AMERICAN CURL HISTORY
On a typical hot June day in 1981, a stray long-haired black female cat with funny ears mooched a meal from a family in Lakewood California and moved in. The Rugas never suspected that from that simple encounter and birth of some kittens 6 months later would grow a worldwide debate about the genetics behind those unusual curled ears. When selective breeding began in 1983, fanciers bred the American Curl with a eye towards developing a show breed. In analyzing data on 81 litters (383 kittens), renowned feline geneticist Roy Robinson of London England, confirmed that the ear-curling gene is autosomal dominant. Which means that any cat with even one copy of the gene will show the trait. Breeders wondered whether other genes would modify the expression of the curl gene and thus the appearance of the curl itself or even bring with it unwanted abnormalities. In December 1989 Journal of Heredity, Robinson reported finding no defects in any of the crosses he analyzed. Apparently the curl gene codes for a slight overpopulation of cartilage along the inner lining of the ear. This was truly an anticipated sigh of relief to the growing number of Curl enthusiasts as this information provided the pathway for a new and healthy breed--and one with an outstanding temperament. To pass the probationary muster that CFA required of moving toward that first step to Championship status. The curly candidates "walked across the conference table, sat in each of the director's laps, kissed them and that was it."
The American Curl was the first accepted for CFA registration in 1986, achieving Provisional status in 1991and quickly advanced to Championship in 1993. "Shulamith", as she was named, was that stray black cat and is the original American Curl to which all bonafied pedigrees trace their origin. Since the Curl originated as a domestic cat and to preserve it's unique identity, the standard was formatted around Shulamith's physical characteristics while paying special attention to preserve that especially-affectionate happy-go-lucky disposition as well.
The description varied the Curl just enough to distinguish it from all other breeds but most significantly it dictated that only allowable out-cross for the Curl would be non-pedigreed domestic cats that closely matched the Curl standard. This vast domestic gene pool diversity ensures optimum health, vigor and longevity with virtually no genetic defects associated with it. The first Curl to Curl breeding occurred in January 1984 with the resulting kittens born in March. A black and white male kitten from this litter became the first known homozygous American Curl, meaning that all offspring would have curled ears, regardless of his pairing with curled or straight-eared females. Due to their diverse domestic ancestry, Curls are available in both coat lengths and can be any color or coat pattern, including the rare color-point, which were initially noted in Shu's first litter. Both coat lengths are presented in the Longhair Division and in 1999 since more short-hairs started entering the show rings, they also started turning up in the longhair finals since they are judged together.
The American Curl was the first accepted for CFA registration in 1986, achieving Provisional status in 1991and quickly advanced to Championship in 1993. "Shulamith", as she was named, was that stray black cat and is the original American Curl to which all bonafied pedigrees trace their origin. Since the Curl originated as a domestic cat and to preserve it's unique identity, the standard was formatted around Shulamith's physical characteristics while paying special attention to preserve that especially-affectionate happy-go-lucky disposition as well.
The description varied the Curl just enough to distinguish it from all other breeds but most significantly it dictated that only allowable out-cross for the Curl would be non-pedigreed domestic cats that closely matched the Curl standard. This vast domestic gene pool diversity ensures optimum health, vigor and longevity with virtually no genetic defects associated with it. The first Curl to Curl breeding occurred in January 1984 with the resulting kittens born in March. A black and white male kitten from this litter became the first known homozygous American Curl, meaning that all offspring would have curled ears, regardless of his pairing with curled or straight-eared females. Due to their diverse domestic ancestry, Curls are available in both coat lengths and can be any color or coat pattern, including the rare color-point, which were initially noted in Shu's first litter. Both coat lengths are presented in the Longhair Division and in 1999 since more short-hairs started entering the show rings, they also started turning up in the longhair finals since they are judged together.