History of the LaPerm
In the spring of 1982, on a cherry farm in Oregon, U.S.A.; a tabby barn cat gave birth to a bald kitten with large, wide spaced ears. Linda Koehl; the owner; feared for the kitten's survival.
Not only did the kitten survive; but about 3-4 months of age; it began to grow a curly coat and thus was named 'Curly'.
Curly remained a barn cat and for the next ten years; litters containing curly kittens continued. Even neighbors complained to Linda about their curly coated siamese and manx kittens.
It became obvious that the mutant curly gene was dominant. Solverg Pfleuger, TICA's head genetist; confirms this stating that the LaPerm gene is unique from the Rexes.
It wasn't until 1995 that the LaPerm was given New Breed Status by TICA. The LaPerm is still a relatively unknown and rare breed with only about 500 being registered since Dec. 2007.
