Scottish Folds, and British Shorthair, Cats and Kittens:
Scottish Fold Cats and Kittens - Calico, Tabby, Torties in seven different color combinations. TICA and CFA Registered. Longhair and Shorthair
British Shorthair Cats and Kittens - Blue, Cream, Torties, Solids. TICA Registered only
Maine Folds Cattery Inc. Est 2006; we are a small cattery located in Gilroy, CA just below San Jose in the Monterey Bay Peninsula. We started showing our first pedigreed cat
"Milky Way" in 2006 whom we obtained from Cats of Oz. Lori, the owner of Cats of Oz introduced us into the world of cat shows and we have been hooked ever since. Two years
ago after showing, being involved in The International Cat Associations Junior Exhibitor program with our daughter, becoming our regions liaisons for the program, mentors for
our 4-H cat project, and becoming a show ring clerk, we decided to start breeding the Scottish Folds, British Shorthairs, and now the Selkirk Rex
We obtained our first Champion Cat a British Shorthair from Brit Beauts Cattery, a solid dark blue male with the most stunning, amazing deep copper eyes to die for, and a coat
OMG, it feels like velvet. "SGC, LA, IW, RW, Blue Moon" is now 3 1/2. And we were in search for the perfect queen. We obtained our Champion queen "Chantilly Lace" from
Purrceptive Cattery in 2008. A blue-lavender cream tortie. She produced her first litter of kittens August 31, 2009.
After obtaining our British Shorthair couple we went in search for our Scottish Fold queen. We went back to our friend at Cats of Oz and now have obtained two beautiful queens,
Lady MacKenzie and Whitney. MacKenzie delivered her first litter on 9/28/2010. We are hoping to have our next litter with Whitney when she cycles again.
Scottish Fold Cats and Kittens - Calico, Tabby, Torties in seven different color combinations. TICA and CFA Registered. Longhair and Shorthair
British Shorthair Cats and Kittens - Blue, Cream, Torties, Solids. TICA Registered only
Maine Folds Cattery Inc. Est 2006; we are a small cattery located in Gilroy, CA just below San Jose in the Monterey Bay Peninsula. We started showing our first pedigreed cat
"Milky Way" in 2006 whom we obtained from Cats of Oz. Lori, the owner of Cats of Oz introduced us into the world of cat shows and we have been hooked ever since. Two years
ago after showing, being involved in The International Cat Associations Junior Exhibitor program with our daughter, becoming our regions liaisons for the program, mentors for
our 4-H cat project, and becoming a show ring clerk, we decided to start breeding the Scottish Folds, British Shorthairs, and now the Selkirk Rex
We obtained our first Champion Cat a British Shorthair from Brit Beauts Cattery, a solid dark blue male with the most stunning, amazing deep copper eyes to die for, and a coat
OMG, it feels like velvet. "SGC, LA, IW, RW, Blue Moon" is now 3 1/2. And we were in search for the perfect queen. We obtained our Champion queen "Chantilly Lace" from
Purrceptive Cattery in 2008. A blue-lavender cream tortie. She produced her first litter of kittens August 31, 2009.
After obtaining our British Shorthair couple we went in search for our Scottish Fold queen. We went back to our friend at Cats of Oz and now have obtained two beautiful queens,
Lady MacKenzie and Whitney. MacKenzie delivered her first litter on 9/28/2010. We are hoping to have our next litter with Whitney when she cycles again.
| Maine Folds Cattery mainefolds1@yahoo.com (408) 337-5156 |
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| Scottish Fold History |
| British Shorthair History |
All photographs contained on this web site are the sole property of Keith, April, and Ashleigh Croce owners of Maine Folds Cattery, Maine Folds Cattery Inc. No reproduction of any material/information contained in this web site is
allowed unless written permission is granted by all three owners of Maine Folds Cattery, Maine Folds Cattery Inc. Maine Folds Cattery, Maine Folds Cattery Inc. , has the right to ask and obtain any information released to another party
returned.
allowed unless written permission is granted by all three owners of Maine Folds Cattery, Maine Folds Cattery Inc. Maine Folds Cattery, Maine Folds Cattery Inc. , has the right to ask and obtain any information released to another party
returned.
