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American
Curl Cat
The American Curl cat 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.
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American
Curl Cat |
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The American Curl cat breed is the result of a
spontaneous mutation which occurred in a cat in 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 Curl cats descend from her, the
foundation female.
In 1983, the first American Curl cat was
exhibited at a cat show, and in 1987, the longhair American Curl cat was given
championship status by The
International Cat Association (TICA). In 1993, the American Curl cat 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 cat is a medium size cat with
no health handicaps associated with the curled ears. They are strong,
healthy cats remarkably free of genetic defects that affect many purebred
cats. The American Curl cat may have either curled ears or straight ears. The
American Curl may have three degrees of curl - first degree, second degree,
or third degree. The third degree is the preferred one.
The straight ear American Curl cat has all of
the loving personality of the curled ear American Curl cat but may not be shown.
The American Curl cat comes in two coat lengths - either long haired or short
haired. The American Curl cat comes in all colors.
The American Curl cat, while still an uncommon
breed, is found across the world from the United States to Spain, France,
Japan, Russia, and many other countries.
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