|
|
The American Curl is different from any other breed, with it's innocent
look and sophisticated curled-back ears.
This is GC BW NW Curl Essence Sarafina our first
National Winner for the CFA 2010 - 2011 Show Year.
|
|
There are any number of great sites that describe this incredible little creature... one of our favorites
is the CFA website.
American Curl cats are more than just a cute cat with curled ears. There is a distinct personality
that Curl owners fall in love with.
"The Perpetual Kitten", is one of the unique descriptive phrases for this breed. They are also
called the "Peter Pan of Cats". Both phrases refer to their trait to stay playful and kitten-like throughout their adult years.
We have a 15 year old half-curl who challenges the younger cats in playing with the household cat
toys. You would never know that , in cat-terms, she was a gerriatric, yet she still plays as a
kitten.
Another dominant characteristic of this breed is their attachment to their people. It is unusual
to find a Curl who doesn't want to be near, or on, their people much of the time. Our cats will
lay next to us when we watch TV, curled next to us and almost ALWAYS with a paw draped over and arm or a leg. It's not
enough to just lay next to their people - they want to have that personal attachment.
|
Cats101 American Curl Video
Their Origin
This breed is from a nutural spontaneous mutation from the domestic cat population. A female
was discovered in Lakewood, California in 1981. This female's ears were not straight, like other cats' ears, but
were curled back.
|
She was found on the back-doorstep of the Ruga family. Grace and Joe Ruga
worked closely with geneticists to determine the best and healtiest
way to preserve this new find. The Ruga's named her "Shulamith" and she was the very beginning of this new breed.
She was carefully nurtured and bred with several specific goals in
mind. One, obviously was retaining her uniquely curled ears.
|
Shulamith was a long haired, shiny black, medium sized female.
The American Curl was first exhibited in 1983 and given championshhip recognition
in 1987 by The International Cat Association (TICA).
The American Curl was accepted to CFA in 1991.
|
The American Curl took the cat fancier world by
storm...
Cat breeders had never seen anything like this cat before. Even now we still get comments
at shows, "I have never seen a cat like this before." Many veterinarians have not ever seen the curl as well.
American Curls will typically have litters from 3 to 7 kittens. If
two cats with curled ears are bred together, typically most, if not all the kittens will have curled ears. However,
when an American Curl is bred to a cat with staight ears, typically some of the kittens will have curled ears and some
will have straight ears.
When Curl kittens are about 72-hours old, their ears start to become firm
and curl backwards on the head.
At about six weeks, the kittens enter into a transitional stage and the
ear gradualy unfolds. By the age of 4 months, you should have a pretty good idea of what kind of curl this kitten will
have as an adult, but the ears can continue to change for as much as 2 more months.
Typically, these kittens are not sold until they are almost 4 months old. This is one of the reasons. As
a pet, the curl of the ears is not a major concern. But as a show cat, the curl of the ears is HUGE!
CURL CHARACTER
Most people are attracted to this unique breed because of their looks. We love to go to cat shows and educate visitors
about the breed. But it's their great personalities and characters that turn owners into fans.
At cat shows, I describe Curls "as the ultimate pet". When the originators of the breed finally determined that
the "looks" could be reproduced with confidence, they then decided to look for personalities and character that would make
this breed the most popular cat you could find.
When Curls are talking to their peeps, they "coo" ... Curls are typically a quiet cat, although, my whole males
can sometimes challenge this statement. But for the most part, they have a unique and sweet little "coo" rather than
a meow. Except for the queens in season and the males who desperately WISH the queens were in season, American Curls
are a relatively quiet pet. Many of our 'kids' talk and will carry on a little conversation with us from time to time...
They like to be talked to. And frequently, they will talk back. They are very social little creatures!
We have all LONG HAIRed cats, but my house is not covered with cat hair like you would expect. The American Curl
has a long, sleek, silky coat with very little undercoat (usually. Nikki is an exception to this distinct characteristic.
But we think she's so beautiful anyway, we don't care.) Even though the body coat is not 'puffy', the tail of a LH Curl
will be full and fluffy... and soft and silky.
The American Curl is also known as the "Peter Pan" of cats. They retain their kitten-like playfulness into adulthood
and seem to really never grow up
(in attitude.)
They love their people and will lay with you, or on you, while you watch TV or read. They love to play with toys,
especially those with bells and feathers... but their absolute favorite is the laser light. The Curl is very attached
to the entire family and doesn't understand separation from the peeps. After all, aren't they family too?
|
|
|
