Highland Fold Cat Information and Personality Traits

A sweet, charming cat, the Highland Fold features the unique trait of naturally folded ears and enjoys the company of all members of the family.

Highland Fold at a glance
The Highland Fold Cat Breed

The Highland Fold features a round head and folded ears heighten the illusion of roundness.

Weight range:

Male: large: >12 lbs.
Female: medium: 8-12 lbs.

Eye color:

Blue, Green, Gold, Odd-eyed

Expectations:

Longevity Range: 7-12 yrs.
Social/Attention Needs: Moderate
Tendency to Shed: Moderate, High

Coat:

Length: Medium, Long
Characteristics: Straightv
Colors: White, Black, Blue, Cream, Red, Silver, Cameo, Brown, Bluecream, Tortoiseshell
Pattern: Solid Color, Tortoiseshell, Bicolor, Tricolor/Calico, Tabby, Ticking, Smoke, Shaded, Spots
Less Allergenic: No
Overall Grooming Needs: Moderate, High

Club recognition:

Cat Association Recognition:
CFA
Prevalence: Rare

The Highland Fold is a medium-sized cat with medium sized boning. The Highland Fold is round looking.

The head is round and the folded ears heighten the illusion of roundness. The eyes are round, bright and clear. The legs appear round as does the tail in comparison to length. Some registries call the Highland Fold the Scottish Fold Longhair. Their long coats can vary slightly in texture and require regular care.

Personality:

The Highland Fold is a sweet, charming breed that is an easy cat to live with and care for. She is an affectionate cat and is comfortable with all members of her family. Her tail should be handled gently. Some of these cats are known to develop stiffness in the tail, which can cause pain if the tail is mishandled or accidentally handled in a rough manner.

Living With:

Care should be taken with the nutrition of the Highland Fold. She has a roundness to begin with and she should not be allowed to get fat. She is a good eater and is not as active as other breeds so nutritionary control is critical.

The Highland needs some interactive play with her parent in order to keep in good condition. While the coat is easy to care for, she will appreciate being brushed as part of play.

As the Highland ages, the parent should gently play with the tail, moving it from side to side and up and down. If any stiffness is noticed or if she appears to be in pain when the tail is manipulated, take her to the veterinarian to see if she is suffering from arthritis.

History:

The first word of a cat with drooping or folded ears goes as far back as 1796. In that year, an English sailor brought one back one from China. The Chinese also contributed the second example of a folded-ear cat to the cat fancy history when one was noted in 1938.

But the Highland Fold as we know her today, which is a longhaired Scottish fold, traces her ancestry to 1961 in Pertshire, Scotland. A kitten with folded ears was discovered in a litter of otherwise normal eared kittens. This kitten, named Susie, was then bred to domestic cats and British Shorthair cats to establish the folded ear within the breed. To this day, every Scottish fold and Highland Fold is said to be able to trace her ancestry back to Susie.

While the British established the Scottish Fold as a breed, she has never been as popular there as she is in the United States. Not only did Americans fall in love with this breed, but they developed her into the beautiful cat she is today.

The Highland Fold is difficult to breed. The folded ear cat must not be bred to another folded ear cat. Allowable outcrosses, in addition to a straight-eared cat, are the American Shorthair and British Shorthair. If two folded-eared cats are bred to each other, the resulting kittens can be impaired to the extent of having difficulty walking. Even with this outcross, Highland Folds tend to have small litters and not all of the kittens have folded ears.