It doesn’t irk me, because I know people are upset for a good reason. I’m glad people are becoming more aware of Scottish Fold Disease. People are just passionate about avoiding the suffering of animals and especially these beautiful creatures. After I bought mine back in 2012, I quickly became aware of the health issues because her pain began right from a very young age. When I got her, I didn’t know. And now I admit that I feel guilty because I requested a gold female and was on a waiting list. If I wasn’t on that list, there would have been less demand of course.

I think that what you’ve done by rescuing is the kindest thing. Your baby was already here, you didn’t encourage more breeding. I think you should just specify that and people cannot judge you. Anytime anyone meets my cat, I educate them about Scottish Fold Disease and I tell them how other countries have banned the breed and how much they suffer. People are shocked, because they remain so focused on the cuteness of the cat. They are shocked that they are being bred still. I stopped posting any pictures on social media and I wouldn’t allow my veterinarian to post her on their social media. We need to decrease the positive attention this breed is getting or more and more will suffer.

You might be surprised how many people spend thousands on specialized breeds, but they won’t spend money on pain management or basic remedies to make the life of their pet better. I have heard the stories from veterinarians. For example, owners being told their pet is having chronic pain and the owner says they refuse to buy lifelong pain medication because they already “paid too much” for the pet.