Early Reports of Curls


The curled eared cat appeared spontaneously in many places over time as a result of naturally occurring mutations.

Verbal reports of curled eared cats can be traced back as early as 1960.

Pictoral reports of naturally occurring curled ear cats are available from the mid 1980's on.

      1985

          A curled ear, long hair, brown tabby and white, neutered male about 3 years old is found in Merced, California.

      1989

          A long hair litter of four curled eared kittens kittens is born to a domestic mother cat who had escaped outside and was bred by unknown male in Oklahoma.

      1989

          A curled ear , shorthair calico domestic mother with a curled ear litter of kittens is reported in El Monte, California..

      1996

          A short hair blue and white female, curled eared kitten is found among the trash in Australia.



The Foundation Cats


The known foundation cats of the pedigreed American Curl breed date back as far as 1981.

      1981

          A longhair, black, curled ear female (and black & white short hair kitten) are found in Lakewood, California. The black, longhair female is later to be named Shulamith of Curlniques.

      1985

          A longhair, blue eyed white, curled eared female is found in Fresno, California and is later to be named Sarah of Sierra Hill.

      1985

          A shorthair, calico, curled eared female with a litter of kittens with curled ears in her litter is rescued from a Merced, California shelter. She is later to be named Merced Golda of Padwel. (Both Sarah and Golda were documented to be curled eared cats by the late geneticist Don Shaw.)



The Road to Acceptance as a Breed


In 1983, the finders of Shulamith, Grace & Joe Ruga (Curlniques Cattery), along with Nancy Kiester (Patriot Cattery) who by now has several cats from Shulamith breedings, contacted an allbreed judge to assist them in writing a breed standard for the "American Curls", a name that the breed will soon be become known as.

The first public "American Curl" presentation was as exhibition only at a cat show in Palm Springs, California and selective breeding began in 1983. The process of exhibiting the cats, refining a standard and achieving acceptance by the various registries was a long hard road which took a great deal of work by many dedicated individuals, but gradually the breed was accepted.

In 1987, The International Cat Association, Inc. (TICA) accepted the American Curl (longhair) as a breed, and accepted the shorthair variety in 1991.The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc. (CFA) accepted both the longhair and the shorthair variety as a breed in 1993. This CFA acceptance of both longhair and shorthair varieties simultaneously was a first in CFA history. In 1993, the American Cat Association, Inc. (ACA) also accepted both longhair and shorthair varieties in 1993. Then in 1994, the ACFA followed suit.



The Earesistible Ideal


Earesistible Cattery, as all responsible catteries do, breeds with a standard look in mind, an ideal of what the breed should look like to aim for, though, of course, there is no "perfect" cat. Personality and health are always primary concerns, but the look defines the breed. Here is the Earesistible ideal standard that this cattery strives for:



      The American Curl Head

        The American Curl head shape is a modified wedge, moderately longer than wide.

        The profile begins with a firm chin even with nose, nose straight (no bump) slight rise from the bottom of the eyes to the forehead with no nose break , gentle curve from the forehead to top of the head (neither rounded dome or flat plane).

        Muzzle is rounded (neither pointed or square), gentle transition (no whisker break).

        The eyes are moderately large, walnut shape (oval on top and round on the bottom), centered on face, equal distance from tip of nose to base of ear, one eye width apart.

      The American Curl Ears

        Ears are moderately large, set equally on top an sides of head and curling back in a smooth arc (no abrupt change of direction).

        The Show Curl is a 90 degree arc or better, not to exceed 180 degrees (no preferred degree of curl). Ear tips are rounded and flexible 9 (no heavy cartilage) pointing to center of back of skull when viewing ears from the back. Ear base is open and wide with firm cartilage at least 1/3 height of ear. Ear furnishings and lynx tips are desirable.

      The American Curl Body

        Body Shape is semi-foreign, a (slender) rectangle with a length 1 1/2 times the height at the shoulders, with a medium depth of chest and flank.

        The FEMALE should weigh 5 to 7 pounds, while the MALE should weigh 7 to 10 pounds. Maturety is reached between 2 1/2 and 3 years.

        Musculature should be moderately developed with both tone and strength without coarseness.

        The tail should be wide at the base and tapering. The tail length should equal the body length.

        Legs medium boning, straight when viewed front and rear. Feet medium and rounded. Neck long and graceful.

      The American Curl Coat

        The longhair coat should be fine, silky, laying flat, with minimal undercoat, length 2 to 3 1/2 inches, tail coat full and plumed. The shorthair coat should be soft, silky, laying flat (neither plush or dense), with minimal undercoat, tail coat same length as body coat.

      Undesirable Traits

        Allowances are made for normal male characteristics.

        Severe faults include ears low set, abrupt change of direction without a smooth arc, pinched horizontal or vertical crimp, mismatched, interior surface appears corrugated. Body tubular, cobby, excessively large or coarse. Longhair heavy undercoat, heavy ruff, coarse or cottony texture. Shorthair heavy undercoat, dense or plush feel. Unacceptable traits include an extreme curl in adult where tip of ear touches back of ear or head, straight or severely mismatched ears, lack of firm cartilage in base of ear, and ALL TAIL FAULTS!!!




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