folds are a descendant of hers.
Of course the ears are the most distinctive feature of the Scottish Fold and these should be folded downward on its rounded head.
Not all kittens in a litter will have folded ears, neither are they born this way. It is a waiting process of up to 21 days to see which kittens 'fold' and which do not. Kittens that do not 'fold' are registered as British Shorthairs.
There is a definate danger of breeding two Scottish Folds together. It can create stiffness of the hind legs and lack of flexibility in the tail. To overcome this, we outcross to the British Shorthair, keeping our New Zealand foldies healthy and genetically sound. |
