La Perm

If you have often dreamt of having a cat with a curly coat, then the La Perm is for you. It is one of the few breeds of cat with a springy, curly, fur coat. It is believed that the first La Perm kittens were born sometime in 1982 in Oregon. The owners of the kittens though surprised and pleased with the unusual appearance of their cats were not aware for several years of how remarkably different their cats were. In fact, some of the early La Perm were born hairless.

Though some La Perm kittens may be born without any fur, most are born with a curly hair coats, and sometimes even straight or slightly wavy fur coat.

This breed may have anything from a wavy coat to ringlet-type curls. The tightest curls are often seen on the underside and base of the ears.

The long haired varieties have a lovely, curly plumed tail while the shorthaired La Perms have more of a bottle brush kind of tail.

Affectionate and intelligent, the La Perms come in a variety of coat colours and patterns - all of which are acceptable. La Perms are very people oriented cats, sweet tempered and very fond of reaching out for people's faces.

With curly whiskers, wide set eyes and ears, a triangular face framed by a full ruff around the neck and long legs, these cats look graceful. The eye colour has no relation to coat colour

Disqualifications include a cobby body, short legs, incorrect number of toes, visible tail faults and straight hair.