One Little Fold-Eared Kitten Counted Every Pumpkin in the Patch

Surrounded by pumpkins twice her size, a silver tabby kitten sits in the dry straw and gazes off to one side. Her ears fold forward in the breed's typical way, and her stripes blend into the dull grays and golds of the patch. Big orange pumpkins glow in every direction, with stems curled and leaves papery, and a wire fence and a neighbor's house show through the stalks in the back.

Scottish Fold cats get their look from a natural gene that bends the ears forward. Folds are usually described as sweet, gentle, and attached to their people. The same gene can also affect cartilage elsewhere in the body and cause joint problems in some cats, so anyone interested in the breed should talk to a vet and a responsible breeder about health. Out in a pumpkin patch, the usual rules apply to any kitten. Keep her on a harness or supervised, steer her away from rotting pumpkins, and watch for burrs and sharp stems in the dry vines.

The silver stripes look almost like a part of the autumn palette. She seems unhurried and sits there as though counting pumpkins and finding each one just a little too big to climb. A path through this orange maze is waiting somewhere, and she is probably studying the best route, one careful pawstep at a time.