Scottish Fold is a breed of cat originated from Scotland, distinguishable by its forward-folded ears, generally rounded body, especially the head and face, very short neck, broadly-spaced eyes and medium-to-short legs. They can be either long- or short-haired, and they may have nearly any coat colour or combination of colours (including white).
Originally called lop-eared or lops after the lop-eared rabbit, Scottish Fold became the breed's name in 1966. Depending on registries, longhaired Scottish Folds are varyingly known as Highland Fold, Scottish Fold Longhair, Longhair Fold and Coupari.
All Fold cats are affected by osteochondrodysplasia, a developmental abnormality that affects cartilage and bone development throughout the body. This condition causes the ear fold in the breed and studies point to all Fold cats being affected by it. Fold cats therefore have malformed bone structures and can develop severe painful degenerative joint diseases at an early age. Due to these health conditions, breeding Fold cats is prohibited in several countries and some major cat registries do not recognise the cat breed.
