Scottish Fold Cats:
Inheritance and Breeding
By Peter Berry
History and Traits
• Scottish fold cats
have folded ears
• Started with a cat on
a farm in Scotland in
the early 1960’s due
to a spontaneous
mutation
• Can be any color
• Can be short or long
haired
Copyright©2000 TheCatSite.com
Inheritance
• Folded ears is a
dominant trait: one
copy of the gene
results in folded ears
• F=fold
• f =upright
• FF or Ff = fold
• Ff = upright
© Mark MCullough
Theoretical Breeding
• To get all cats with folded ears, breed folded to
folded
F
F
FF FF
F
F FF FF
All Folded
F
F
F FF FF
f Ff
Ff
All Folded
F
f
F FF Ff
f Ff
ff
3 Folded: 1 Upright
Problem
• Double Dominant
(FF) cats develop
joint disease!
© Microsoft Clip Art
How to breed Scottish fold cats
without joint disease
X
© Chanan
© Ego Prints
Ff
ff
F
f Ff
f Ff
f
ff
ff
1 Folded (Ff) : 1 Upright (ff)
NO FF
References
• I. Edward Alcamo, Ph.D. (2002). Modern Biology,Annotated
Teacher’s Edition . Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston.
• Danielsen, L. (1995-2000). Scottish Fold: Cat Breed FAQ. Retrieved
8/22/02, Cat Fanciers Web site: http://www.fanciers.com/breedfaqs/scottish-fold-faq.html
• The Cat Site [no author]. (2000). The Scottish Fold Cat. Retrieved
8/22/02, from http://www.thecatsite.com/breeds/scot.html
• Kitty Angell (7/18/02) CFA Breed Profile: Scottish Fold. Retrieved
8/27/02, Cat Fanciers Association Web Site:
http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/scottish.html
• CFA's Top Cats [no author]. Retrieved 8/27/02, Cat Fanciers
Association Web Site: http://www.cfainc.org/awards/top-cats.html