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| Weight |
10-12 lbs. |
| Overview |
The Highland Fold is a longhaired version of the Scottish Fold. These quiet, sweet-natured, easygoing cats are most content when they are around people and dislike being alone. Although Folds prefer the company of humans, another cat will satisfy their need for companionship if nobody is at home for much of the day.
Their laid-back temperament makes them very good with children.
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| Appearance |
Folds are medium-size cats with a robust, rounded appearance. They have rounded heads, short necks, and large, round, widely spaced eyes. Kittens are born with "normal" ears, but at about two to four weeks of age, some begin to develop a noticeable bending forward of the ears; by three months of age, the fold, which varies in degree from cat to cat, is permanent, giving the cat an owlish look.
Highland Folds have coats of variable length, from medium to long; hair is longest on the ruff, leg britches (the long hair along the rear part of the back legs), and plumed tail. Both Folds come in many colors and patterns.
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| Grooming Needs |
Highland Folds should be brushed two to three times a week to prevent matting. |
| Origins |
Today's Folds trace their ancestry to Susie, a white barn cat born in Scotland in 1961 with uniquely folded ears. Susie had a litter of kittens that included a female with folded ears, which in turn produced a fold-eared male. A London breeder determined that a dominant mutant gene was responsible for the folded ears.
Longhaired kittens have appeared in Scottish Fold litters from the beginning. Susie probably produced longhaired kittens, as did her daughter Snooks. Early breeding programs in the United States paired the fold-eared imports with British and American Shorthairs.
Many British Shorthairs carry a longhair gene, which may have found expression in the new longhaired Folds. Some sources also suggest that Persians were used in the early development of this longhaired breed.
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| Other |
Some kittens born to two fold-eared parents experience a crippling skeletal abnormality called congenital osteodystrophy, a progressive stiffening and fusing of the joints that ultimately makes walking painful. |
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