Why you should not buy a Scottish Fold Lifelong suffering 09/10/2025 from Nadine Carstens

With their ears folded forward, their round face is reminiscent of that of a doll. This supposedly cute appearance of Scottish Fold cats, also known as folded-eared cats, corresponds to the classic childlike pattern and makes the hearts of countless cat lovers beat faster - including those of celebrity owners such as Claudia Schiffer or Taylor Swift. The latter made the pedigree cats famous once and for all. Photos and videos of the singer and her cats reach millions of likes on her social media channels. The hype surrounding pedigree cats has led to more and more people around the world breeding and keeping these animals in recent years. But what many cat fans don't know or perhaps don't pay attention to is the fact that Scottish Fold cats are so-called torture breedings.

"Behind the kinked ears typical of the breed is a genetic disease known as osteochondrodysplasia, or OCD for short," explains Lisa Hoth-Zimak, pet expert at the German Animal Welfare Association. "This is characterized by a disorder of bone and cartilage growth and is not limited to the ears, but affects the entire body - especially the tail and legs." Shortly after the cats are born, their ears still look normal and are not yet bent forward. This feature only develops three to four weeks after birth as the OCD progresses, says the vet. Later on, the disease also becomes noticeable through lameness, a stiff or stilted gait or even misshapen, swollen limbs and an immobile tail. "The cats suffer from increasingly severe pain over the course of their lives and are barely able to perform their natural behaviors," explains Hoth-Zimak. For example, their discomfort makes it impossible for them to climb, scratch, balance or even jump and play normally. "Unfortunately, OCD cannot be treated - it is only possible to alleviate the pain," says the expert. "However, the pain is often so severe that the cats have to be put out of their misery at a young age and euthanized."

Apart from the pain, the animals are also severely restricted in their hearing and communication due to their folded ears. Cats actually have excellent hearing by nature. They can align their ears independently of each other, so that they are particularly good at perceiving sounds in their environment and are excellent at finding their way around at dusk and at night. In addition, the normally upright ears are essential for cats to communicate with conspecifics as well as with other animals or humans. They can use them to express moods such as fear, aggression or attention. However, the ears of Scottish Fold cats, which are permanently attached due to genetic cartilage damage, are interpreted by other cats as fear or aggression, which can lead to misunderstandings between the animals and therefore more frequent bites and scratches. Scottish Fold cats are also unable to use their tails to communicate or maintain their balance, as nature intended. "Affected cats are unable to lead a normal cat life without painkillers and sometimes surgery," says Hoth-Zimak.

Owners of Scottish Fold cats often feel overwhelmed by their pet's hereditary disease or cannot afford the high costs of veterinary treatment - many then decide to surrender their cats to an animal shelter. Some even abandon them. As a result, more and more facilities are taking care of such torturous breeds. For example, the Hamburg Animal Welfare Association of 1841, a member association of the German Animal Welfare Association, reports that its animal caretakers had to look after a total of 20 stray cats in 2022 alone. Our affiliated animal shelters in Bremen, Cottbus and Essen, to name just a few examples, are also looking after an ever-increasing number of these cats. "As particularly sought-after pedigree animals, Scottish Fold cats are also often victims of illegal trade and are bred abroad and sold on the internet by dubious sellers to inexperienced owners," explains Hoth-Zimak. This also explains the rising numbers in animal shelters.

Some countries such as Belgium, Austria and, most recently, the Netherlands are setting a good example and have banned the breeding and, in some cases, the trade and keeping of Scottish Fold cats by law. From an animal welfare point of view, however, it would be even better to only name the torture breeding trait as such and in connection with the symptoms that occur. Otherwise, breeders could give the breed a new name and the problem would be repeated. In Germany, the legal situation regarding torture breeding is generally still vague and is implemented differently in the federal states. According to the Animal Welfare Act, breeding is actually prohibited if the animals are missing body parts or organs for hereditary reasons or if they are unfit or deformed, resulting in pain, suffering or damage. However, this vague definition makes it difficult for authorities to legally prosecute torture breeding. "In order for authorities to take better action against torture breeding and enforce breeding bans more easily, it must be clearly defined what is considered torture breeding," warns Hoth-Zimak. Scottish Folds have already been banned in individual cases, for example in Bavaria. "However, each case must be re-examined and proven to be torture breeding. This means an enormous amount of work for the veterinary offices, most of which are already overburdened."

Within the EU, there has also been no uniform regulation on such torturous breeds to date. But now things are finally moving forward: in June 2025, a broad majority in the EU Parliament voted in favor of new regulations to better protect dogs and cats. Among other things, it will now be illegal to deliberately breed animals with torture breeding traits. The EU Commission had already proposed these new guidelines in 2023. As the German Animal Welfare Association, we have been closely following this legislative process from the very beginning. Before the law is formally adopted, the next step is for the Parliament, Council and committee to reach an agreement in the so-called trilogue.