We hope to be obtaining another British Shorthair queen in 2011 (Blue & White or White) by our friend in TX (HMS Brits) or by TGFC Cattery in Sacramento
We specialize in beautiful and loving Scottish Folds and British Shorthairs. The reason we are able to raise these three breeds together is that our male British Shorthair is the sire for the three breeds of
cats. Confused?!?! Let me explain...a British Shorthair male can be breed with a folded eared Scottish Fold queen and the litter is still considered Scottish Folds. Our three Scottish Fold sisters have 9
British Shorthairs within 3 generations. The Scottish Fold is currently one breed of cat that can have two out-crossings which is accepted in all cat associations. Both the British Shorthair and the American
Shorthairs can be crossed with the Scottish Fold. The crossing is done by professional and conscientious breeders like ourselves because of the defect that the Scottish Fold breed has. If you cross two
folded eared Scottish Folds together you will have a litter that will have heart/gut wrenching abnormalities very similar to the effects of rheumatoid arthritis; locked joints, stiff tail, fused neck, etc, and
eventually not be able to walk or take care of itself.
We spoil our kittens rotten, letting them run underfoot and allow to get into everything (within reason) and expect their new owners to do the same. The kittens are trained starting at eight weeks to be show
cats if they have the correct breed profile. We also harness and leash train our kittens at the early age of 12 weeks. Our kittens and adult cats are very loving, friendly, and outgoing each having a personality
of their own and are trained and played with accordingly.
We offer a health guarantee against birth defects and screen for FLIV, PKD (polycystic kidney disease). Our adults are checked for HCM. We keep our cattery small , this keeps our kittens and cats very
healthy and less stressed. We give our cats and kittens the best diet possible, and it shows in the show rings. We feed raw chicken and beef, wet and dry foods from Royal Canin, Avoderm, Wilderness &
Evoderm.
We strive to obtain the best, to breed the best, to produce the best, for you our clients. We are always just a phone call away for our family of friends who have obtained our kittens. We hope our friends will
keep in contact with us, telling us how their new family member is doing and with pictures, and possibly come back to obtain another of our cats.
The foundation of today’s Scottish Fold is a barn cat named Susie, a unique folded-ear white feline found in 1961 on the McRae farm near Coupar Angus in the Tayside region
of Scotland. All Scottish Folds can trace their pedigrees back to Susie. British Shorthair breeder William Ross noticed the unique cat, and he and his wife, Mary, fell in love with
her. They also recognized her potential as a new breed. Ross asked the McRaes about the cat, and was promised a kitten from Susie’s first litter. Susie’s mother was a straight-
eared white cat and her father was unknown, so it’s unclear whether this litter was the first of its kind or whether the folded ears had simply never been noticed before. One of
Susie’s brothers was also a Fold, but he wandered away, never to be seen again.
In 1963, the Rosses were given one of Suzie’s folded-ear kittens, a white female like her mother, whom they named Snooks. With the help of British geneticist Peter Dyte, the
Rosses started a breeding program using British Shorthairs and random-bred domestic cats as outcrosses. They quickly found that the Fold gene was dominant. Originally they
called the breed Lops after the lop-ear type of rabbit. In 1966, the name was changed to Scottish Fold. The same year, the Rosses registered the breed with the GCCF.
At first, a number of breeders and fanciers were fascinated by this new breed, but soon GCCF became concerned about potential health problems. At first they worried about
ear mite infestations and deafness, but these concerns were unfounded. However, GCCF soon became worried about genetic problems, which were very real concerns. By
1971, GCCF closed registration to Scottish Folds and banned further registration in the United Kingdom.
Folds had to move to America to continue as a breed. They were first introduced to the United States in 1970 when three of Snooks’ daughters were sent to New England
geneticist Neil Todd, who was researching spontaneous mutations in cats at the Carnivore Genetics Research Center in Newtownville, Massachusetts. Manx breeder Salle Wolf
Peters of Pennsylvania acquired one of the cats, a daughter of Snooks named Hester. She was the first of many breeders to fall in love with the Fold, and she was instrumental
in recruiting other breeders and advancing and developing the breed.
