We were living in Houston with our two DSH cats of unknown parentage, Coal (surprise! a sleek black kitty) and Edward, a yellow tabby. Our boys were looking out the back window one day and became excited that a stranger was in our backyard. At first glance we thought this guy was a cougar; he was stretched out on our fence with his front paws straight out and his haunches looked enormous! Next time we saw him he was laying on the deck watching our pool sweep go around and around.

This kitty kept visiting us every day, but when we tried to approach he bolted and disappeared over the fence. After six weeks or more of this behavior we were in the backyard when I felt someone's eyes on me. I turned and there he was, peering over the fence! With a few words of encouragement down he came; the kitty let us pet him and commenced purring and rubbing against our legs. Then he'd stop, sit on his tail and stick his paws straight up! We'd never seen a cat act like that.

He didn't look homeless and was well groomed, however he was very hungry and consumed several small bowls of Science Diet dry food. He was so darling! Gray and white with beautiful markings on his face and tiny folded ears.

He remained at our back door all that day and into the night. When we would peek out the window he would sit up and extend his white legs and paws in a mime-like pleading movement! We couldn't STAND it! We got a carrier, opened the back door scooped him up and put him upstairs in an isolation room with litter box, food and water. Naturally, Coal and Edward didn't like the looks of this.

We talked with neighbors who said the cat had been hanging around their door also, and for a long time. Then I talked to another neighbor and found he'd been sleeping on top of their car at night. No one knew the owner. However, after posting in the neighborhood and checking with the 'cat lady' to whom everyone reported lost or found pets, we concluded the owner had moved out and left this little guy. Our vet was almost overcome !when he saw our cat. He said, "That's a Scottish Fold!" He examined the cat, found him already neutered, healthy, and administered shots.

We took our kitty back home and christened him Drake, because he walked like a duck (but, forgive us, it is a distinguished name).

After that I looked online and found the history of Folds and also an explanation of why Drake's parents might have abandoned him. We found some month's later that he had degenerative joint disease. This accounted for his stiff gait and he also had a straight, bushy tail which we learned is another indication of a problem. In addition, Drake's eye had been injured by a puncture, but had fortunately healed nicely. His one eye remains partly dilated, but it does not seem to affect his vision. He can spot a treat or any morsel of food at 20 paces.

Coal and Edward adjusted to Drake's presence although Edward seems to dislike him. We suspect he doesn't recognize Drake as a cat!

We've since moved to Central Florida and found a cat friendly house with nice windowsills and a screened porch where the boys can loll around and watch various water birds who fly in for bread, many squirrels, etc. Plus a stray lizard often makes the mistake of sneaking through the door and if not saved, he is a goner.

We believe in totally inside cats and are totally opposed to declawing. Our 3 boys are much more important than our furniture; they use scratch boxes and a wonderful cat post built by our son. However, they do pull a thread here and there. Drake follows us everywhere we go and relishes the attention we shower upon him. He is the most social kitty we have and his favorite position is flat on his back with 4 legs in the air. We are grateful he has an abundance of white on belly and chest or we'd have stepped on him too many times to count. He trusts us not to tread on him.

We have had him on a low dosage of Dexamethasone for some time. Last Fall we also started him on "Cosequin" which is glucousamine/chondritin for cats. A retired vet we recently met told us he takes Cosequin for HIS hip! He indicates studies have shown it to accurately contain the listed dosages, in contrast to the people vitamin supplements.

It was November, 1995 when Drake joined our family. We guessed his age at one year which would currently make him six going on seven human year's old! We are so grateful that Drake chose us and we aim to give him the best care available. A Fold is truly a remarkably unique breed!"

Since contacting this site for advice, we are switching our cats to Nutra MaxiCat, Senior.