A cat breed famous thanks to its folded ears and celebrity fans has been criticised by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) due to health concerns.
Cute, cartoonish appearance
Known as Scottish fold cats, the breed has a cute, cartoonish appearance, with small, folded ears that emphasise the creatures round face and round eyes. Ed Sheeran is known to have a Scottish fold cat and Taylor Swift has helped the breed gain popularity with regular social media posts featuring her cats named Benjamin Button, Meredith and Olivia. The singer and businesswoman has even had earrings made of Olivia’s face.
Commenting on the growth in the breeds popularity. Gudrun Ravetz, President of the BVA, said: “This desire to have something based on looks rather than quality of life is across many of the pets we are getting and that’s being fuelled by social media.”
What’s the problem?
Fold cats ears get their appearance from a genetic condition that affects the cat’s cartilage and can mean the animals lead shorter, painful lives. The mutation was bred into the cats after the discovery of Susie, a white barn cat with the condition in Scotland in 1961.
By 1966, the breed was being registered with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF), the UK’s pedigree cat registry, but registrations were halted in the 1970s amid fears about the creatures’ quality of life, which, it was noted, was marred by ear and hearing problems and pain. “They are cute but then you realise the health problems they have,” said Rosemary Fisher of the GCCF.
“The cartilage is deformed and it is not supporting the ears,” according to Ravetz. “These genetic mutations, which all the Scottish fold cats will have, develop into lifelong incurable and painful diseases such as a type of arthritis.”
Negative attention and impending bans
While the breed fell from grace in the UK, it made its way to the USA when three of Susie’s descendants went to a Massachusetts research centre and were then re-homed. Its popularity began growing and has now spread all over the globe. While the GCCF has maintained its stance, other cat associations and societies in Britain and abroad still register the breed.
However, as well as the surge in interest due to celebrity owners, there has been a surge in negative attention. As increasing numbers of nations legislate around animal welfare, Scotland is now considering a fold cat ban. Belgium banned the breed three years ago and recently took a breeder to court and disqualified them for two years.
