Scotland may be famous for their scotch, haggis, and bagpipes but, by far, the country’s cutest export is the Scottish Fold cat.
Scottish Folds are a medium-sized cat breed known for their unique ear shape – folded forward and downward on the head. Though all Scottish Fold kittens are born with a straight or normal ear, some develop folded ears around 3 to 4 weeks of age. This unique ear shape is caused by incomplete dominance, a genetic term that means that one copy of a particular gene does not dominate over the other copy of the gene.
Even more interesting is that the lineage for all Scottish Folds can be traced back to a female white barn cat named Susie.
In America, Scottish Folds have become extremely popular, with owners like Taylor Swift joining lengthy waiting lists and paying several hundred dollars for a Scottish Fold kitten.
If you’re going to go through the trouble to get a Scottish Fold cat, you should be willing to put in the time to choose a high-quality diet to keep your new cat healthy. Read on to see our top picks for the best cat food for Scottish Fold cats.
At a Glance: Best 8 Cat Foods for a Balanced Scottish Fold Diet To Buy
Smalls Ground Bird Fresh Cat Food
- Rich in animal protein and hydrating moisture
- Very low carbohydrate content
- Made with a single source of animal protein
Wellness Complete Health Natural Grain-Free Pate Canned Food
- Rich in real animal protein from chicken and turkey
- High in moisture, easy to digest
- Very low in carbohydrates, under 2%
Authority Chicken Entrée Pate Adult Cat Food
- Rich in protein from chicken and fish
- Packed with moisture, easily digestible
- Very low in carbohydrates, under 3%
The Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Dehydrated Cat Food
- Made with real human-grade ingredients
- High in protein, minimally processed
- Rich in moisture once rehydrated with water
Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Salmon Formula Grain-Free Dry Food
- Packed with biologically valuable animal proteins
- Extremely low in carbohydrate, low-glycemic
- Highly digestible, free from additives
Simply Nourish Essentials Tender Chicken Recipe Kitten Chunks in Gravy Canned Food
- Made with real animal protein from chicken
- Rich in moisture and omega fatty acids
- Flavorful gravy increases palatability
Feline Natural Chicken & Venison Feast Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
- Packed with highly digestible animal protein
- Limited number of ingredients
- Glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health/mobility
Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Absolutely Rabbit Dinner Morsels Cat Food
- Biologically appropriate, rich in animal protein
- Supplemented with probiotics for healthy digestion
- Limited list of main ingredients
Understanding Your Scottish Fold’s Nutritional Needs
Though your Scottish Fold may look different from other cats, his nutritional needs are the same. All cats are obligate carnivores, which means their bodies are adapted to require a meat-based diet.
While dogs are often considered omnivores, your cat has a biological requirement for meat in his diet. Cats have a short digestive tract and they lack the digestive enzymes necessary to process plant food.
In the wild, your cat would consume a whole prey diet, eating the flesh, organs, and raw bones of whatever he can catch. A cat’s ideal diet consists of about 52% protein, 46% fat, and just 2% carbohydrate or less (typically limited to the stomach contents of prey).
Unfortunately, many commercial cat food diets don’t come anywhere close to meeting these requirements. But that’s what we’re here for!
We’re here to help you gain a thorough understanding of your Scottish Fold’s dietary requirements so you can make a smart and healthy decision regarding your cat’s daily diet. All cat foods are not created equal and we’re here to help you choose the best one.
Your cat requires a high-protein, moderate-fat, and low-carbohydrate diet that is made with whole foods and is free from artificial additives.
Simply put, the closer your cat’s diet is to that whole-prey model, the better.
When shopping for cat food, a named source of high-quality animal protein should always be the first ingredient. Ideally, at least two of the top three ingredients should be meat, poultry, or fish.
In addition to protein, your Scottish Fold needs fat in his diet to provide essential fatty acids (especially omega 3s) and calories to fuel essential bodily processes. These too should come from animal sources as much as possible. Look for ingredients like chicken fat or salmon oil rather than canola oil or safflower oil.
Finally, the lower the carb content of your cat’s food, the better.
To estimate the carbohydrate content of a commercial cat food, simply use the values represented in the Guaranteed Analysis. Add up the values for crude protein, fat, moisture, and fiber along with ash, if it’s listed. Ash is simply the inorganic mineral content that is left over after the product is cooked.
If the ash content isn’t listed, estimate about 7% for dry food and 2% for wet food.
Once you have those numbers added up, subtract the total from 100% to get your estimated carbohydrate content. We like to see a maximum of 10% carbs, though less is always better.
Things To Avoid in Your Scottish Fold’s Diet
Just as important as knowing what to include in your cat’s diet is knowing what things to exclude. We always like to see a short list of ingredients because that means the food will be easier for your cat’s body to process. Highly digestible food means less waste and more nutrients for your cat.
