Sentimentkit has folded ears - this will need research, and the disability portrayal rules state that this will need a lot of research… (I don't really know how much research is a lot of research, but I hope this is enough )



₊‧⋆꙳ ↪ The basics - what is it, how does it happen and what happens with it? •ˊˎ-
If a cat has folded ears, it means that their ear cartilage (cartilage is a tissue that is flexible and supports bones and joints, and is the main tissue in parts like noses and ears) is weaker than normal cats and as such it causes the ears to point forward and downward as the cartilage isn't strong enough to hold them up. This is called osteochondrodysplasia, caused by a variant of the TRPV4 (this gene acts as a calcium channel which transports calcium atoms across cell membranes), which doesn't just affect the cartilage in the ears - if a cat has folded ears, it's a certain sign of the cat having arthritis, specifically a cartilage defect which impacts the cartilage's development ALL over the affected cat's body, which causes joint stiffness or lameness (an abnormal stance caused by joint pain or injury), a strong, lifelong pain that can seriously hinder the cat's life, reduced activity, like playing, jumping and climbing (Note that the cat may “hide” their pain (won't really “say” they're in pain externally) but they may eat less or have an abnormal stance while walking) and bone deformities. In some cases, this can cause smaller, stiffer tails and legs (due to this and the folded ears, it will make it harder to communicate using ears and tail), problems related to the spine and can cause so much pain that the cat may not be able to do much activity at all. These can start as early as six months and it can get worse through age. Cats with folded ears, such as Scottish Folds, are very calm and do not do much, but the reason is behind this is usually from osteochondrodysplasia.
This cartilage defect can vary in severity, and those with a single copy of the TRPV4 gene variant will be moderately affected, but those with two copies are more severe.
Kittens' ears will fold after three-to-four weeks if they have the gene variant.
This disorder is incurable and the pain can only really be reduced.



˚*‧⋆ ↪ How will I roleplay with this disorder? ⋄ˊˎ-
There are not good (and very few) sources that talk about roleplaying with a cat character with folded ears. I will just use the information I wrote above to help…
Since the cat will experience more pain in its life, Sentiment may be a bit weaker as time goes on - these may show after 6 moons but I'm planning for them to start at around 12 moons. Of course, Sentiment won't really say that he's in pain.
Sentiment might not be able to do activities as much as others, which would be visible at around 12 moons and gradually get worse with time.
Walking and standing gait may begin to look abnormal with enough time.
During being taught by Deep and while he's an apprentice with a mentor, Sentiment will be fine, but if Deep still wants to teach Senti even after around 12 moons, these disadvantages may start to appear.
When he's an elder or a senior warrior (he may not even make it to this time) he may just spend most of his time sitting down <3 /gen

❝He went into a hunting crouch as he spotted the mouse. He winced slightly as he felt that pain around him… what was it and where did it come from? …but he pounced anyways. It was a great pounce. He got a direct hit on the mouse, but his landing hurt a bit.❞

❝His ears pointed down, unlike most other cats, but he had no way to fix it. He didn't mind though.❞ (I won't be mentioning Sentiment's ears as much though)



⋄‧⌑◦ ↪ Credits & links… ✶ˊˎ-
▪ Credits:
➟ original character by @-ampersxnd-
➟ quote lyrics + title from the song Material Lover by Sienna Spiro
➟ can't find credit for the photograph
➟ if there is any credits I might've missed please tell me

▪ Links:
➟ Back to the litter…
➟ Material Lover (back to the directory project) (not finished yet)
➟ Main application!

▪ SOURCES!
There are a few sources that I may not be able to share but here are the ones I think I can share…
➟ https://www.battersea.org.uk/what-we-do/animal-welfare-campaigning/tackling-harmful-trends/scottish-folds
➟ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23173-cartilage
➟ https://kb.rspca.org.au/categories/companion-animals/cats/health-issues/what-are-the-animal-welfare-problems-associated-with-scottish-fold-cats
➟ https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/trpv4/
➟ https://troubleandtrix.com/au/cat-breeds/scottish-fold-cat/
➟ https://www.cats.org.uk/extreme-traits/cats-with-folded-ears
➟ https://www.tierschutzbund.de/en/about-us/news/magazine-du-und-das-tier/article/lebenslanges-leid/