WhyDoShort-HairedCatsHaveFoldedEars?It'sacommonquestionamongcatlovers:whydosomeshort-hairedcatshavefoldedears?TheanswerliesinageneticmutationthatwasfirstdiscoveredinScotlandinthe1960s.TheOriginsoft... WhyDoShort-HairedCatsHaveFoldedEars?It'sacommonquestionamongcatlovers:whydosomeshort-hairedcatshavefoldedears?TheanswerliesinageneticmutationthatwasfirstdiscoveredinScotlandinthe1960s.TheOriginsoftheScottishFoldTheScottishFoldgetsitsdistinctivefoldedearsfromaspontaneousgeneticmutationthatoccurredinawhitebarncatnamedSusiein1961.Susie'searsfoldeddownandforward,creatingauniqueappearancethatcaughttheeyeofalocalfarmer,WilliamRoss.RossadoptedSusieandbeganbreedingherwithothercats,hopingtopassonthefoldedeartrait.Bythe1970s,theScottishFoldhadbecomeapopularbreedintheUK,withtheiruniqueappearanceandgentlepersonalitieswinningovercatloversaroundthecountry.Today,ScottishFoldscanbefoundallovertheworld,withsomeestimatesputtingtheirnumbersinthemillions.TheGeneticsofFoldedEarsWhatcausesacat'searstofold?Theanswerliesinageneticmutationthataffectsthewaycartilageisformedintheear.ThegeneresponsibleforfoldedearsiscalledFd,andwhenitispresentinacat'sDNA,itaffectsthewaytheearcartilagedevelops.Normally,acat'searsarehelduprightbyafirm,triangularpieceofcartilage.IncatswiththeFdgene,thiscartilageisweakened,causingtheearstofolddownandforward.Thismutationisconsidereddominant,whichmeansthatevenifonlyoneparenthasthegene,theiroffspringhavea50%chanceofinheritingthetrait.TheProsandConsofFoldedEarsWhileScottishFoldsarebelovedbymanyfortheiruniqueappearanceanddocilepersonalities,therearesomeconcernsabouttheirhealth.BecausetheFdgeneaffectsthedevelopmentofcartilagethroughoutthebody,catswithfoldedearscanbemorepronetojointproblemsandarthritis.Inaddition,someScottishFoldsmaydevelopearinfectionsmorefrequentlyduetotheincreasedmoistureanddecreasedairflowintheirfoldedears.Despitethesepotentialhealthissues,thereisnodenyingtheappealofacatwithfoldedears.IfyouareconsideringaddingaScottishFoldtoyourfamily,itisimportanttochooseareputablebreederwhoteststheircatsfortheFdgeneandbreedsforhealthy,soundindividuals.TheBottomLineSowhydosomeshort-hairedcatshavefoldedears?Itallcomesdowntoageneticmutationthataffectsthewaycartilagedevelopsintheear.Whiletherearesomeconcernsaboutthehealthofcatswithfoldedears,ScottishFoldsremainapopularbreedwithanunmistakableappearanceandendearingpersonality.