Scottish Fold

Scottish Fold
  • Coat lengthShort
  • Grooming RequirementsLess than once a week
  • NoiseLow
  • ActivityLow


The most noticeable feature of a Scottish Fold cat is its ears, which are small and tightly folded forward to cover the ear opening. The tips of the ears are rounded. The Scottish Fold is of medium size with a solid compact body. The head is rounded, with well-defined whisker pads, and is set on a short neck. The eyes are large and wide open with a sweet expression. The coat of the Scottish Fold is short and dense. It comes in a variety of colours and patterns.


Named after its forward folding ears, the Scottish Fold cat breed was first seen as a natural mutation in Scotland in the 1960s. British cat show judges and numerous veterinary surgeons decided that the cat's folded ears were an undesirable deformity and would make it impossible for the cat to clean its ears. Deformities of the spine, hind legs and tail also appeared when folded-ear cats were bred to one another. The breed is popular in the USA and elsewhere.

Country Of Origin



The Scottish Fold cat breed has a sweet, gentle temperament despite its strange appearance. Folds are not an active breed, and this may be because of pain involved in movement.


Scottish Fold cats can suffer from painful degenerative joint disease throughout their lives. This arises as the Scottish Fold cat mutation detrimentally affects cartilage, most obviously seen making the ear cartilage fold. As the disease progresses, the joints stiffen, bones fuse and movement becomes more difficult and painful. Cats progress from slight lameness to reluctance to move.




The short dense coat of the Scottish Fold cat is easily cared for and needs no special grooming, though brushing helps remove dead hairs. The Scottish Fold's ears are difficult for the cat to clean itself, so owners need to remove any wax or dirt build-up from the outer ear to prevent ear infection.