Scottish Folds / Straights

[andrya]

l just heard that TICA is allowing the straight eared brothers of Scottish Folds to be shown as a Championship breed as of May 1st 2014.

Although the breed as a whole is controversial, l'm happy with this decision as l think it can only lead to better (back-yard) breeding practices that prevail to "achieve" fold-eared kittens.

 

[denice]

Aren't Scottish Folds the same deal as the Manx, they need the straight eared kitties in a breeding program to keep the cats healthy?

 

[andrya]

Some people do use Scottish Straights in their programs. l specifically looked for a breeder who outcrosses to BSH. There is a small chance that the ears of a true Fold can unfold to the point that it looks like a Straight. Some breeders will do a test litter with their Straight and a BSH to make sure there are no Folds born. l think that is quite rare though as l still hear stories of both BYB and well-known "reputable" breeders breeding Fold on Fold to make more money. Now that both Straights and Folds can be shown, it raises the value of the Straights and might diminish the greed leading to F x F breeding.

 

[GoldyCat]

I was under the impression that a fold x fold breeding would not produce viable kittens.

 

[andrya]

l know a lady whose cat is almost crippled, and he's quite young. His legs are bent in what (online, other forum) people seem to think is "normal" for Folds. My cat doesn't have bent legs, and his feet aren't splayed. The lady in question bought her kitty from a very reputable breeder (according to this group of people). The owner says the breeder was breeding F x F at the end before shutting down her cattery, and her cat is a product thereof. Others defended the breeder saying it happens all the time. So l guess the offspring are all Folds, but are riddled with the defects that make them so controversial at a very young age. 

 

[denice]

I really don't know much about it beyond what I stumble across when reading on the internet.  What I read was that the folded ears was actually part of a skull defect and breeding two cats with folded ears could produce kittens that have the full defect.  That's why I thought it was like the Manx, breeders were controlling what is actually a defect.

 

[northernglow]

I was under the impression that a fold x fold breeding would not produce viable kittens.

Homozygous fold gene isn't lethal, Manx & Munchkin are. Instead of being lethal, it gives the kittens a high risk of developing osteochondrodysplasia.