In 1961 Scottish shepherd William Ross found a white cat with unusual, closed down ears at a neighbor's farm about Coupar Angus in the Tayside Region of Scotland. Realizing the uniqueness of these cat's 'lop' ears, he took around and found that the feline was a barn cat of no particular descent. Called Suzie, the cat belonged to Ross's neighbors, the McRaes.
Ross learned that Susie's mother was a straight-eared white cat. Her father was unknown, and so it was unclear whether Susie was the 1st of her kind, or whether the closed down ears had simply never been noticed earlier. Susie's blood brother was also a Fold, just he wandered outside, never to be seen again.
Ross and Mary were enchanted by the feline and while Susie produced 2 closed down ear kitties a year later, they got one, a white beauty like her mother whom they named Snooks.
The Rosses began a breeding program and proceeded to investigate establishing a new breed by attending cat shows and talking with breeders. At this time, they called the breed 'lop-eared', after the rabbit variety.
In 1966 the Rosses started registering their cats with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and, along with other enthusiasts, started the long process of achieving acceptance for their folded friends. By the end of the decade the breed was renamed the Scottish Fold.
In the early 1970s, but, the GCCF stopped registering Folds because of concerns about ear disorders such as contagion, mites, and hearing problems. To continue in the show ring, the Scottish Fold had to give up its kilts and bagpipes and move to America.
Folds were first introduced to the United States in 1970 when three of Snook's kittens were sent to Dr. Neil Todd at the Carnivore Genetics Research Center in Massachusetts, who was researching spontaneous mutations. He eventually abandoned his research, but located homes for his Folds. One of his cats found his way to Salle Wolfe Peters in Pennsylvania, who is chiefly responsible for developing the breed in the United States. Other Folds were later imported to the United States. All genuine Scottish Folds can be traced back to Susie's line.
The Scottish Fold was accepted for CFA registration in 1973; in 1978 it received Championship status. In an amazingly short period, the Fold earned acceptance in all the cat associations and a place in the U.S. cat fancy's top ten most popular breeds.
The long haired version of the breed was not officially recognized until the mid-1980s, although longhair kittens have been cropping up in the Scottish Fold litters since the genesis of the breed. Susie may have carried the long hair gene, being a barn cat of uncertain origin. The use of Persians in early crosses also helped to establish the longhair gene. CFA, CCA, ACFA, NCFA, ACA, CFF, AACE, UFO, and TICA have accepted the Scottish Fold Longhair for Championship.
The Scottish Fold Longhair is known by four different monikers, depending on the association and area you live in. ACFA, AACE, and UFO refer to the breed as the Highland Fold. TICA, NCFA, ACA, CCA, and CFA call the breed the Scottish Fold Longhair, and CFF refers to the breed as the Longhair Fold. Canadian breeders also call them the Coupari.
Ross learned that Susie's mother was a straight-eared white cat. Her father was unknown, and so it was unclear whether Susie was the 1st of her kind, or whether the closed down ears had simply never been noticed earlier. Susie's blood brother was also a Fold, just he wandered outside, never to be seen again.
Ross and Mary were enchanted by the feline and while Susie produced 2 closed down ear kitties a year later, they got one, a white beauty like her mother whom they named Snooks.
The Rosses began a breeding program and proceeded to investigate establishing a new breed by attending cat shows and talking with breeders. At this time, they called the breed 'lop-eared', after the rabbit variety.
In 1966 the Rosses started registering their cats with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and, along with other enthusiasts, started the long process of achieving acceptance for their folded friends. By the end of the decade the breed was renamed the Scottish Fold.
In the early 1970s, but, the GCCF stopped registering Folds because of concerns about ear disorders such as contagion, mites, and hearing problems. To continue in the show ring, the Scottish Fold had to give up its kilts and bagpipes and move to America.
Folds were first introduced to the United States in 1970 when three of Snook's kittens were sent to Dr. Neil Todd at the Carnivore Genetics Research Center in Massachusetts, who was researching spontaneous mutations. He eventually abandoned his research, but located homes for his Folds. One of his cats found his way to Salle Wolfe Peters in Pennsylvania, who is chiefly responsible for developing the breed in the United States. Other Folds were later imported to the United States. All genuine Scottish Folds can be traced back to Susie's line.
The Scottish Fold was accepted for CFA registration in 1973; in 1978 it received Championship status. In an amazingly short period, the Fold earned acceptance in all the cat associations and a place in the U.S. cat fancy's top ten most popular breeds.
The long haired version of the breed was not officially recognized until the mid-1980s, although longhair kittens have been cropping up in the Scottish Fold litters since the genesis of the breed. Susie may have carried the long hair gene, being a barn cat of uncertain origin. The use of Persians in early crosses also helped to establish the longhair gene. CFA, CCA, ACFA, NCFA, ACA, CFF, AACE, UFO, and TICA have accepted the Scottish Fold Longhair for Championship.
The Scottish Fold Longhair is known by four different monikers, depending on the association and area you live in. ACFA, AACE, and UFO refer to the breed as the Highland Fold. TICA, NCFA, ACA, CCA, and CFA call the breed the Scottish Fold Longhair, and CFF refers to the breed as the Longhair Fold. Canadian breeders also call them the Coupari.
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