Fifen päätös olla hyväksymättä Foldia roduksi (toukokuu 2003)

FIFe will not recognize any breed of cats showing as a breed Characteristic:

Achondroplasia: A dominent gene resulting in dwarfism, shortened limbs and legs and other physical defects.

Osteochondrodysplasia : A dominant gene causing progressive joint, bone and cartilage deformation until thorough medical and scientific research will prove the unoffending character of the mutation. Until this research is done these cats will not be allowed to be shown at any FIFe show

Dr Sierra referred to Mrs Lorraine Shelton, who was a specialist in genetic diseases and who was present at the Assembly, and asked if she could be allowed to speak. The President pointed out that the Assembly would have to give permission for this. He also pointed out that Proposal No. 3 of Mundikat had to be considered at the same time as the proposal being tabled as it concerned the same matter. A vote was taken to allow Mrs Shelton to speak to the Assembly briefly and this was agreed by 22 votes to 4 against and 2 abstentions.

Mrs Shelton clarified that she was a biochemist and not a veterinarian. Dr Susan Little was present and she would be able to explain the clinical manifestations of the defect in the Scottish Fold. Mrs Shelton wanted to discuss the genetics. She stated that initial breeding studies of the Fold demonstrated that when a folded ear cat was mated to a straight eared cat, the progeny were cats with folded ears that had no other abnormalities. When two folded eared cats were bred together, approximately one quarter of the progeny had severe skeletal abnormalities. With the passage of time these skeletal abnormalities were being seen in the heterozygous cats as well - that is cats with only one copy of the Scottish Fold gene. This was investigated by Dr Malik and the report on the study had been issued to the delegates. He showed that the disruption in cartilage which occurs and caused folded ears was also causing cartilage changes throughout the cat’s body. Some of the cats became crippled at very early ages, some at later ages and some, not at all. However, an X-ray of the hind limbs of these cats would show the abnormalities. It was not known why it had taken so long for the abnormalities to appear. Dr Malik theorised that the gene itself is starting to change with subsequent generations. Mrs Shelton thought this a credible theory and would talk about it at the seminar.

Mrs Davies (GB) spoke on behalf of the Scottish Fold breeders in Great Britain. They would like to know who would decide if a particular breed showed this as a characteristic and the second point was that the cats would not be able to be shown until research proving otherwise was carried out. In the event of research proving this was not a breed problem, these cats and breeders would have been penalised unfairly for some time. She said that the information was based on a study of only 6 cats which could surely not be considered as a statistically significant number. Mrs van de Wijngaart (NL) said that it could not be seriously believed that a defect appearing in a heterozygous cat could mean that breeding should be condoned. Dr Sierra (MEX) commented on the fact that further research would be done. Mr Kurkowski (PL) felt that as a federation we should be deeply concerned about the health of the cats which were shown. Mr Grytvik (N) agreed that it might be in the future that breeders of Scottish Folds might be penalised but he would prefer that to the possibility of a cat suffering. Mrs Davies (GB) felt that the breed was being taken out of context and compared it to the PKD in Persians. The British breeders were not finding incidences of this condition in their cats. Mrs Shelton on being asked to comment on this matter, said that there was a big difference as there was no Persian gene, there was a Scottish Fold gene. The effect of that gene was to disrupt cartilage. It was not possible to separate what was happening in the joints of the legs from what was happening in the cartilage of the ears; it was the same phenomenon. In the Persian it was possible to breed out the undesirable trait that affected the kidneys, this was not possible in the Scottish Fold as if this gene was bred out you no longer had folded ears. Mrs Davies (GB) asked if anybody had data giving percentage of incidences in Folds. The President said he could give his own data from having handled Scottish Folds but he didn’t think she would wish to hear that. Mrs Shelton replied that the incidence from the 6 cats was not half of them, nor was it two thirds of them, it was one hundred percent. She has asked a list of 300 Scottish Fold breeders from around the world to go to their vet to get X-rays done. She had offered to pay for these X-rays but not a single breeder had taken up that offer. You could not know whether this problem existed unless an X-ray was taken. If somebody would send her an X-ray of a healthy hind leg of a folded eared cat, she would be grateful as she wanted to see the very first one.

The Judges & LO Commission had all 8 been in favour of the proposal. The Show Commission also voted all 5 in favour. The Health & Welfare had also been all 3 in favour.Mr Grytvik (N) commented on the minor difference with the Mundikat proposal which included the registration of the cats in question. The President agreed that this would be taken up by Mundikat later.

The proposal was accepted with 22 in favour, 3 against and 3 abstentions. These additions would therefore be made under 2.7.3 of the Breeding and Registration Rules.