Foldex cat

No, the Foldex cat is not a type of attaché case or filofax but a cat with folded ears and a flattish or rounded face. This cat is rare and is a hybrid cross from the mating of the well known Scottish Fold and the Exotic Shorthair cats.


Foldex cat (see base of post)

Both the Scottish Fold and Exotic Shorthair are rounded, cobby cats. The Exotic SH has a flat face like the contemporary or Ultra Persian cat. In fact the Exotic SH is an Ultra Persian without the long hair. The Scottish Fold's ears are caused by an incomplete dominant gene or a gene producing an autosomal dominant trait. The person responsible for the early development of the Scottish Fold, William Ross, a shepherd, called his cats "lop eared" after the rabbits with, yes, lop ears. The Scottish Fold's face is, dare I say it, more normal (less flat) than the face of the Exotic SH but rounded nonetheless. Breeders like to produce rounded faces for Scottish Fold as they look better with the flattened ear flaps creating an unusually round head shape.


Scottish Fold cat - photo by zono1

The mating of these two cats results in a cat with folded or flat ear flaps (pinnae) and a face that is less flat that Exotic SH. There are a lot of flat surfaces! The body should be, what breed standards call, "massive" meaning large. The neck should be short and the eyes, you guessed, round and open.

The Foldex cat is not recognized by the major cat associations. It is currently recognized by the Canadian Cat Association (CCA), as I understand it. This may change of course, please note. This would imply that this cat breed is only or mainly breed in Canada.


Exotic Shorthair cat - photo by Charlyn W

The Foldex cat made his/her first appearance at a cat show in 1993 being presented to the world by Betty-Ann Yaxley. The CCA describe the cat as a compromise between the Scottish Fold (with a snout) and the Exotic (with a very short nose). The Foldex is therefore an Exotic SH with a slightly longer nose and floppy ears or a Scottish Fold with a slightly shorter nose.

The genetics ensure that some cats are born with normal ear flaps. This cat is also known as the Exotic Fold.

As regards health the health issues that affect the Scottish Fold affect this cat too. I have covered this topic in some detail here: Scottish Fold Genetics - Health - Breeding. Most people think the health aspects of cat breeds are important.

The Foldex cat to Home page

Photo of Foldex cat: believed to be copyright free as copyright owner has waived copyright expressly or by implication. If I am wrong please leave a comment.

Other photos: