American Curl
The American Curl is a breed of cat
with unusual ears.
The ears curl back from the face in a smooth arc toward the
center of the back of the skull; they are otherwise perfectly
normal cats.
The breed is the result of a spontaneous mutation which
occurred in a cat in Lakewood, California in 1981.
The first cat, a black female domestic cat, was found and taken
in by the Ruga family who named her Shulamith. All American
Curls descend from her, the foundation female. In 1983, the
first American Curl was exhibited at a cat show, and in 1987,
the longhair American Curl was given championship status by The
International Cat Association (TICA).
In 1993, the American Curl set a precedent in the Cat Fanciers'
Association (CFA) by being the first breed to be admitted to
the Championship Class as one breed with two coat lengths.
The American Curl is a medium size cat (7-11 lbs) with no
health handicaps associated with the curled ears.
They are strong, healthy cats remarkably free of genetic
defects that affect many purebred cats, and will not reach
maturity until 2-3 years of age. The American Curl may have
either curled ears or straight ears.
If the cat's ears are curled, it will not be apparent until two
or three days after the birth, and will take their final form
after four months. The curled ears should be hard and stiff to
the touch. The longhairs have a plush, silky coat, and the
shorthairs have a thick, non-wooly coat, and is also silky.
The American Curl may have three degrees of curl - first
degree, second degree, or third degree. The third degree is the
preferred one. Luxurious tufts of fur sprout from the bottom of
the ears.
The straight ear American Curl has all of the loving
personality of the curled ear American Curl but may not be
shown. The American Curl comes in two coat lengths - either
long haired or short haired. The American Curl comes in all
colors.
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