AY Honors/Cats - Advanced/Answer Key

2007-05-16T11:53:56Z

87.186.67.94: Undid revision 131205040 by Beesupmynose (talk)

The '''Scottish Fold''' is a [[cat breeds|breed]] of [[cat]] with a natural mutation to its ears. The ear [[cartilage]] contains a fold so the ears bend forward and down towards the front of their head.

[[Image:Image024.jpg|thumb|200px|Betty Ford the Scottish Fold]]

The original Scottish Fold was a long-haired white-haired barn cat named Susie, who was found at a farm near [[Coupar Angus]] in [[Perthshire]], [[Scotland]] in [[1961]]. Susie's ears had an unusual fold in their middle, making her resemble an owl. When Susie had kittens, two of them were born with folded ears, and one of the siblings was acquired by William Ross, a neighbouring farmer and cat-fancier. Ross registered the breed with the [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] in [[Great Britain]] and started to breed Scottish Fold kittens with the help of geneticist [[Pat Turner]]. The breeding program produced 76 kittens in the first three years - 42 with folded ears and 34 with straight ears. The conclusion from this was that the ear mutation is due to a simple dominant gene. If one parent provides the gene for straight ears, and one parent provides the gene for folded ears, the kittens will be Folds.

The breed was not accepted for showing in Great Britain and [[Europe]] as it was felt that they would be extremely prone to ear problems such as infection, mites and deafness, but the folds were exported to America and the breed continued to be established there using crosses with [[British Shorthair]] and the [[American Shorthair]].

Scottish Folds can be either long or short-haired, and they may have any coat colour combination except for Siamese-style points. Pointed Folds have been bred but they are not eligible for showing. The original cats only had one fold in their ears, but due to selective breeding they have increased the fold to a double or triple crease that causes the ear to lie totally flat against the head. Scottish Folds, whether with folded ears or with normal ears, are typically good-natured and placid, and are known for sleeping on their backs. They tend to become very attached to their human caregivers and are by nature quite affectionate. Scottish Folds typically have soft voices and display a complex repetoire of meows and purrs not found in better-known breeds.

There is one medical problem that has been found to be related to Scottish Fold breeding. If both parents have folded ears, their kittens will be extremely prone to developing a painful degenerative joint disease that fuses the tail, ankles and knees. This condition also affects Scottish folds with one copy of the fold gene, to a lesser degree, and is the reason the breed is not accepted by the [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] and the [[Fédération Internationale Féline]].<ref>The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy , [http://www.gccfcats.org/health.html The GCCF says Health Comes First]</ref><ref>Fédération Internationale Feline, [http://www.fifeweb.org/wp/lib/lib_rls_breg_2007_03.html#Breeding Breeding and Registration Rules]</ref>.

==References==
<references/>

==Gallery==

<gallery>
Image:Pearl_Laying_on_Couch.jpg|A longhaired Scottish Fold lying on her back.

Image:Scotfoldkitten.jpg |A 4-month old Scottish Fold kitten.

Image:Scottish_fold.jpg|A young "single fold" Scottish Fold.

Image:Scottish_Fold01.jpg|Scottish Fold

Image:Scottish_fold_img.jpg|2 year old Scottish Fold

Image:Fold_sitting.jpg|Scottish Fold "sitting"

Image:scottishfoldcalico.JPG| Scottish Fold, Calico

Image:CustardBlanket.jpg|A 6-month old Scottish Fold

[[Image:Example.jpg]]

</gallery>

== External links ==
*[http://www.fanciers.com/breed-faqs/scottish-fold-faq.html Cat Fanciers Scottish Fold FAQ]
*[http://www.aaceinc.org/pages/breeds/hig.htm AACE: Highland Fold]
*[http://www.aaceinc.org/pages/breeds/sco.htm AACE: Scottish Fold]
*[http://www.scottishfoldrescue.org Scottish Fold Rescue]
*[http://www.isfaorg.com/isfahealth.html Health issues] - International Scottish Fold Association
*[http://www.ava.com.au/avj/9902/99020085.pdf Osteochondrodysplasia in Scottish Fold cats]- Australian Veterinarian Journal
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmsV9R8FsDA Scottish Fold Kitten (video)]

[[Category:Cat breeds]]
[[Category:Animal breeds originating in Scotland]]

[[de:Schottische Faltohrkatze]]
[[es:Scottish Fold]]
[[fr:Scottish Fold]]
[[he:סקוטיש פולד]]
[[nl:Schotse vouwoorkat]]
[[ja:スコティッシュフォールド]]
[[sv:Scottish fold]]
[[zh:苏格兰折耳猫]]

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