Hello!

Hi! I'm new - to this great site, but not to this type of board, and certainly not new to cats!

I breed and show Scottish Folds and British Shorthairs, but I love all cats, whatever their size, shape, colour or origin.

My dream: to have a huge house and grounds, and be able to take in all the homeless cats and kittens in the area, feed, care for and love them, have them vaccinated and spayed/neutered, and find them all loving homes - except for those I couldn't bear to part with!

Looking forward to many happy hours browsing here, and getting to know other cat-lovers wherever they are.

My little Shani wants to say hello to everybody:

Thank you, krazy kat and debra One of these days, I'm actually going to buy a lottery ticket! You never know...

Esmeralda

Thank you Heidi! My kittens are already spoilt by having loads of cyber godparents on the other site (not a cat one where I'm a moderator) but no kitten can ever have too many well-wishers and adopted aunts and uncles!

If you'd like to see this year's other kittens so far, you can find Katie L., Antony-Bagpuss, Cinnamindy, York Harper, Teigh Tathal and Tora Chan here:

http://photos.yahoo.com/esmeralda9ch

in the first album - as well as most of my other cats past and present. Two new kittens were born last Monday, a Blue boy and a Cream-Tabby girl; the boy is Robert, but the girl hasn't been named yet. There's a waiting list, so I'm going to have to put names into a hat, so none of the prospective godmothers get jealous! Fortunately, my Shalimar (Black-Silver-Torbie-Classic Fold) is also expecting kittens soon)!

Nokros - good to see you here as well!

Esme

Hi again, Heidi! Well, you know how people love to hold forth when they have a passion, so I'm very happy to answer your question!

Scottish Fold kittens are born looking just like baby British: you have to wait three to four weeks for those little ears either to fold snugly down into a little cap, or, sadly, to pop straight up like those of any "normal" cat.

The thing is, the Fold gene being a semi-dominant, it only needs one parent to be a Fold for the gene to be transmitted; but even then, you are not sure of getting Folds. On average, about 50% of the kittens have folded ears - and I mean averaging all the litters, over several years. Sometimes you might be extraordinary lucky, and get a litter of 5, all Folds: or they could all be straight-eared!

Because no clubs nowadays allow Fold-to-Fold breeding (due to fears of osteodystrophy), Folds are mated to straight-eared cats, the preferrred partner being a British Shorthair or a Scottish Straight-ear. But that's a whole other story! I won't go into it here, because it would take too long, but if anyone wants to ask more questions about Folds, I'll be happy to oblige, any time.

Esme

LOL Nekros! I'm guessing that you mean Jaxom, Sebell and Silvina? And possibly Bilbo Baggins!

Esme

Thank you, Kelly, nice to meet you too. Yes, I love breeding, studying genetics and pedigrees - but most especially seeing those perfect little creatures come into the world, caring for them and their mother, watching them grow, develop, learn.... and capture all hearts!

Yes, that's the only thing about breeding that I never get used to. I cry every time one of my babies leaves home - though I know she/he will be loved and happy. I make very sure of that before I let one of them go! I would like to keep them all, of course, but that's obviosly not possible.

If you want to make a contribution to the health and develoment of your breed, you have to breed yourself. That takes a lot of hard work and study, but it is , oh, so worth it! It's painful to say goodbye to the babies you've nurtured for three or four months - but if we never let them go, how would other people have the joy of taking them into their homes and their hearts?

I will be forever grateful to the breeder who let me buy my first Scottish Fold - my adored Cobber, who will be 9 next month, and who is not only a European Grand Champion and Distinguished Merit. He's my darling, and my mother's - and we hope to have the privilege of his company for many, many years to come.

Esme

Debby, there are probably more Scottish Folds in the US nowadays than anywhere else. When the British GCCF banned them (for spurious reasons), they "emigrated" to the States, and as a breed, really took off there. Have a look at the CFA website (sorry, I don't have the link), and I'm sure you'll find many pictures and articles about Scottish Folds through that.

The good news is, that although there has been some hysteria in recent years (Germany, among others, wanting to ban the breeding of Folds, Manx, Siamese, Persians, white cats of all breeds etc), people are slowly coming round to a more reasonable attitude. Breeders and clubs are getting together, sending X-rays and vet reports etc; International judges, seeing new breeds in other countries, are supporting the recognition of several of them - and now, even FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline) is holding recognition shows for, among others, the Scottish Fold.

There is hope, therefore, that our lovely Scottish "teddy-bears" will soon once more be able to return from "exile", as well as thriving in the great country that gave them encouragement and welcome - and allowed them to survive and develop as a breed!

Hooray for the US!

Esme

Bodlover, I'm afraid I was a bit too succinct and have misled you. They were only banned as show cats, by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, as "they can't breed like to like". At that time, the GCCF was the authority in the British Cat Fancy. Since then, the Cat Association of Britain was formed (affiliated to FIFe) and they decided to allow Scottish Fold Shorthairs to compete up to Championship standard, but no further. Longhaired SFs could become CA Medallists (the title of my Fairisle's sire), and the straight-eared Scottish were not recognised at all, except for breeding purposes.

Fortunately, a few dedicated breeders went on producing them all the same, notably Janet Green in Yorkshire (International FIFe judge, well-known breeder of Persians and British SHs). I was lucky enough to get two cats from her: my Founder queen, Fairisle (straight-ear), who is now an International Grand Champion and Distinguished Merit, and who was Best Breeding Queen in our club in 1997. Her daughter Beatrice won the same distinction in 2000. From Yorkshire I also got my lovely Blue/White Scottish Fold Van, ShakespEARean Sonnet, now "retired".

As I belong to an Independent club here in Switzerland, I have been able to get my boys and girls, both Fold and Stright-eared, made up to Champion and beyond. Fairisle's Straight-eared son, Different Drummer, is a Quadruple European Grand Champion, has won umpteen awards, including Best Supreme, and appeared in two books in Italy, representing the Standard of his breed.

We Fold breeders in Europe are optimistic about the future of our lovely breed: and now that the quarantine regulations have changed for the better, I dream of one day presenting my Folds at shows in their country of origin!

Esme

Thank you, BodLover!




Esme

Hi Jeanie! As one of the "European friends", thank you! I'm actually Welsh, and have lived in Switzerland since 1968. I took my degree in Modern Languages, with Honours in French, Subsidiary Spanish and Ancillary Latin. Since living here, I've picked up enough Italian to get by, even on the phone, can stammer to survival standard in German (but only under torture), and have acquired a smattering of two or three other languages - but then, I'm a professional linguist, and languages are also my hobby! This is particularly useful when travelling around Europe to cat shows, as you might imagine!

Esme