Since the gene governing the Scottish Fold’s ears is dominant, all Scottish Folds must have at least one folded-ear parent to have folded ears themselves. It was quickly
discovered that breeding two Folds increased the number of Fold kittens, but also greatly increased the chances of serious skeletal problems related to the Fold gene.
Homozygous Folds (Folds who inherit the dominant folded-ear gene from both parents) are much more likely to develop a genetic condition that causes crippling distortion and
enlargement of the bones. Not breeding Fold to Fold reduces the problem, and responsible breeders became very careful not to breed Fold to Fold and to use outcrosses to
widen the gene pool. However, controversy arose because of the defect. "Why breed cats who might develop serious health problems?", some fanciers asked.
Despite the controversy, the Scottish Fold was accepted for registration by TICA in 1973 and CFA in 1974. In 1977 the breed was granted provisional status, and in 1977 the
breed achieved TICA championship status and in 1978 with CFA. In this amazingly short period (for a new breed), the Fold earned itself a place in the North American cat fancy.
Soon most other associations accepted the breed as well.
The longhaired version of the breed was not officially recognized until the mid-1980s, although longhair kittens have been appearing in Scottish Fold litters since the breed’s
beginning. Suzie may have carried the recessive longhair gene. The use of Persians in early breeding programs also spread the gene for long hair. In 1993, the longhaired
Scottish Fold was recognized for CFA championship. Today, all North American cat associations accept both lengths for championship. However, the longhair’s name varies
depending upon the association. Like some breeds with two hair lengths, the Scottish Fold is considered a single breed in CFA, CCA and TICA. Other associations consider
them separate breeds; AACE, ACFA, and UFO call the longhair the Highland Fold, while CFF calls it the Longhair Fold.
of Scotland. All Scottish Folds can trace their pedigrees back to Susie. British Shorthair breeder William Ross noticed the unique cat, and he and his wife, Mary, fell in love with
her. They also recognized her potential as a new breed. Ross asked the McRaes about the cat, and was promised a kitten from Susie’s first litter. Susie’s mother was a straight-
eared white cat and her father was unknown, so it’s unclear whether this litter was the first of its kind or whether the folded ears had simply never been noticed before. One of
Susie’s brothers was also a Fold, but he wandered away, never to be seen again.
In 1963, the Rosses were given one of Suzie’s folded-ear kittens, a white female like her mother, whom they named Snooks. With the help of British geneticist Peter Dyte, the
Rosses started a breeding program using British Shorthairs and random-bred domestic cats as outcrosses. They quickly found that the Fold gene was dominant. Originally they
called the breed Lops after the lop-ear type of rabbit. In 1966, the name was changed to Scottish Fold. The same year, the Rosses registered the breed with the GCCF.
At first, a number of breeders and fanciers were fascinated by this new breed, but soon GCCF became concerned about potential health problems. At first they worried about
ear mite infestations and deafness, but these concerns were unfounded. However, GCCF soon became worried about genetic problems, which were very real concerns. By
1971, GCCF closed registration to Scottish Folds and banned further registration in the United Kingdom.
Folds had to move to America to continue as a breed. They were first introduced to the United States in 1970 when three of Snooks’ daughters were sent to New England
geneticist Neil Todd, who was researching spontaneous mutations in cats at the Carnivore Genetics Research Center in Newtownville, Massachusetts. Manx breeder Salle Wolf
Peters of Pennsylvania acquired one of the cats, a daughter of Snooks named Hester. She was the first of many breeders to fall in love with the Fold, and she was instrumental
in recruiting other breeders and advancing and developing the breed.
Since the gene governing the Scottish Fold’s ears is dominant, all Scottish Folds must have at least one folded-ear parent to have folded ears themselves. It was quickly
discovered that breeding two Folds increased the number of Fold kittens, but also greatly increased the chances of serious skeletal problems related to the Fold gene.
