A British vet has revealed why he believes that true animal lovers would not have a Scottish fold cat.
This breed of domestic cat is characterised by its ears, which fold forward due to the animal having a. natural dominant gene mutation associated with osteochondrodysplasia – a condition which affects cartilage throughout the body.
Content creator @ben.the.vet shared the list in a video on TikTok, where he has more than 208,000 followers. He often creates clips sharing useful information about how to care for animals responsibly, and about the different health challenges different species and breeds face.
In a recent post, he explained how he feels about people having Scottish fold cats – like Taylor’s famous feline Olivia Benson – and why he feels that way.
However, he explained to FEMAIL that there is one exception, saying: ‘I am not against people genuinely rescuing a Scottish Fold cat that is being rehomed and would otherwise have no owner. But buying one from a breeder is what I have an issue with.’
Ben the Vet (pictured) pointed out that while Scottish fold cats look cute, they suffer immensely from arthritic pain
Taylor adopted her cat in New York in 2014.
Speaking in the video, he said: ‘I’m a vet, and in my opinion, you cannot call yourself a true cat lover, and have a Scottish fold cat.
‘Because surely if you love cats you want your cat to be able to run and jump without difficulty and not be in constant pain.
‘And Scottish fold cats do experience more pain than other cats because they are plagued with arthritis.’
Showing X-ray images of a Scottish fold cat’s legs and feet, Ben said: ‘You probably don’t have to be a vet to see that there’s some abnormality here.
‘You can see around the joints…lots of extra new bone formation and that is a sign of severe arthritis. This arthritis is the price these cats pay for looking cute.
‘The reason these cats have folded ears is because they have a genetic mutation which means the cartilage in their ears is defective.
‘It’s weak and that’s why the ear flap can’t support itself and folds over.
‘But they also have cartilage in all of their joints and that cartilage is also defective.
Taylor Swift famously has a Scottish fold cat called Olivia Benson (pictured: Taylor Swift with Paul Abdul)
‘This arthritis is painful and incurable and I’ve seen two or three-year-old Scottish fold cats that are crippled.’
He continued: ‘Now this is going to sound very blunt but someone with a Scottish fold cat will fall into one of two categories.
‘Either you got the Scottish fold and you didn’t know about the arthritis problem, and to be honest, you should have done more research.
‘You just Google Scottish fold cat, this information comes up.
‘Or, you knew about the arthritis and you still chose to get the Scottish fold cat. And basically, what you’re saying there, is that your desire to have a cute cat outweighs the cat’s right to live a pain-free life.
