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In
1961, near the Scottish village of Coupar Angus, a shepherd named
William Ross paused to look at a white cat paying in a neighbours yard.
The cat had caught the shepherd's eye because her ears were folded
demurely downward.
William Ross and his wife Mary were cat fanciers who owned a female seal
point Siamese and sold an occasional litters of Siamese kittens.
William told Mary about the kitten that he had seen and Mary was
intrigued. William visited the neighbours, but they were unable to
provide any details about the cat's origin (her name was Susie) but they
promised that if she had any fold-ear kittens of her own the Ross' could
have one.
A year later, Susie took up with the local tom and had a litter of 2
kittens, a male and a female. Both kittens developed folded ears.
The male was neutered and given to some friends and the Ross' were given
the female. She was white, like her mother and was named Snooks.
Three months later Susie was killed on the road by a car.
Fortunately Snooks was a good and prolific mother and the Scottish Fold
was launched as a Breed.
While Snooks began producing kittens, the Ross' decided to do what they
could to promote and perpetuate fold-eared cats, they acquired a white
British Shorthair female named Lady Moy to breed to one of Snooks' sons.
They registered a cattery name with the Governing Council of the Cat
Fancy in Great Britain. They chose Denisla (pronounced
den-EYE-la).
The Ross' eventually contacted Pat Turner, a landowner with an
unyielding interest in cat breeding and genetics. Pat, after
visiting the Rosses returned home with a 1 year old male named Snowdrift
who had amber eyes and a short thick tail. Pat produced 76 kittens
over 3 years, 42 had folded ears and 34 had straight ears.
Eventually due to ill health Pat had to stop breeding. She placed
some of her Folds with people in England who wanted to work with the
breed and 2 Folds were shipped to Neil Todd (a geneticist) in
Massachusetts. Todd was studying the effects of the genetic
mutations in cats. The first Fold kittens were born in America on
30th November 1971. Todd placed the cats in the care of
Sally Wolfe Peters in Pennsylvania.
Peters founded the International Scottish Fold Association in 1974 with
the first Co-Presidents being Mary and William Ross. As a result
of this the Scottish Fold became eligible for Championship competition
in the Cat Fanciers Association of America on 1st May 1978.
Ironically the Ross' involvement with the Breed had ended by this time.
The intransigence of the British Cat Fancy and the frustration of seeing
15 years of work go unheralded in Great Britain let the Ross' to give up
these cats. Although the sacrifices of this couple went
unappreciated in their own Country, the Ross' will always be remembered
as the Patron Saints of the Scottish Fold in America.
The
Scottish Fold has evolved as a sweet tempered cat, devoted but not
demanding, bouncy on occasion, but not too boisterous, who is more
likely to charm than to challenge, displaying a sense of decorum and
self confidence
Devoted in nature, the British Shorthair is an ideal companion. They are a
placid no nonsense cat, loving and affectionate yet rarely over demanding.
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