Homozygous Folds (Folds who inherit the dominant folded-ear gene from both parents) are much more likely to develop a genetic condition that causes crippling distortion and
enlargement of the bones. Not breeding Fold to Fold reduces the problem, and responsible breeders became very careful not to breed Fold to Fold and to use outcrosses to
widen the gene pool. However, controversy arose because of the defect. "Why breed cats who might develop serious health problems?", some fanciers asked.
Despite the controversy, the Scottish Fold was accepted for registration by TICA in 1973 and CFA in 1974. In 1977 the breed was granted provisional status, and in 1977 the
breed achieved TICA championship status and in 1978 with CFA. In this amazingly short period (for a new breed), the Fold earned itself a place in the North American cat fancy.
Soon most other associations accepted the breed as well.
The longhaired version of the breed was not officially recognized until the mid-1980s, although longhair kittens have been appearing in Scottish Fold litters since the breed’s
beginning. Suzie may have carried the recessive longhair gene. The use of Persians in early breeding programs also spread the gene for long hair. In 1993, the longhaired
Scottish Fold was recognized for CFA championship. Today, all North American cat associations accept both lengths for championship. However, the longhair’s name varies
depending upon the association. Like some breeds with two hair lengths, the Scottish Fold is considered a single breed in CFA, CCA and TICA. Other associations consider
them separate breeds; AACE, ACFA, and UFO call the longhair the Highland Fold, while CFF calls it the Longhair Fold.
The history of the British Shorthair occupies a substantial part of the history of Great Britain, in fact from about 200 AD to
the present. The American Shorthair originates from the British Shorthair and has the same distinction in relation to the
United States.
With the Persian and Siamese, the British Shorthair is a founding member of the cat fancy. This is a distinguished cat,
whose reputation is enhanced by the fact that the appearance has barely changed over almost two thousand years. This
cat breed has not be subject of any passing cat fancy fashions (almost). But it has been a bumpy ride.
It is thought that the history of the British Shorthair starts with the importation of cats from Egypt by Romans who invaded
and settled in Great Britain. At that time the domestic cat's role was as a mouser.
Between about AD 200 and the beginning of the cat fancy in the late 1800s the British Shorthair was a semi-feral cat or
domestic cat evolving naturally within a large gene pool. New settlers to Britain might have brought their cats, which
widened the gene pool.
Before the late 1800s there was neither a cat fancy nor the concept of purebred cats and cat shows. There were just
domestic cats as companions to people. Today for the vast majority of people that is still the case. About 98% of cats are
not purebred cats.
The British Shorthair has made the transition from a domestic shorthair cat living in Britain to the British Shorthair cat
seamlessly to outsiders but as mentioned the road was not untroubled.
the present. The American Shorthair originates from the British Shorthair and has the same distinction in relation to the
United States.
With the Persian and Siamese, the British Shorthair is a founding member of the cat fancy. This is a distinguished cat,
whose reputation is enhanced by the fact that the appearance has barely changed over almost two thousand years. This
cat breed has not be subject of any passing cat fancy fashions (almost). But it has been a bumpy ride.
It is thought that the history of the British Shorthair starts with the importation of cats from Egypt by Romans who invaded
and settled in Great Britain. At that time the domestic cat's role was as a mouser.
Between about AD 200 and the beginning of the cat fancy in the late 1800s the British Shorthair was a semi-feral cat or
domestic cat evolving naturally within a large gene pool. New settlers to Britain might have brought their cats, which
widened the gene pool.
Before the late 1800s there was neither a cat fancy nor the concept of purebred cats and cat shows. There were just
domestic cats as companions to people. Today for the vast majority of people that is still the case. About 98% of cats are
not purebred cats.
The British Shorthair has made the transition from a domestic shorthair cat living in Britain to the British Shorthair cat
seamlessly to outsiders but as mentioned the road was not untroubled.
It could be argued that the cat fancy started with the first cat show at The Crystal Palace in London on 13th July 1871 (see a short post on the opening of the Crystal Palace).
