Permissible
- All colour varieties
No breeder is on record here yet. Portugal’s FIFe member club does not list this breed in its breeder directory at all, so an absence here says nothing about whether anyone breeds it in Portugal.
Medium-sized cat with distinctive curly or wavy coat ranging from tight ringlets to long corkscrew curls.
Originated in Oregon in 1982 from a spontaneous mutation in a barn cat litter. The first kitten, named Curly, was born bald and later developed curly fur. The curly coat gene is dominant.
Generally described as affectionate, friendly, gentle, intelligent, playful and quiet.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — PK Deficiency test; FIFe breed standard. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The LaPerm standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Curls and waves all over.
The coat should be loose and bouncy - a coat you can run your fingers through to the skin.
It is springy, light and airy enough to part with a breath.
Tightest curls in the ruff and the base of the ears, which contain all hair layers.
A mixture of softness and a hint of wirehair.
Characteristic for the breed is the non-seasonal moulting, which can be general or partial, leaving the cat with temporarily sparse coat or bald patches.
The coat has an almost unkempt appearance.
Notes
Permissible
Shortened from FIFe standard LPL/LPS — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2024. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the LaPerm breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
1 condition documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the LaPerm in general; any individual animal can differ.
The same inherited red-blood-cell enzyme defect documented in Abyssinian, Somali and several other landrace-derived breeds is also carried in the LaPerm, per UC Davis's own breed-tagged test list. It causes intermittent to chronic haemolytic anaemia of variable severity, from mild to repeated bouts of lethargy, pale gums, jaundice and weight loss.
What to ask for
Pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency DNA test on both parents
The same inherited red-blood-cell enzyme defect documented in Abyssinian, Somali and several other landrace-derived breeds is also carried in the LaPerm, per UC Davis's own breed-tagged test list. It causes intermittent to chronic haemolytic anaemia of variable severity, from mild to repeated bouts of lethargy, pale gums, jaundice and weight loss.
What to ask for
Pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency DNA test on both parents