LaPerm Cats

LaPerm cats have characteristically wavy or curly hair. Like several other cat breeds, the LaPerm cat breed began with a naturally occurring genetic mutation. In 1982, a litter of farm cats in Oregon was born that would lead to the beginning of this cat breed. One of the kittens was born bald. Within the first two months, the cat grew curly hair.

The cat owner did not do any selective breeding of the curly-haired kitten. Over years, the incidence of kittens being born with curly or wavy hair increased. When people began to show an interest in these cats, the owner began to selectively breed the cats that were called LaPerm cats.

The coat of LaPerm cats can be wavy or have ringlet curls. The ringlet curls range from tight curls to loose, corkscrew curls. Some LaPerm kittens are born bald, but many have wavy or straight hair at birth. The LaPerm kittens born with hair go bald or at least partly bald before the curly coat grows. Some develop a full curly coat, while other LaPerms have thin coats. The coats of LaPerm cats can be long hair or short hair.

Many color variations are common for LaPerm cats. They can be solid colors, shaded, chinchilla, tabby, smoke, bi-color, colorpoint, lynx point, tortoiseshell, calico, or mink. LaPerm cats with chinchilla pattern coloring have a white undercoat with color-tipped hair on their backs, tails, flanks, and head. The possible solid colors are black, white, cream, blue, red, cinnamon, chocolate, fawn, or lavender.

The eyes of LaPerm cats are medium large and almond shaped while at rest. The eyes of a LaPerm cat appear more round when alert. Their eyes are slightly slanted towards the base of the ears. Unlike other cat breeds, the eye color does not need to correspond with the coat color. LaPerms can have copper, yellow, gold, aqua, blue, or green eyes.

LaPerms are people-oriented cats. Unlike other cat breeds that are happy to spend a considerable amount of time on their owners lap, LaPerm cats are also very active. LaPerms cats are very affectionate. They are often content to be near their owners.