If the cat has both the mutated genes (homozygous form – genes come in pairs) then the kitten will die in the womb. There is a similarity here with the dwarf cat as the dwarf gene also has a potential for causing “secondary” defects (in the dwarf cat this can be, for example, a “tight chest”). You can read more about dwarf cats on this website. The dwarf gene also affects cartilage growth. However, Dr Clark says that fold to fold mating results in 1 in 3 Scottish Fold kittens that develop mild to severe skeletal lesions. These are prognathia, vertebral deformities and severe joint disease. The deformed vertebrae affect the coccygeal vertebrae causing a shortened tail. The tail becomes very inflexible. The bones in the rear legs may be shortened causing curved hocks.
Accordingly, this breed has to be developed by breeding heterozygotes to American and British Shorthair cats. The results in many purebred Scottish Fold cats with normal ears.
Dr Clark’s book also mentions that red blood cell destruction happens more commonly in the Scottish Fold newborn kittens than in other breeds. This condition is called Neonatal erythrolysis. The disease is a major cause of fading kitten syndrome.
There may be a problem with treating ear mites due to the folded ears.
In a talk given by Richard Malik, BVSc, DipVetAn, MVetClinStud, PhD, FACVSc, MASM at the 28th Congress of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association on genetic disorders of cats, he referred to the condition Osteochondrodysplasia in this cat.
Even when cats of this breed are mated with normal eared cats resulting in heterozygous cats a progressive arthritic condition takes hold. He says that this is to be expected as the folded ears are due to cartilage that is insufficiently resilient to maintain the shape of the ear flap (pinna). As a result, it is not surprising that articular cartilage (cartilage where bone meets bone) is not fit for purpose.
See a post below. It is a real story about this condition and I have attempted to answer the person’s request for advice: Osteochondrodysplasia in Scottish Fold Cats [link]
Harley is just over a year old and has started to limp on his front right leg and sometimes his front left leg. His father is a Seal Point Snowshoe Scottish Fold and his mother is a Calico Oriental Shorthair. I am wondering if Harley could have a mild form of arthritis due to the breed. I did contact the breeder and she told me that she didn’t think this was a problem with her cats. Although she did say one of the kittens from the same litter had a limp but the owner did not get back to her so she thinks it just had a fall and it was fine. Do you think there could be a possibility that Harley could have this problem? His legs do not look swollen, and when I manipulate them he doesn’t pull away, but I have noticed that the slight limp is now more noticeable. He also is not his loving self and spends most of the day sleeping. When he does come down from his cat tree it is very gingerly. I do have an appointment at the vets this weekend but didn’t know if I should mention this as I am not sure if he could possibly have Osteochondrodysplasia. I would appreciate any advice you could give me.
I have a Scottish Fold (Harley) he is just over a year and has started to limp on his front right leg, sometimes he limps on the left front leg also. The father was a Seal Point Snowshoe Scottish Fold and the mother was a Oriental Shorthair. Could there be a genetic abnormality like Osteochondrodysplasia that is causing this?
Janet, I’ll do some research asap and write a second comment to answer your question. Thanks for visiting and commenting. It sounds like a skeletal/cartilage inherited problem.
Scottish Folds suffer from “Incapacitating joint disease with Scottish Fold to Scottish Fold breeding”.
This link takes you to an article on genetic diseases in purebred cats.
Thank you for your reply Harley’s parents the father is a Seal Point Snowshoe Scottish fold and the mother is a Oriental Short Hair. So I didn’t know if he could even have Osteochondrodysplasia.
My research tells me that “Periarticular exostosis (A benign cartilage-capped protuberance from the surface of long bones but also seen on flat bones) and ankylosis (abnormal stiffening and immobility of a joint due to fusion of the bones) may develop in the limbs”.
So even with two different breed of cats given that he does have the folded ears he still could possibly have this problem?
I am not sure but…it seems possible based on my research.
I take him to the vet today. I will let you know what they say. Thank you so much for you information and taking time to reply to me.
