American Curl cats are active cats with unique ears. Their ears curl back from the fronts of their heads, and they have tufts of hair that sweep out from the ears. Medium sized cats, American Curls usually weigh around 7 to 11 pounds. They come in both long-haired and short-haired varieties. In addition to the distinctive ears, the long-haired American Curl also has a distinctly plumed tail. American Curls are even tempered, friendly and sociable, and get along well with other pets as well as with children.

When they are born, all American Curl kittens have straight ears. Starting around two to ten days after birth, their ears begin to curl back. The ears usually curl very tightly at first and then gradually loosen. For a while, it may even seem like their ears change on a daily basis. An American Curl’s ears may actually continue to change for the first four months of the cat’s life. By four months of age, the ears are generally set in the presentation they will keep.

The American Curl breed can be traced back to a single cat in California. A stray longhaired female black cat with unusual ears was found by Joe and Grace Ruga in Lakewood, California. This cat, named Shulamith, is the foundation of the American Curl breed. Two of the four kittens in her first known litter had the same curly ears as Shulamith. A geneticist identified this as a spontaneous mutation, in which the gene that causes the curled ears is a single dominant pattern of mutation.

American Curls require very little grooming, since they have minimal undercoat. This is the case for both the long-haired and short-haired varieties. The only grooming they need is regular brushing, particularly for the longhaired variety, and occasional bathing. The cartilage in the ear is stiffer than that of most cats and it can be damaged by physically manipulating it. It is important to use care when touching the American Curl’s ears.

American Curls are hardy cats, and are not any more susceptible to illness or disease than other breeds. In fact, the American Curl is often generally healthier than other purebred cats. American Curl kittens generally cost around $200 to $500 from a breeder.