Why Do Scottish Folds Sit Weird?

Scottish Folds are great companions, cute, calm and ready to get your attention. But why is my Scottish Fold sitting in these weird positions like standing with a leg up, laying on the back with the head fully stretched and many other positions that may seem very uncomfortable for us, humans.

I had to find some possible answers to this question, as obviously I can’t just ask my cat this, I did some research and used some common sense logic. Here are my guesses in no particular order. If you have another hypothesis, let me know in the comments below.

Scottish Folds are flexible

Yeah, unlike humans except for maybe gymnasts, they have a very flexible body. So they can sit in a lot of weird positions without feeling discomfort at all. Their bone and body structure is different from ours.

What positions do they choose?

• Sitting on their back (most common)
• Sitting on their back with both legs stretched, exposing their genitals (another common position, some people refer to it as Budha position)
• Sitting on their butt with one leg up (most common)
• Sitting on their butt with both legs up
• Standing up (my cat does this only when playing, and it’s not uncommon for other breeds as well)

I’ve put some photos in this post and more below the Conclusion of this article to see exactly what I’m talking about.

Because they can

Maybe it doesn’t look natural for us, but maybe that positions are actually comfortable for them. So why not sit like that?

Search for attention

I think another reason for sitting in these weird positions is to drag your attention to them. I took a course on “understanding your cat” and this can actually be a good reason if you think about it. Most of the times, my Scottish fold is sitting in weird positions when I don’t give her much attention. How knows? It can be a reason for these odd positions. If you want to follow the course check out their page here.

Genetics

It is said that because of genetic reasons, reasons that can cause them some problems as well, they are more flexible than other cats. This causes some problems in later life like osteochondrodysplasia, arthritis, and joint problems. It depends on whether the cat is bred correctly. Nobody studied this behavior scientifically, like doing X-Rays or MRI on Scottish Folds and compare them to other breeds. So these are just some guesses that make sense for me.

So, it is normal?

I’ve seen and interacted with a lot of cats during my lifetime. Some cats are weird by default, some are very common. But every cat is different and behaves in their particular way. The personality of the cat is also important.

 

Sitting like this is not a sign of worry usually. If your cat doesn’t show any sign of pain and doesn’t resist touching or petting them, you shouldn’t worry about them sitting in these weird positions. But if your cat does show signs of pain and resist moving or petting them, then, a visit to the vet wouldn’t hurt. Anyway, if your cat doesn’t feel discomfort, why should you?

But these positions don’t necessarily indicate that the cats have a problem or they are in pain. Moreover, it is proved that a cat in pain will sit in the most comfortable position for her. (usually crouched)

One more thing about cats is that they tend to hide their pain at first. As with other animals, they don’t want to show any signs of weakness. Showing discomfort and pain is hidden to prevent predators from attacking her or other cats in the area expanding their territory.

Conclusion

Please note that there are no studies to sustain what I’m saying here. This is my pure speculation using common sense logic. I asked some breeders and they couldn’t give a clear answer too. So we need to guess. What I know is that Scottish Folds are extraordinarily cute when sitting in these positions.

So let me know what is your opinion. Why do you think your Scottish Fold is sitting in weird positions?

If you want to know everything about your cat’s personality and how to understand him or her better I recommend this course (the Cat Language Bible). Lots of useful things you can learn about cats in this course.