The LaPerm is a new breed of Rex cat that originated on Linda Koehl's cherry farm in The Dalles, Oregon in 1982. A barn cat gave birth to a litter of six kittens. One kitten was born totally bald, not looking like her mother or her siblings. It was one of the ugliest kittens Linda had ever seen! But within eight weeks the kitten began to grow very soft, curly hair. Linda named the cat “Curly.” Linda did not know much about cats and thought nothing more of the matter.
At four months Curly had a beautiful coat sporting thick curls. Linda found herself constantly picking Curly up because her soft fur was so inviting to the touch. Curly's temperament was also very different to the other cats. She was very affectionate but not demanding and would wait patiently for her turn.
During the next 10 years no attempt was made to breed Curly and her kittens selectively but the bald kittens kept increasing! Linda eventually realized how special these kittens were and began to confine and control the breeding. It became obvious the LaPerm gene was dominant since curly kittens kept cropping up even when crossed with unrelated straight-haired cats. She came up with the name “LaPerm” which means wavy or rippled in several languages.
The LaPerm as a breed almost didn't make it though! Curly was of course a mouser that lived in a barn on the cherry farm. One morning she climbed into the fan housing of a bakkie to get warm. When the bakkie started Curly got pinned between the blade and the housing. Linda heard a loud yowl and rushed to find her under the hood. Curly fell to the ground lifeless. Linda rushed to pick her up. All of a sudden she sprang to life and scurried from the scene with all her might. She calmed down eventually and was taken to the vet where they found only superficial wounds. During her recovery Curly was the perfect little angel displaying many of the qualities that are now expected from the LaPerm. She was very patient and made no attempt to dislodge her dressings and thrived on the extra attention she was receiving. Even when tape was pulled from her she made no attempt to escape, bite or scratch.
Curly had a second scrape with fate with her first litter. Maybe taken by surprised by the onset of labour Curly gave birth to her five kittens under a tree in the orchard during a rainstorm. The hysterical barking of dogs woke Linda up. She grabbed her coat, her boots and her torch and dashed outside to investigate. Following the sound of the dogs she found Curly straddling her newborns whilst holding the dogs off. Linda chased the dogs away and picked up the kittens. She put them in her coat pockets and then tucked Curly under her coat and took the new family into the barn, making a nest in a bale of hay. Curly had always insisted on being an outdoors cat and this unfortunately led to her eventual downfall. One day Curly stopped showing up for her morning visits but her legacy lived on in the curly kittens that had the run of Linda's farm.