Took Harley into the vet today at 8am. After talking to the vet and showing a video of Harley limping on both front legs and sharing with her the health problems some Scottish Folds develop I left him at the facility as they said it might take time. Around 4 pm. called they said they had a few problems with their x-ray machine they had to wait for the radiologist to read the film and make a report. No signs of Osteochondrodysplasia. He suspects a soft tissue injury. Okay so his limping has gotten worse on the left front leg. If he had a soft tissue injury wouldn’t it show signs of getting better not worse? Also, the limping is now in the right front leg.(another soft tissue injury). I do not agree with his opinion. Harley is strictly an inside cat sleeps nearly all day and night. Personality has changed from constantly wanted to be loved to being very withdrawn. They suggested maybe a specialist, may a infectious disease specialist. The report ended up by saying Bilateral enthesophytosis of the calcaneus with mild tarsal osteoarthrosis, although give they young age, some level of developmental malformation could be present. So after $500 dollars I am left confused, worried and feel helpless on how to help my Harley. I just wanted to let you know the outcome.
Many thanks Janet. That was not a good vet visit. And they don’t seem to have a handle on what is going on. I agree that it is almost certainly not a soft tissue injury.
Janet, I have just checked my article and I note this:
In other words the gene causing the folded ears can also affect the feet and tail. Are his paws swollen and stiff? Is his tail the same? Is there anything abnormal, even slightly abnormal, about his fore paws and his tail?
Alos my Scot Fold article states this:
It would seem to me that Harley is arthritic in his front legs and his paws may be stiffened. All-in-all I’d say he is suffering from the side effects of having flat ears.
Good Morning Michael,
There does not seem to be anything abnormal about his tail or fore paws at all. All I know is that he is totally a different cat. He isolates himself most of the day and doesn’t want to held. Which is 180 degree turn around behavior wise. They wanted to put Harley on an Opioid and then told me it would make him a little crazy. I didn’t want that if he is limping now what could that do for him if it would make him race around. As I say, he sleeps most of the time and acts like he is a much older cat, not a cat that is a little over a year. I did contact a vet out of our area and without seeing Harley she did say that it could be in his joints but may not even show up on a xray. She recommended Dasequin a glucosamine product. The vet that I did take Harley to did not think that would help and dismissed that idea. I will investigate that more myself. I don’t want him to be in pain and would love to have my old Harley back but I don’t think that will ever happen. No matter what this vet has said to me Michael, I believe in my heart and soul that Harley has some kind of joint problem. Again your input has meant so much to me. I will just give Harley all the love and attention he wants and monitor him very closely.
His change in behavior is probably be due to discomfort and that is possibly his legs. What you might do it get a vet’s advice on administering some painkillers for a short time. If his mood picks up you’ll know he is in discomfort causing him to be miserable and I’d say it is arthritis of some sort due to his genetic inheritance. There may even be more going on beyond his joints.
The books don’t indicate any inherited diseases for this breed other than skeletal problems as mentioned. Good luck.
I think so too. I will get some pain killers just to see how he reacts. I appreciate your knowledge and time. I didn’t realize you were in England. I was born and raised there until I came to Paradise California 40 years ago. I just retired from the school district after 40 years and that is why I got Harley. Take Care.
Janet
Thanks for replying and I look forward to finding out what is wrong. I suppose the question is whether it is a genetic illness (i.e. linked to being a Scottish Fold) or not.
Harley has not shown any improvement so the vet gave him pain medication. Still after 6 days no signs of improvement. Today I went back to the vet and they decided to do blood work on Harley. The technician came back and said I had to return in two weeks for another urinalysis. I was puzzled by that, but said okay. Then she gave me Cephalexin 250mg. I asked her why, and she said for his infection. WHAT!! So as he is on another medication I said I didn’t know she was putting him an additional medication. So, I though okay maybe they did a urinalysis and found that he had an infection. I did ask her to go back and double check and make sure he is supposed to take this with the pain medication plus, I was really feeling confused about not knowing why the vet herself had not told me they had found something. I guess the vet told her it would be just fine for the two medication to be given to Harley. Well, I was just about to give him a pill and the phone rang. It was the vet telling me they had given me another animals medication by mistake. (OMG). Needless to say the appointment they made for me for a urinalyses was cancelled. Harley has enough problems without adding another animals problems to his. Thank God I didn’t give him the medication.