LaPerm breed guide

Affectionate, gentle and people-oriented, the LaPerm gets along well with other pets and children. It is not demanding but shows appreciation by purring as soon as it sees you coming.

Very attuned to its owner, it stays in your lap if you pick it up in the middle of play and sit down.

A background as a farm protector gave LaPerms a strong hunting instinct and high intelligence. They are drawn to human faces, reaching for yours with their paws and rubbing their heads against your head and neck.

Easy to train, they learn tricks and though active they are content as lap cats. They are usually not vocal but speak up when they want more attention.

Curls hold the hair, as in a Poodle, so shedding is minimal and mats are rare. CFA recommends regular combing with a rolling-teeth comb, which removes hair that is ready to come out and leaves the rest of the coat intact.

Some coats turn oily and benefit from an occasional bath.

No specific health problems have been noted in this minority breed, which has a genetically diverse background. Because the coat varies in length and fullness through life, CFA advises monitoring sun exposure, since bare or sparse spots may sunburn.

The breed began with one kitten born on an Oregon farm in 1982. Curly was bald at birth, with large wide-spaced ears and what looked like a tabby pattern on her skin and she had a full curly coat by four months.

Owner Linda Koehl, new to cats, realized she had a new breed as curly-haired cats multiplied on the farm. She began to control the breeding and chose the name LaPerm. CFA accepted the breed for registration in 2000 and advanced it to championship in 2008.