When shopping for cat food, check the list of ingredients and look for red flags such as:
- A carbohydrate listed as the first ingredient
- High concentrations of plant-based proteins (like pea protein)
- High concentrations of legumes and pulses (like beans, peas, and lentils)
- Non-specific ingredients
- Artificial additives like colors, flavors, and preservatives
If your Scottish Fold has cat food allergies, you may need to be even more careful when shopping for a new cat food. We’ll talk more about cat food allergies later.
So, what brands made it to our top recommendations for the healthiest canned, soft & wet cat Food for Scottish Folds? Keep reading to find out!
In addition to performing our own qualitative analysis of the brands reviewed here, we submitted samples for analysis at an ISO 17025 certified food testing and analysis lab.
We bought the products at full retail price, and the entire testing process was funded by Cats.com without direct input or influence from the companies involved.
Analytical testing in a food chemistry lab gives us the exact macronutrient and micronutrient content of each recipe. The tests also look at microbial content, yeast, mold, and heavy metals, helping you ensure that you’re putting only the best in your cat’s bowl.
Also Read: Why We Lab Test Cat Food and How to Interpret the Reports
Our Top 8 Picks for the Best Cat Food for Scottish Fold Cats
Now that you have a better understanding of your Scottish Fold’s nutritional requirements and how to identify a high-quality cat food, you’re ready to start shopping!
If you’re still not quite sure where to start, don’t worry – we’ve assembled a list of recommended options to get you started.
Do Scottish Folds Get Cat Food Allergies?
You may be surprised to learn that cats can suffer from allergies just like humans. Allergy symptoms may look different in cats than in people, but allergies can still cause a major problem for your cat.
When it comes to allergies in cats, some of the most common culprits are environmental allergies and flea allergies. Food allergies account for only 1% to 5% of skin diseases in cats, so they are less common than cat food manufacturers would have you believe.
What’s more, grains are not the most common cause of food allergies in cats – common proteins like beef, chicken, and fish are.
Food allergies in cats are most likely to develop when the cat is repeatedly exposed to specific allergens (substances that cause allergies). For example, if a cat has a food allergy to chicken and your cat’s diet has chicken as its protein source, your cat may experience allergic symptoms like persistent itchiness and hair loss.
Feeding your Scottish Fold a rotational diet may help prevent food allergies from developing and could make it easier to change your cat’s diet later if a food allergy does develop.
Food allergies can be challenging to diagnose. If you suspect that your Scottish Fold has a food allergy, your veterinarian will likely recommend a food elimination trial, which involves feeding a diet containing a novel protein, like duck or kangaroo, for at least 8 to 12 weeks; no other food can be fed. Identifying the ‘culprit’ ingredient is key to avoiding that ingredient in your cat’s diet.
Your veterinarian will be able to help you manage your Scottish Fold’s food allergy without sacrificing quality, taste, or nutrition.
Click here to read our list of best organic cat food.
Homemade Food and Raw Diets for Scottish Fold Cats
While high-quality commercial diets do exist, they can be pretty expensive. If you want to give your Scottish Fold the best of the best, you may want to consider a homemade diet.
Making your own cat food gives you complete control over what ends up in your cat’s bowl. That can be a huge benefit if your cat has food allergies or sensitivities, and it means that your cat won’t be eating any artificial additives.
The challenge with homemade cat food is that you need to follow a vet-approved recipe to make sure you include the right ratios of key nutrients.
Before you settle on a homemade cat food diet for your Scottish Fold, think about whether you are going to go with a cooked diet or a raw diet. Raw food diets have become popular in the pet world but carry a risk for foodborne diseases, for pets and people. For this reason, veterinary organizations and the FDA advise against feeding pets raw food diets. Speak with your veterinarian if you decide to feed your Scottish Fold raw food.
No matter what kind of diet you choose for your Scottish Fold, go with the highest quality you can consistently afford. Follow the feeding recommendations on the package if you’re feeding a commercial diet or measure your cat’s daily portion by weight for homemade diets.
Learn more about homemade and raw cat food in our handy guide.
Final Thoughts
No matter a cat’s breed, a healthy diet is essential for supporting your cat’s long-term health and wellness. From kitten to adult to senior, quality nutrition promotes healthy body functioning and gives your cat the energy he needs to live his best life.
All cats require a species-appropriate diet made up of animal ingredients. The higher the protein, the better, and don’t forget about healthy fats. Limit your Scottish Fold’s carbohydrate intake as much as possible and consider a fresh or homemade diet, if you can afford it.
If you’re looking to upgrade the quality of your Scottish Fold’s diet or simply want to introduce some variety, consider one of our recommendations above!
