Is this true?

Hi everybody,

I'm wondering if anyone (especially breeders) could verify this information.

There was this scottish fold kitten (well, at least that's what the sign said)that I saw in a petshop. At that particular time I was looking for a scottish fold as a pet for my niece.

However, this kitten does not have that "fold" at all and when I asked the shop owner, she claimed that our all-year-long hot weather somehow caused the ears to straightened up. She told me that to have that folded ears, scottish folds should be raised in cold climates.

Is this actually true? Or is the kitten actually a British shorthair?

I don't know anything about Scottish folds (although I assume some are born without folded ears, just as Manxes are often born with tails) but I just want to tell you to never buy a kitten or puppy at a petstore.

No reputable or caring breeder would ever consider putting their babies in a pet store!

They come from puppy/kitten mills or disreputable backyard breeders who pump out babies for profit. The breeding animals often spend their lives in misery and filth in tiny wire cages. No one should ever financially support these people or their disgusting business.

Although for the most part the above is true, about reputable breeders not associating with pet stores not all pet stores fall under this dark reputation

"According to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council it is estimated that 3,700 of the nationâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s 11,500 pet stores are involved in this activity. The shops sell 300,000 to 400,000 puppies a year."

They can have "normal" ears and still be a Scottish Fold. I did some reading on the breed when a friend got one, and apparently not all of them are born with folded ears. If I remember correctly, only one parent can be a Scottish Fold. I do not remember exactly why. They are still absolutely adorable.
Someone else here can probably give you more detailed info. I am not a breeder.

Yesterday I did some reading about folds just to satisfy my curiosity. Many articles on folds stated that folds are rare or difficult to produce (not all kitties in the same litter would have this) since only one of the parent is a fold and the other shouldn't to avoid genetic deformities. The fold of the ears will only be evident at 12 weeks of age.

However, none of these articles suggested or even mentioned that the straight ears could be caused by hot weather. If this is true, then I wonder if the ears would fold again when the cat is raised in cold weather.

Scottish fold ears run the gamut from totally straight to tightly folded and just about everywhere in between!

A previous poster was correct when they said that Scottish Fold breedings should involve one straight eared parent. If two folded ear cats are bred, there is a chance that a kitten will be homozygous (getting a folded gene from each parent) for folded ears. When this happens, the condition that usually affects only the ears, affects the entire body and cripples the cat. In show rings, you will see judges checking the flexibility of Scottish Folds' tails. They do this to make sure the cat doesn't have any trace of this stiffining bone condition.

Because a straight eared parent is used, you will get varying degrees of folding. Only tightly folded is competitive in the show ring, but the other offspring are all Scottish Fold as well!

The following subject touches a nerve with me . . .

As for purchasing cats and dogs at pet stores - in my opinion the pet stores themselves aren't the ones that are the real problem. It is the breeders that produce kittens for pet stores. Like a previous poster said **no breeder that gives a darn about the kittens they breed would ever give them to a third party to sell, where the only screening qualification for purchasing the kitten is a credit card.** If a kitten is purchased on impulse from a pet store (which most of them are) and doesn't work out in its new home, the pet store won't take it back. They are done with it from the second you give them that money. For this reason, many of these kittens wind up in shelters or in rescue.

Many pet stores don't know the *real* origin of where the kittens come from. When they say they don't purchase from kitten mills, they are telling the truth. The kittens are purchased from a *broker* like Hunte or Lambriar, who purchases them from kitten mills and resells them to pet stores around the country. Not all kitten mills are filthy - however they are all in the business of producing kittens solely for money and the cats are treated like "livestock". USDA (who breeders have to be registered with to sell to third parties and pet stores) have very minimal basic requirements for animals kept as livestock. I believe the breeding cats are permitted to live their lives in a 24" x 24" (that's inches) cage, just as long as they can get up and turn around on their own. Unfortunately, what kitten buyers don't see are these cats behind the scenes, the mother and father cats who live their lives in small cages and exist for the sole purpose of producing kittens for pet stores. When they stop producing, they are destroyed. Every time someone buys a pet store kitten thinking they are "rescuing it", another will be ordered from the broker to take its place, keeping the cycle alive.

The same goes for puppies. No reputable breeder sells to a pet store. Period. In fact, most breed club codes of ethics forbid breeders to sell through a third party.

Off my soap box - good night everyone!