Abyssinian vs Scottish Fold — Side by Side

	Abyssinian	Scottish Fold
Lifespan	9-13 years	13-15 years
Size	Medium	Medium
Weight	8-12 lb	6-13 lb
Energy	Very high	Moderate
Grooming	Low	Moderate
Shedding	Low	Moderate
With kids	With supervision	Good with kids

What actually separates them

Less hair on the sofa with the Abyssinian. More with the Scottish Fold.
Less brushing with the Abyssinian. More with the Scottish Fold.
Calmer of the two is the Scottish Fold. The one that needs more exercise is the Abyssinian.
Scottish Fold tends to live longer — 13-15 years against 9-13 years.
With young children, Scottish Fold is the safer default — Abyssinian is listed as "With supervision".

The honest downside of each

Abyssinian

Abyssinians are one of the most perpetually active cat breeds that exists and generally dislike being held or restrained, which is the opposite of what most people picture when a breeder describes a 'friendly, people-oriented' cat.

Scottish Fold

Every Scottish Fold's folded ears are caused by osteochondrodysplasia, a cartilage and bone-growth disorder that International Cat Care confirms affects the whole skeleton of every cat that inherits the gene to some degree — this is a genetic disease, not a cute quirk, and it is why major veterinary and welfare bodies consider deliberately breeding for the trait unethical, and why the breed is banned or restricted from breeding in several countries.

Read the full pages

Abyssinian · Scottish Fold
Health problems, origin and what living with each is actually like.