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La Perm

Breed Profile

The LaPerm gained full championship status in TICA in 2003 with that prestigious title of first LaPerm champion going to Dennigan's French Maid of Shoalwater. There is still much work going on by LaPerm breeders and owners to progress the breed to full championship status in worldwide major registeries, particularly in CFA where the breed has provisional status and in the GCCF where the breed has preliminary status.

The first LaPerm appeared in 1982 in an otherwise normal litter of farm cats in Oregon, USA. Linda and Dick Koehl had brought some cats onto their cherry farm to keep mice at bay and a tabby named Speedy was the mother of the first LaPerm who was born looking rather odd with a sparse, baldy coat. She soon grew a fine coat of curls earning heself the name Curly and was quite a character and a favourite with all.

Curly got herself into all sorts of scrapes, nearly getting herself killed once when she climbed into the engine of a pick up truck and was badly injured when it was started. But she survived and went on to fall pregnant and then to find herself giving birth under a tree in a rainstorm surrounded by the farm dogs. Linda was alerted by the commotion and came to save the litter taking them to the warmth and safety of a barn. She discovered that Curly had produced five sons, all curly too. It was thanks to the romantic efforts of these boys as they grew into adulthood that soon all the females in the cat colony were producing curly coated kittens too and before long there was a growing colony of LaPerms.

Linda did not act to develop the breed for a while, but eventually after so many pople telling her what wonderful cats she had she took some to a show and soon judges and breeders were joining with her to create a formal breeding programme from the unique colony.

LaPerms are affectionate and playful cats who enjoy joining in with the activities of their owners. They have athletic lean bodies with attractive faces which are wedge spaed with gentle curves and a prominent broad muzzle. The frizzy curly coat forms ringlets, whirls and waves all over the body. Both longhaired and shorthaired LaPems are bred and the shorthairs have a tail rather like a bottle brush while the longhairs have curly plumes and a fuller ruff. Both have curly ear furnishings. The coat has to be felt to fully appraeciate its texture which is soft but with a certain drag more like velvet than the silky feel of other rex breeds.

While the LaPerm's future is now assured it is still a rare breed, but it is growing in popularity as more people discover its charms.

Author -Anthony Nichols 2005

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