In 1961 the first Scottish Fold, Susie, was discovered by William and Mary Ross living near Coupar Angus, Perthshire. One day, on a visit to their neighbours farm, they noticed that a beautiful resident white cat had rather strange ears that were folded at the side of her head. Named Susie her owners the MacRae family didn’t know her origins, all they knew was that Susie’s mother had had normal ears, and she had given birth to a litter of three, in which there was one lop-eared kitten.
The MacRaes promised William Ross a kitten from Susie’s next litter and one year later they received a little white kitten with folded ears. They called her Snooks. Already breeders of British Shorthairs the Rosses’ with the help of English geneticists, started their breeding program of 'Lop-eared' cats as the Folds were originally referred to.
At the end of the 60’s, the English GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy) recognized this new breed with its folded ears and named it Scottish Fold, after its origins.
At the beginning of the seventies, a few Scottish Folds were exported to the USA by the Rosses under their cattery name of Denisla. Later breeders Mary Stringer (Tikikats), Eddie Grayson (Martina) and Judith Hyde (Ackiltie) also exported some different pedigree combinations with the support of some of the most famous known breeders of British Shorthairs, especially from the northern counties of the U.K. These exports were to prove the lifeline which enabled the breed to survive. The first litter in America was born in November 1971.
In 1974, the GCCF decided to withdraw their registration of the Folds as according to them, the Scottish Fold suffered from inner ear infections (which has never been proved by veterinary studies) and deafness (which is genetically bound to the white colour of the coat, not to the ears). Their decision was made after the publication of a report by just one veterinarian, who never mentions deafness or ear infections and whose research included a very high degree of in-breeding. But interestingly, and ignored by the GCCF and many other organisations and health gurus to this day, the study also concluded that the breed could prosper by out-crossing to British Shorthairs and their very accessable gene pool. A very small number of related Folded-eared cats were available and the pedigrees of the British cats used were also very inbred - so his study really was without very much foundation in respect of ‘health’ factors.
In the USA, the Scottish Fold was recognized by ACA in 1973, ACFA in 1974 and CFA in 1978. The longhaired Scottish Fold was recognized by TICA in 1987-88 and by CFA in 1993-94.
At the beginning of the eighties - 1982 in France, 1983 in Germany and 1984 in Belgium, the Scottish Fold returned to Europe. But in spite of the efforts of many breeders, this breed is little known in Europe and even less so in its country of origin. But thankfully, through the persistence of a few breeders, who have virtually been made outcasts by the established cat fancy, the Folds could be shown in the Cat Association shows in the U.K. and a few are appearing in Scandinavia. Italian Fold owners have now formed their first Club. Unfortunately a decision to ban the showing of Folds in FIFe shows in Europe from January 2004 was passed by delegates in the General Meeting in 2003. No breeders were consulted before hand and such little time was given to prepare a defence against the 'health' proposals that the outcome was a forgone conclusion. A successful covert campaign had been carried out by stalwarts of another minority breed who are attempting a public execution of the fabulous Folds but ignore the lethal gene in their own breed.
For so long the Scottish Fold has been considered to be an American breed, in spite of its Scottish origins.

To the right is one of the first of the winning Folds in America. Notice a medium length of nose. The use of Exotics and Persians became quite commonplace in the U.S after the early eighties - but not so frequent in the U.K. with our smaller number of breeders. Perhaps that is why the U.K Folds do not display faults which we have come to recognise as more common in the Persian group.