Scottish Fold (Cat)

The Scottish Fold is a breed of cat with a natural dominant-gene mutation that makes its ear cartilage contain a fold, causing the ears to bend forward and down towards the front of their head, which gives the cat what is often described as an "owl-like" appearance.

Originally called lop-eared or just lops after the lop-eared rabbit, Scottish Fold became the breed's name in 1966. Depending on registries, longhaired Scottish Folds are varyingly known as Highland Fold, Scottish Fold Longhair, Longhair Fold and Coupari.

The rare distinctive physical traits of the breed, combined with their reputation as unusually loving companions, make Folds highly sought-after pets and Fold kittens typically cost considerably more than kittens of more common breeds.

The Scottish Fold is a medium-sized cat, with males typically reaching 4 to 6 kg, females 2.7–4 kg. The Fold's entire body structure, especially the head and face, is generally rounded, and the eyes large and round. The nose will be short with a gentle curve and the cat's body well-rounded with a padded look and medium-to-short legs. The head is domed at the top, and the neck very short. The broadly-spaced eyes give the Scottish Fold a "sweet expression".

Scottish Folds can be either long- or short-haired, and they may have nearly any coat color or combination of colours.

Scottish Folds, whether with folded ears or with normal ears, are typically good-natured and placid and adjust to other animals within a household extremely well. They tend to become very attached to their human caregivers and are by nature quite affectionate. Folds receive high marks for playfulness, affection, and grooming, and are often intelligent, loyal, soft spoken, and adaptable to home situations, people and children.

Folds are also known for sleeping on their backs. Scottish Folds typically have soft voices and display a complex repertoire of meows and purrs not found in better-known breeds. Folds are also known for sitting with their legs stretched out and their paws on their belly. This is called the "Buddha Position".

An early study suggest that the fold is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. A later study suggest an incomplete dominance. A cat with folded ears may have either one or two copies of the fold gene. A cat with normal ears should have two copies of the normal gene.

The typical lifespan of a Scottish Fold is 15 years.

Scottish folds are susceptible to polycystic kidney disease and cardiomyopathy.

In the 2012 novel The Bone Bed, Kay Scarpetta rescues a Scottish Fold cat from a murder victim's home. She brings her home to meet the greyhound rescued in an earlier novel. They apparently get along well.

In the 2013 video games Pokémon X and Y, there is a new Pokémon based on the breed named Espurr. Espurr appears to be based on the Scottish Fold breed due to its curled ears and lilac coloring.

In the Anime series Beyond the Boundary, the Youmu form of the Anime-exclusive character Ai Shindō is a two-tailed Scottish Fold cat.

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