The Scottish Fold cat, a unique breed originating from a spontaneous mutation in farm cats in Scotland, is characterized by its distinctive folded ears. This breed has been developed through crosses with British Shorthairs and domestic cats. The standard for this breed meticulously outlines its physical attributes, from head to body and coat, as well as a comprehensive guide to its accepted colors and patterns.
Breed Generalities
The Scottish Fold’s history traces back to a fold-eared cat named Susie, discovered by William and Mary Ross. The breed can be presented with either folded or straight ears, and in both longhair and shorthair varieties. All Scottish Fold cats can be traced back to Susie’s pedigree.
Head
The head of a Scottish Fold is well-rounded with a firm chin and jaw. It should feature prominent, rounded whisker pads and transition smoothly into a short neck. Males often exhibit prominent, jowly cheeks.
Eyes
Eyes are large, well-rounded, and set wide apart, contributing to a sweet expression. The eye color should complement the coat color. Blue and odd-eyes are permissible in all white, bi-color, and van patterns.
Nose and Profile
The nose is short with a gentle curve and a slight stop is permitted, creating a moderate profile.
Ears
Folded Ears
The defining feature, folded ears, curve forward and downward. They are small, with tightly folded ears being preferred over those with a loose fold or a larger size. The ears should be set to create a “cap-like” appearance, exposing a rounded cranium, and have rounded tips.
Straight Ears
In contrast, straight ears are medium to small with rounded tips and are set well apart, also highlighting the rounded cranium.
Body
The body is medium in size, rounded, and uniform from shoulders to the pelvic girdle. The cat should possess a well-padded physique and stand firmly. Short, coarse legs that impede mobility are considered a fault. The toes should be neat and well-rounded, with five in the front and four in the rear. Overall, the Scottish Fold should present a well-rounded appearance with moderate bone structure. Females may be slightly smaller than males.
Tail
The tail is medium to long, proportionate to the body, and should be flexible and tapering, potentially ending in a round tip. A longer, tapering tail is preferred.
Coat
Shorthair
The shorthair coat is dense, plush, and even in length, ranging from short to medium-short. It possesses a soft texture and appears full of life, standing away from the body due to its density rather than lying flat. Variations in texture may occur based on color and seasonal or regional changes.
Longhair
The longhair variety features medium-long to long hair. A full coat on the face and body is desirable, though shorter hair on the face and legs is permissible. Features like britches, tail plume, toe tufts, and ear furnishings should be clearly visible, with a ruff being a desirable trait. A cottony coat, except in kittens, is a serious fault.
Penalties and Disqualifications
A prominent brow ridge is a fault. Kinked tails, foreshortened tails, or tails lacking flexibility due to abnormally thick vertebrae are disqualifications. Splayed toes, an incorrect number of toes, any signs of illness or poor health, and a palpable nose break are also grounds for disqualification.
Colors and Patterns
Scottish Folds come in a vast array of genetically possible colors and patterns.
Solid Colors
This includes pure white with pink nose leather and paw pads, and blue, copper, or gold eyes. Black cats should have dense, coal-black fur with black nose leather and black or brown paw pads. Blue cats should be a level tone of blue, with blue nose leather and paw pads. Red cats should have a deep, rich, clear red coat with brick-red nose leather and paw pads. Cream cats are a level shade of buff cream with pink nose leather and paw pads.
Other solid colors include Chocolate (rich chestnut brown), Lilac (frosty grey with a pinkish tone), Cinnamon (light reddish-brown), and Fawn (light lavender with pale cocoa overtones). The nose leather and paw pads for these colors are specified, as is the eye color, which is typically copper or gold.
Silver and Golden Variations
Chinchilla Silver cats have a pure white undercoat with black tipping, creating a sparkling silver appearance. Shaded Silver cats have a darker effect. Chinchilla Golden and Shaded Golden variations follow similar patterns but with a golden hue. Cameo and Shaded Cameo variations (Red Chinchilla and Red Shaded) are also recognized, as are their dilute versions: Cream Chinchilla and Cream Shaded.
Smoke Colors
Smoke variations, such as Black Smoke, Blue Smoke, and others, feature a white undercoat deeply tipped with the respective color, appearing solid when at rest but revealing the white undercoat when in motion.
Tabby Patterns
The standard details four main tabby patterns: Classic, Mackerel, Spotted, and Ticked.
- Classic Tabby: Features dense, clearly defined, and broad markings, with swirls on the cheeks and an intricate “M” on the forehead.
- Mackerel Tabby: Characterized by narrow pencillings.
- Spotted Tabby: Displays round, oblong, or rosette-shaped spots.
- Ticked Tabby: Hairs are ticked with various shades, with minimal distinct spots or stripes on the body.
Patched Tabby (Torbie) combines tabby markings with patches of red and/or cream. Specific color variations within tabby patterns are also described, including Silver Tabby, Blue-Silver Tabby, Red Tabby, Brown Tabby, and their respective dilute and shaded versions. Tabby & White combinations are also accepted.
Parti-Color and Bi-Color
This category includes Tortoiseshell cats (black with patches of red), their white variations, and other combinations like Chocolate Tortoiseshell, Cinnamon Tortoiseshell, Calico (white with patches of black and red), and Dilute Calico (white with patches of blue and cream). Blue-Cream and its white variation, Lilac-Cream, and Fawn-Cream, along with their white variations, are also included. Bi-Color cats feature white with unbrindled patches of a specified color.
Pointed Patterns
These cats have a lighter body color with darker points (mask, ears, legs, tail, and feet). Examples include Seal Point, Seal Lynx Point, Chocolate Point, Blue Point, and their lynx point variations. Other pointed colors include Blue-Cream Point, Lilac Point, Flame (Red) Point, Cream Point, and Tortie Point, each with specific descriptions of body and point coloration, as well as eye color.
Scottish Fold Color Class Numbers
This section provides reference numbers for different color classes within the breed for show purposes, categorized by Longhair and Shorthair divisions, and also for Scottish Straights.
Allowable Outcross Breeds
The Scottish Fold breed standard allows outcrossing with British Shorthair and American Shorthair breeds.
