In this blog post, we’ll discuss the genetic health issues affecting Scottish Fold cats—beloved for their adorable appearance—and the societal tendency to ignore these problems.
Scottish Fold cats have been gaining popularity among people lately. These cute cats are adored by many for their unique appearance. Scottish Folds are a cat breed known for their distinctive folded ears, short legs, and plump tails. Their adorable appearance has become widely known through the internet and social media, and they are particularly popular on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. On these platforms, videos and photos featuring Scottish Fold cats are shared with millions of followers, and their cute looks and unique behaviors are generating a lot of buzz.
However, genetic diseases affecting the Scottish Fold breed have recently become a social issue. While many people are captivated by the cat’s appearance and decide to adopt one, it is easy to overlook the fact that serious genetic problems lurk behind the scenes. Genetic conditions—specifically hip dysplasia in Raon, a Scottish Fold from the popular YouTube channel “SuriNoel,” and osteochondrodysplasia in Lulu, a purebred Scottish Fold from “Cream Heroes”—have been diagnosed in these cats. These conditions significantly impact the cats’ daily lives and can cause them considerable pain. Witnessing these situations, many people have begun to take the issue of genetic diseases in Scottish Folds more seriously.
Why have genetic diseases in cats become a social and ethical issue? These problems fundamentally stem from the distinctive physical characteristics of the Scottish Fold. In the mid-to-late 20th century, the Scottish Fold’s folded ears gained popularity among people, and breeders began mating cats with folded ears to preserve the breed and generate profit. In this process, many people focused solely on the cats’ cute appearance and did not give sufficient thought to the genetic defects that could result. Consequently, this indiscriminate breeding led to genetic diseases that are fatal to the cats.
This highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the Scottish Fold’s genetic characteristics. The folded ears of the Scottish Fold described above are a trait caused by a defect in the ear cartilage, which prevents the ears from being supported as they are in other cats. This folded ear trait is represented by the Fd allele, which is an autosomal incompletely dominant trait. In other words, when the folded-ear (Fd) gene and the straight-ear (fd) gene coexist, an intermediate trait is expressed. Therefore, we can see that the shape of the ears is determined by which of the two genes the cat possesses. However, this gene has a fatal drawback: it can affect not only the ear cartilage but also the joints of the limbs, such as the hips, knees, and shoulders. As a result, purebred Scottish Folds—which are highly likely to carry the FdFd genotype—are more prone to joint and growth plate issues than other cats. Many develop a genetic disorder called Scottish Fold Osteochondrodysplasia (SFOCD), which is incurable throughout their lifetime.
(Scottish Fold Osteochondrodysplasia, SFOCD), which manifests as symptoms such as limping or stiffness in the limbs and tail starting around the age of 12. To put it simply, this can be likened to a teenager or young adult suffering from incurable rheumatoid arthritis for the rest of their life.
What is even more serious is that this problem is not limited to just the Scottish Fold breed. In the case of dogs, too, selective breeding has been repeatedly carried out to produce dogs with traits that people prefer. As a result, recessive genes that rarely appear in normal breeding have been expressed, causing most purebred dogs of famous breeds to carry recessive genetic disorders. The most common example is the Bulldog. As a result of repeated selective breeding to preserve the Bulldog’s characteristic wrinkled, short muzzle, numerous studies have reported that the breed is now highly susceptible to various genetic diseases such as hip dysplasia, cysts, and dermatitis. Similar cases can also be found in humans. The Habsburg dynasty is a prime example; as a result of enforced marriages among relatives to maintain power, by the 19th century, they had a history of genetic disorders such as prognathism and mental illness. While this example may be slightly off-topic, transgenic mice also suffer from various diseases, including genetic disorders caused by genetic manipulation, for the sake of scientific research or clinical trials.
The lesson from all these cases is clear. The common thread among the cases mentioned earlier is that they all involve genetic disorders—in other words, conditions present from birth—caused by human greed. In particular, companion animals such as cats and dogs are being bred for improvement solely because they are cute, pretty, or useful to humans, and they suffer as a result. As science and technology in the life sciences and veterinary medicine advance, humanity is reaping increasingly diverse benefits, but we must ensure that our ethical awareness keeps pace with these advancements. Exposing animals to genetic disorders to satisfy human greed can never be justified. If we understand the plight of companion animals that could have been born healthy but must live their entire lives with genetic diseases such as osteochondrodysplasia and retinal atrophy, a societal-level ethical review of the practice of maintaining purebreds solely for the sake of human desire is necessary.
These additions have strengthened the explanation of the Scottish Fold cat’s popularity and the genetic issues resulting from it. Furthermore, they expand the discussion of ethical issues to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the problem.