I love this website! I was doing research on the Scottish Fold cat, and I found your site! So useful.
Hi we have a new Scottish Fold kitten 4 months old and looking for the best recommended kitten wet foods to try. As the ones in this article seem to be for cats older than 1yr what would you recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Steve,
For kitten food suggestions, I recommenced reading our article on the best kitten food written by Mallory Crusta.
Hope this helps 🙂
Ok I’ve tried everything on this list & my Scottish Fold would only touch the Stella & Chewys – but now it wants more variety . Nom Nom now only has 2 formulas & he doesn’t eat fish . I tried the just for dogs cat edition – he didn’t touch it !! Ugh .
Hey there! Have you tried other varieties of Stella & Chewy’s? They have a pretty broad selection and all of them should be good for your Scottish Fold. Otherwise, you can try other freeze-dried food brands like Primal or Vital Essentials, all of which should suit your cat’s taste and texture preferences. And if you’re looking for an alternative to Nom Nom, you might think about trying Smalls. Their food is texturally and nutritionally very close to Nom Nom, but they have a few different flavor options, including turkey and beef. Let me know if you’d like to go over any other ideas—we’ll be happy to help you find something that works for both of you.
Hi I have a quick question, I have two beautiful Scottish food cats and I have been feeding them the Purina Pro plan savor chicken and rice adult cat food for a while now. It has 40% protein and all the necessary vitamins and minerals as well. However it also contains rice which is now making me hesitant about continuing to feed them this food. I wanted to know what your opinion on this particular dry food is and if it’s okay to continue to feed then because they love it.
Hello Jannat, thank you for commenting! The Purina Pro Plan Savor chicken and rice food is indeed on the higher-carbohydrate side and contains quite a few lower-value ingredients. It’s acceptable in that it’ll keep your cats healthy and has all the nutrients they need, but it’s not nutritionally excellent. You might want to consider transitioning to a more meat-heavy, low-carbohydrate diet.
Hi, I just got my Scottish fold kitten.
She is only 3 months old and the breeder is telling me she must eat adult cat food because the calcium is lower than in kitten’s food.
To be honest I don’t care if her ears stand up again, I want a healthy kitten.
She says Scottish folds suffer from bladder stones due to the calcium intake.
Does anyone know about this?
Thank you!!
Hello Olga, thank you for the interesting question. I would not recommend feeding any kitten, including a Scottish Fold, an adult food. Calcium content isn’t the only difference between adult and kitten foods, so your 3-month-old could miss out on other important nutrients. As for the concern regarding bladder stones and calcium intake, I haven’t been able to find anything corroborating your breeder’s claim. It’s recommended that Scottish Folds eat an appropriate amount of calcium, but I don’t see anyone else recommending adult food for kittens in the name of less calcium. You may want to bring this question to your veterinarian.
So…..maybe somebody didn’t proofread the article.
#3 for wet food suggestion: the Fancy Feast. 3rd ingredient is “Wheat Gluten”
and for the “what we liked section” , the article says they liked that the food contains no wheat gluten.
…..I wonder if the other foods are really looked into before recommending, since this mistake is pretty obvious and hard to miss
Leon, thank you for pointing this out. I’ve removed the contradictory statement in the “What We Liked” section. As for the rest of the article, this is an older piece that is in need of an update. We plan to rewrite it later this year. For now, you might appreciate our article on the overall best cat food you can buy: https://cats.com/best-cat-food
We have a two year old SF, who has respiratory issues.. We’ve run the gamut from antibiotics, antihistamines, and now wondering about asthma. He’s had several courses of prednisone. He has a cough sounding like chest congestion, never coughs anything out, but at the end of a coughing fit he swallows, so I don’t think we can say “non producing cough”. As I read several articles, I’m wondering about asthma, and then stumbled over an article about chicken being an allergen. Any suggestions? Currently he eats (free feed) pure balance dry, and either Sheba (single portions) or Fancy Feast chicken (a variety of them).
Hi Patty, thank you for writing to us. It’s hard to say whether or not your cat has an allergy. The best way to find out if he does is through allergy testing and/or an elimination diet.
Hi Mallory,
Thank you for the suggestions. My 10 month Scottish Fold boy does not like seafood. I understand Omega 3s are very important for them. Is there any brands you can suggest for seafood that he might like?
There’s no reason why your cat has to eat seafood to get his omega-3 fatty acids. Feline Natural foods, for example, are not fish-based but contain green-lipped mussels as a great source of multiple omega-3 fatty acids. And there are many other foods that contain salmon oil or other fish oils as sources of omega-3s but don’t taste fishy. Alternatively, you can feed a regular fish-free diet and just add some fish oil to it. If he’s very opposed to the taste of fish, he may not like it, but it’s worth a try!