This was an all breed cat show in a very grand setting. The Crystal Palace had opened some 20 years before as a major exhibition center. It was made of glass and steel. The
show was organized by Harrison Weir an animal fancier and natural history artist who in fact judged poultry. He kept a blue tabby British Shorthair cat called "The Old Lady". The
old Lady, aged 14, won best of color class at the Crystal Palace show. The show was very popular. Mr Weir was a judge at the show and is considered the founder of the cat
fancy. As a point of interest, Mr Weir built a large house in Kent, England, called "Weirleigh" in 1866. It still stands and was occupied by the famous war poet Siegfried Sassoon.
It was valued at £800k at 2004.
At the turn of the century (1900) Mr Weir felt that cats imported from the East (Persians) were damaging the British Shorthair cat. This is a reference I believe to the crossing of
the natural and at that time "pure" Brit SH with Persians to make them more cobby (and therefore more attractive or outstanding). Perhaps this is one of the first examples of a
"refinement" of a breed through selective breeding.
The problem was that the good old ubiquitous British Shorthair was too much of an average looking cat. If people had a cat it was in effect a British Shorthair or an English cat.
Although of course not a purebred or pedigree cat. But the show cat looked like the non-show cat and that was an unsatisfactory state of affairs for cat breeders.
The Persians and the Siamese were in favor because they were rare and I suppose more exotic having come from the far East. In the early 1900s Siam (now Thailand) was a
long way away as there was no aviation industry. The concept of flight had only just been invented on 17th December 1903 by the Wright brothers. Travel would have been a
slow journey by train and ship. Few people would have traveled abroad.
Interestingly, around 1900 the ideal coat pattern would have been a spotted one. This resembles the feral cats of Egypt, the feral Eygptian Maus. I wonder if there is a
connection here with cats the Romans brought over from Egypt. Where the English cats in the middle ages spotted and more slender?
This was an all breed cat show in a very grand setting. The Crystal Palace had opened some 20 years before as a major exhibition center. It was made of glass and steel. The
show was organized by Harrison Weir an animal fancier and natural history artist who in fact judged poultry. He kept a blue tabby British Shorthair cat called "The Old Lady". The
old Lady, aged 14, won best of color class at the Crystal Palace show. The show was very popular. Mr Weir was a judge at the show and is considered the founder of the cat
fancy. As a point of interest, Mr Weir built a large house in Kent, England, called "Weirleigh" in 1866. It still stands and was occupied by the famous war poet Siegfried Sassoon.
It was valued at £800k at 2004.
At the turn of the century (1900) Mr Weir felt that cats imported from the East (Persians) were damaging the British Shorthair cat. This is a reference I believe to the crossing of
the natural and at that time "pure" Brit SH with Persians to make them more cobby (and therefore more attractive or outstanding). Perhaps this is one of the first examples of a
"refinement" of a breed through selective breeding.
The problem was that the good old ubiquitous British Shorthair was too much of an average looking cat. If people had a cat it was in effect a British Shorthair or an English cat.
Although of course not a purebred or pedigree cat. But the show cat looked like the non-show cat and that was an unsatisfactory state of affairs for cat breeders.
The Persians and the Siamese were in favor because they were rare and I suppose more exotic having come from the far East. In the early 1900s Siam (now Thailand) was a
long way away as there was no aviation industry. The concept of flight had only just been invented on 17th December 1903 by the Wright brothers. Travel would have been a
slow journey by train and ship. Few people would have traveled abroad.
Interestingly, around 1900 the ideal coat pattern would have been a spotted one. This resembles the feral cats of Egypt, the feral Eygptian Maus. I wonder if there is a
connection here with cats the Romans brought over from Egypt. Where the English cats in the middle ages spotted and more slender?
In around 1900, Mr Weir apparently wasn't appreciative of the longhaired cats becoming more popular than the British Shorthair. After all he had a personal preference for them.
Apparently he also felt that the leg length was being bred too short. This would seem to be a result of the first breed standard, which was introduced to promote the breed
against the popularity of the Persian. The breed standard included a reference to a conformation that was similar to the sturdy looking Persian. This perhaps resulted in cat
breeders crossing the British Shorthair with Persians. The objective was a cat with a plush dense coat and a sturdy appearance. Crossing with the Persian also took place after
the world wars (see below). This policy was of debatable benefit to the cat breed in the long term.
