- Permissible: All colour varieties and patterns
About the American Curl
Origin: United States
- Typical life span
- 12-16 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 3.2-5 kg
- Height
- 23-30 cm
- Registry status
- Recognised by TICA
- Breed group
- Short/Long-hair
- Origin
- United States
- Known hereditary risks
- 1 documented condition, with the test for each
About
What is a American Curl?
Medium-sized cat with distinctive backward-curling ears, elegant body, and silky coat. Known for its kitten-like personality that persists into adulthood.
American Curl history and origins
Originated in 1981 in Lakewood, California, when a stray black kitten with unusual curled ears was found. The curl is caused by a dominant gene. Recognized by major cat registries and known for maintaining a kitten-like personality throughout life.
American Curl appearance and size
Typically 3.2-5 kg and 23-30 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
American Curl temperament and personality
Generally described as affectionate, curious, intelligent, interactive, lively, playful and social.
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.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 1 condition documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the American Curl
What you get with the American Curl
- Commonly described as: “Affectionate, Curious, Intelligent, Interactive”
What you are taking on
- One serious inherited condition is documented, in eyes. The health guide tab has the test to ask a breeder for.
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Longhair: semi-long, fine, silky, laying flat.”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — PRA rdAc (CEP290) test; FIFe breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FIFe standard · American Curl
Coat and colour
As the FIFe standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
Minimal undercoat.
Minimal undercoat.
Notes
- Longhair: semi-long, fine, silky, laying flat.
- Shorthair: short, soft, silky, laying flat, resilient without a plush dense feel.
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FIFe’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FIFe standard ACL/ACS — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
TICA divisions
TICA lists the American Curl in these divisions. They are the registry's own groupings — usually hair length — not a list of colours: no registry we hold publishes one. Ask a breeder what colours their line produces.
- Longhair
Temperament
AffectionateCuriousIntelligentInteractiveLivelyPlayfulSocial
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the American Curl in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the American Curl
Known hereditary risks for the American Curl 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)Eyes
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA rdAc, CEP290)
Serious
The same late-onset inherited blindness documented in Abyssinian and Somali cats has also been found in American Curls; a 2009 survey of the CEP290 mutation across cat breeds names this breed as one where genetic testing is appropriate.
What to ask for
UC Davis VGL PRA rdAc (CEP290) DNA test result, on both parents
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where American Curl owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Kittens
No kittens listed right now
That is not the same as none existing. Publishing a litter is part of a breeder's subscription here, so a American Curl breeder can have a litter and no listing — ask them directly.
See American Curl breeders