The Irish Mail on Sunday

Charity calls for a ban on Swift’s cats

- By Natasha Livingston­e

THEIR tiny folded ears and saucer-wide eyes have made them a favourite with celebritie­s including Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

But Scottish Folds, which owe their distinctiv­e appearance to a genetic disorder, could be banned.

Welfare charity Cats Protection wants breeding of the cats to be outlawed because of concerns about their health. It is also unhappy with A-listers for sparking a huge rise in demand for the pets. The cartilage in the ears of Scottish Folds is abnormally weak due to a hereditary condition which causes defective cartilage elsewhere in their body, especially the joints. As a result, the cats are highly prone to crippling arthritis. Pop star Taylor regularly shares pictures of her two Scottish

Folds with her 230 million Instagram followers.

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tRends: Taylor Swift and her cat

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