The breed standard also required the Brits of the time to have self (solid) blue (diluted black), black and white. Tabbies had to be black, red and silver. Then there were the
tortoiseshells, tabby and white and tortie and white. The Brit had a framework upon which to compete.
British Shorthairs were exported to Scandinavia and continental Europe. The breeding in these countries took a slightly different course with no outcrossing with the Persian.
This difference was recognized in a different name in the early 1980s, the European Shorthair. The first Brit SH was exported to the United States early on in the cat fancy, in
about 1910. The development of the breed in the United States appears to have been similar to that in the UK. At least the cats look very similar. The European Shorthair is less
cobby and more like the original English domestic cat that the Brit SH once was. (see an article comparing the three breeds, the American, British and European SHs).
The popularity of this cat gained ground, backed up no doubt, by the desire of the British cat fancy to see their native cat do well. This takes us to the two world wars. I guess
war is not a time to be involved in the cat fancy and the history of the British Shorthair cat took a turn for the worse and cat quality declined. Outcrossing to Persians took place
after WWI and the GCCF declared that only third generation offspring of BSH/Persian matings could be shown. This was a set back as was WWII, which reduced the numbers of
cat association registered cats to a very low level.
After WWII cat breeders outcrossed to domestic cats, Persians, Russian Blue, Chartreux and Burmese and others. This breeding (was it a policy or just ad hoc breeding that was
unregulated?) caused more problems but helped to save the BSH and cat breeds such as the Chartreux, also badly effected by WWII.
The influences of the outcrosses in changing the appearance of the British Shorthair had to be dealt with to bring this cat back to the way she previously looked. Cat breeders
successfully brought the British Shorthair cat back to the original appearance albeit looking more cobby. It is a little sad that the original genetic make up could not have been
retained during the 20th century.
Apparently he also felt that the leg length was being bred too short. This would seem to be a result of the first breed standard, which was introduced to promote the breed
against the popularity of the Persian. The breed standard included a reference to a conformation that was similar to the sturdy looking Persian. This perhaps resulted in cat
breeders crossing the British Shorthair with Persians. The objective was a cat with a plush dense coat and a sturdy appearance. Crossing with the Persian also took place after
the world wars (see below). This policy was of debatable benefit to the cat breed in the long term.
The breed standard also required the Brits of the time to have self (solid) blue (diluted black), black and white. Tabbies had to be black, red and silver. Then there were the
tortoiseshells, tabby and white and tortie and white. The Brit had a framework upon which to compete.
British Shorthairs were exported to Scandinavia and continental Europe. The breeding in these countries took a slightly different course with no outcrossing with the Persian.
This difference was recognized in a different name in the early 1980s, the European Shorthair. The first Brit SH was exported to the United States early on in the cat fancy, in
about 1910. The development of the breed in the United States appears to have been similar to that in the UK. At least the cats look very similar. The European Shorthair is less
cobby and more like the original English domestic cat that the Brit SH once was. (see an article comparing the three breeds, the American, British and European SHs).
The popularity of this cat gained ground, backed up no doubt, by the desire of the British cat fancy to see their native cat do well. This takes us to the two world wars. I guess
war is not a time to be involved in the cat fancy and the history of the British Shorthair cat took a turn for the worse and cat quality declined. Outcrossing to Persians took place
after WWI and the GCCF declared that only third generation offspring of BSH/Persian matings could be shown. This was a set back as was WWII, which reduced the numbers of
cat association registered cats to a very low level.
After WWII cat breeders outcrossed to domestic cats, Persians, Russian Blue, Chartreux and Burmese and others. This breeding (was it a policy or just ad hoc breeding that was
unregulated?) caused more problems but helped to save the BSH and cat breeds such as the Chartreux, also badly effected by WWII.
The influences of the outcrosses in changing the appearance of the British Shorthair had to be dealt with to bring this cat back to the way she previously looked. Cat breeders
successfully brought the British Shorthair cat back to the original appearance albeit looking more cobby. It is a little sad that the original genetic make up could not have been
retained during the 20th century.
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