American Curl

  • Standard of the CFA
  • Standard of FIFé
  • Standard TICA
  • Standard WCF
  • [ not recognized at the GCCF ]
  • Standard of WACC

The American Curl is a breed of domestic cat.

The most striking feature of this breed are the backward curved ears. This feature is the result of a mutation. The ears feel rigid and stiff and are framed with fur.

Discovered in 1981, a California couple a long-haired kitten with strange ears. A little later, this female animal brought four cubs are born, two of the curved ears had inherited. The breed belongs to the race category II, the semi- long-haired breeds. There is a variant with longer and shorter hair.

For all American Curl kittens his ears curl after four to seven days. The final form is shown at the age of four months. The curvature of the pinna varies from animal to animal. The angle may be, in extreme cases up to 180 °. Nevertheless, their ears are highly mobile, the cat can rotate in all directions. Adult animals with normal ears make up a special variety, the American Curl Straight Ear. Hearing of cats is not affected by the Kräuselohren. You hear the same excellent as all other cats.

If both parents have bent backwards ears, then all offspring will also have rolled ears. If a parent has rolled ears and is homozygous but the other parent has normal ears, all the offspring will have rolled ears there. If a parent has rolled ears, but is heterozygous and the other parent has normal ears, then only 50 % of the offspring have rolled ears.

The ears feel rigid and stiff and are framed with fur. In principle, they like human ears are up. Two-thirds is ear cartilage and very hard and stiff, third is soft as with all other cats. Therefore, this part is rolling backwards. The babies are first born with straight ears. This roll up two to ten days after birth initially closely in order to relax in the next four months back and assume the typical adult animals ear shape. The ears are broad at the root, medium size, placed upright, the tips are rounded. They are externally set high and wide at the head. The ear tips are facing the center of the back of the head, a distinct curl is preferred. They are hairy inside and have ear tufts.

Important in determining the quality of the cat ( animal lovers, Zucht-/Showtier ) is the so-called degree of curvature:

Care

The American Curl is easy to clean. Their coat should be brushed regularly but anyway, so the silky sheen is not lost. For long-haired cats have to brush much more frequently during the twice annual moult. According to the breed standard American Curls have little undercoat and the coat lies flat, the collar is not nearly as strongly developed as in the Norwegian Forest Cat or Maine Coon.

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