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Entry 264Filed under Breeding

What Cats Have Folded or Curled Ears? 3 Types to Know

Scottish Fold, American Curl and Highlander ears bend or curl in different directions. Learn how to tell them apart and why the Scottish Fold’s folded-ear trait raises welfare concerns.
2-minute read By Animalso Team
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Cats with folded or curled ears include Scottish Folds, American Curls and Highlanders—but the ear shapes differ, and those labels do not add up to ten distinct breeds. Scottish Fold ears bend forward and down; American Curl ears turn backward; Highlander ears have a looser curl near the top. Scottish Fold ears also come with an important health and welfare concern.

How folded and curled cat ears differ

A forward fold, a backward curl and a loose curl at the ear tip are distinct traits. They can help identify a cat’s appearance, but an ear shape alone does not establish breed or ancestry.

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Type Ear direction or shape What the label means
Scottish Fold Folds forward and downward A breed that can have folded or straight ears, and longhair or shorthair varieties, according to the Cat Fanciers’ Association.
American Curl Curls backward A breed whose standard describes a backward curl arc of 90 to 180 degrees, according to the Cat Fanciers’ Association.
Highlander Has a loose curl in the upper third of the ear A breed description from The International Cat Association; its ear shape is not the same as the American Curl’s specified arc.

Three cats with folded or curled ears

Scottish Fold

The Scottish Fold’s ears bend forward and down, giving the head its characteristic rounded look. Not every Scottish Fold has folded ears: the CFA breed description includes both folded- and straight-ear cats, as well as longhair and shorthair varieties. Those ear forms and coat lengths are varieties within the breed description, not four separate breeds.

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The folded-ear trait is also a health concern. Cats Protection explains that the mutation producing folded ears causes osteochondrodysplasia, which affects cats bred from Scottish Folds. Scottish breeder guidance likewise links folded or curled ears and cartilage deformity with joint and mobility problems and arthritis, listing the Scottish Fold as an example. This is breed-level welfare context, not a diagnosis or prognosis for an individual cat. See Cats Protection’s Scottish Fold guidance and the Scottish Government’s cat breeder guidance.

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American Curl

The American Curl’s ears curve backward. The CFA standard specifies an arc from at least 90 degrees to no more than 180 degrees. That direction is the clearest visual contrast with the Scottish Fold’s forward-and-downward fold.

Highlander

TICA describes the Highlander’s ears as having a loose curl in the upper third. This is a localized, looser curl, rather than the American Curl’s backward arc as defined by its breed standard.

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Why this is not a list of ten distinct breeds

The available registry descriptions substantiate these three named examples, not ten separate breeds in a consistent registry sense. Counting Scottish Fold longhair and shorthair cats, or folded- and straight-ear forms, as additional breeds would confuse varieties and ear traits with breed names. Other cats may have ears that appear unusual, but these descriptions do not establish them as additional folded- or curled-ear breeds.

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