When breeding Scottish Fold Cats, breeders must face several problems. Breeding a folded-ear cat to a folded-ear cat can produce kittens with skeletal problems. Therefore, breeders should mate a folded-ear cat to a straight-eared cat to avoid skeletal problems. Breeding Fold-to straight-eared cats produce on an average 50% fold-eared kittens, however. Most of the straight-eared kittens will have to be sold as a pet.

Because genetic factors and variations will influence the extent to which a cat's ears fold, it is preferable to select a straight-eared female that has a littermate or a parent with extremely tight ears. The male's ears tend to be more stable than the female's and stay folded most of the time. Therefore, it's better to have one folded male and two or three straight-eared females than the opposite in a breeding program.

Only healthy females that have been in season at least once and are over twelve months of age should be considered for breeding. Some females do not always display when they are ready to mate but most of them show their intentions very clearly when they are in season. When the female is ready to mate she will adopt the lordsosis position, her rump lifted in the air, and her tail curled to one side. The tom grasps the female in his jaws by the scruff of the neck to subdue her. Copulation is brief, one or two minutes. Then the tom will pull away as the queen will usually cry out in pain and turn on him, spitting and scratching. An experienced tom will stay nearby and wait for her to become receptive again, which will probably occur within the next ten to fifteen minutes. It is the act of copulation not fertilization that starts the first stages of pregnancy.

A female mated by a neutered tom will behave as if she is pregnant for up to six weeks, although her eggs have not been fertilized. Some breeders keep such a tom in order to prevent their queens from coming into season every fortnight or so when they are not required for breeding. If a queen is allowed to breed repeatedly, she will soon lose condition and permanent damage to her reproductive system can result.

Gestation lasts, on an average, from 63-69 days after the first successful mating. After 3 weeks, if the female is pregnant, her nipples begin to swell slightly and to turn pink. She will need plenty of well-balanced, good quality kitten's food. About one week before delivering, the queen will search for a nesting place. The place should be quiet, warm and dry, and without any draft. The queen should be monitored day and night. Unfortunately, most of the time queens will deliver during the night. If the queen's cage or box is close at hand, anyone should be able to hear any unusual noises or signs of distress in the night.

It would be wise to tell your veterinarian when the queen's delivery time is near, because she or he can give you an emergency phone number in case of trouble. Most of the queens will deliver without any problem but if the female is in labor for 2 hours without delivering any kitten, you should call your vet.

If a newborn kitten is breathing with difficulty or does not breathe at all, and the queen HAS not yet expelled the placenta, tie the umbilical cord with a sterile thread leaving about two inches from the kitten, and cut the umbilical cord on the mother's side of the placenta. Do not try to pull the placenta out because you could hurt the female. Place the kitten in a clean towel and then rub the kitten briskly to stimulate its circulation and to help it begin breathing. Rub the kitten's face and nose gently to remose any mucous and blood. Keep the kitten warm under a heat lamp or with a heating pad but be careful not to burn the kitten with a too hot heating pad. For more protection, cover the heating pad with a towel.

The queen will usually eat the placenta and it will help her produce more milk. However, you should not let the female eat more than two placentas because it may cause diarrhea.

At about ten days old, the kitten's eyes will open. All Scottish Fold kittens are born with straight ears. If a kitten's ears are going to fold, this will occur when it is around three weeks old. At about 5 to 6 weeks, the ears should be at their most folded position. At three to four weeks of age the kittens should receive their first meal of kitten food. You can give them dry kitten food soaked in boiled, sterile water. Serve it WARM, not hot or cold. It might take some time before the kittens eat it, depending if the female has a lot of milk and also if the litter is big or small.

It is not recommended to give cow's milk to the kitten but you can give them special milk without lactose. My favorite is the Wiskas milk, especially made for cats that you can find in a pet shop or in most of the food department stores. Dilute the milk with about 50% sterile water and serve it warm, not hot. At about 8 to 9 weeks the kittens should be fully weaned. This is the proper time for their first vaccination. If the kittens receive their first vaccination and are still drinking their mother's milk, the vaccination might not be as effective because of the antibodies in the mother's milk.

The right time to sell a kitten is between 10 to 12 weeks. At eight weeks a kitten is much too young and insecure to be sent away. Responsible breeders will not let their kittens go before they reach the level of confidence they need to face their new environment, because this could alter the kitten's personality for a long time, if not for all of its life.