LaPerm
Cat

LaPerm Cat "Baron"
photograph copyright Helmi Flick
Contents:
The Name | Health | Character
| Coat-the
gene | Occurence | Coat Types | History
| Breeders/breeding |
Origin
In
1982, the LaPerm Cat came
into being in an area, The
Dalles,
Oregon,
that is rich in Native American history. Native
Americans
have a very
proper, well reasoned and sensitive approach to nature. I am referring
to both animals and the land. They believe that animals and humans have
the same "value" and that we "lease" the land and never own it.
When you
lease land you look after it better for the next person. Both
these philosophies result in a less selfish and more sensitive approach
to others, nature and animals. What a perfect place for a new cat breed
to begin.
The LaPerm
cat came about by a spontaneous and natural genetic
mutation in
the birth of a female kitten to a tabby
barn cat (good stock). The barn was owned by Linda Koehl. The
kitten was one of a litter 6. She was hairless at birth.
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Unique and creative gift. Picture of your cat's portrait on this stunning painted feather, matted and framed at First Nations Art Store
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The
LaPerm cat origin is not dissimilar to other Rex cats or cat breeds
created from genetic mutations. In this case the gene that mutated
controls the creation of the cat's coat.
Although
it is probable
that this mutation has happened elsewhere and at other times, on this
occasion in 1982, when the idea of cat breeds was of greater interest
to the people of North America, the potential for the creation of a new
breed of cat was in place. In fact development began some time later.
LaPerm
Cat -
Tyler - © Helmi Flick. This cat was co-bred
by Jerrie Wolfe of Arohanui LaPerms (link at base of page)
It took about ten years from the discovery
of "Curly" (the founding curly haired cat) before the commencement of
the development of the breed, which was commenced by Linda Koehl, the
breed founder. Curly by the way is female. She had a
sparse short hair that developed into her classic Rex coat.
Importantly, she had a lovely balanced character and liked to be an
outdoor cat.
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Photo of Ch. Arohanui BC Yankee
Doodle
Breeders:
Jerrie Wolfe & Doreen McCann:
© DB
Curly's
first litter produced 5 hairless male kittens. Curly's other litters
had the occasional hairless kitten, which were left behind when Curly
disappeared.
Curly
coated
cats have no doubt also appeared in other parts of the world and are
probably wandering around a town right this minute but that town is
probably not in the so called developed world. In economically poorer
countries, there is less interest in the idea of individual cat
breeds.
Curly
coated cats are called "Rexes" from the Rex rabbit. The gene that
produces the curly can be recessive (in the Devon
and Cornish
Rex
for example). If the gene is recessive its effects can lay hidden for a
long time and spring up from time to time. Indeed in offspring of
uncharted births of Cornish Rexes for example it is probable that these
cats existed unrecognized and when they died that ended the line and so
the effect of the gene was made invisible again.
In this
cat the gene is dominant as for the Selkirk
Rex.
LaPerm
Cat -
Baron - © Helmi Flick
The Name
The tribe
who lived in the area called Le Dalles were the Chinook.
It is Native
Indian territory.
Traditionally they used French words incorporating the definite article
("La" in this case) when creating a new word. This custom probably came
from the French and Belgium fur traders who gave the name of Le Dalles
to the area.
Apparently, LaPerm Cat breeders sometimes give Native Indian names to
their cats.
Linda
Koehl, who started this breed of cat (and who lives in Le Dalles) says
that
the original cats reminded her of a bad permanent (in the UK we call
them "perms" - short for permanent wave, maybe you do the same thing in
the States). Linda originally wanted to call the cat breed "The Dalles
La Perm", but this ended up as just "LaPerm".
Interestingly the name is linked to the appearance of the Le Dalles as
well as
the appearance of the cat. Linda Koehl says that at the place where the
river passes
through Le Dalles, below the Celilo Falls, it has "rapids, ripples and
curls". This area is now covered with water because the river is damed.
The ripples reflected the shorthaird LPs and the rapids the longhaired
LP.
Return to contents
Health
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Photo of Ch. Arohanui BC Marcus Mocha Dandi:
© see photograph
There
are no known specific health issues linked to this cat breed. Jerrie
Wolfe says, "There
has never been a case of HCM, luxating petallas. hip dysplasia or Type
B blood found in LaPerms."
Character
The LaPerm
Cat is very sociable and they bond well with human
companions (i.e. people
orientated).
The Wikipedia author calls her a cat of "moderation". That seems to me
like a nice description and a nice cat. The kind of cat you need as a
reliable companion. Combining that with the interesting coat makes this
a desirable but little known breed. This is an intelligent cat
reflecting the fact that the breed originated as a barn cat.
Intelligent cats require more stimulation. This means this breed can be
more mischevious.
The breed
is being developed by the introduction of new coat colors and
patterns through selective out crossing to a wide gene pool and for
breed
health.
Out crossings are with non-pedigreed cats to replicate the origins of
this cat breed.
LaPerm
Cat -
Tyler - © Helmi Flick
Coat - the gene - maintainence
The gene
that causes the curly coat
is dominant unlike the recessive gene in the Devon and Cornish Rexes.
This means at least half the litter
will be born with curly hair if outcrossed. The Rex
type coat harks back to a king who had a curly
haired rabbit. He was King
Albert I of Belgium (1875-1934). He entered his rabbits into
competition and didn't win as the coat was unusual but the latin word
for king, "Rex", was marked against rabbits.
The genetic mutation resulting in the LaPerm cat's coat is not the same
as the gene that causes the curly hair of the Selkirk Rex. Also the
Selkirk was bred with Persians,
Exotic
Shorthairs and British
Shorthairs resulting in the same health issues that are found
in these breeds. This is not the case with the Laperm cat.
The gene
is provisionally denoted by the term "Lp". Each cat has its own
distinct brand of curly hair. The
coat can have
ringlets or a wavy texture. The coat is not silky but soft. It "drags"
on the hand like mohair.
The coat
develops over the first 6 months so it is difficult to predict
the final appearance in the early months. The coat should be cared
for carefully. The coat should be brushed and
coombed regularly, especially the long haired breeds. Bathing after
brushing refreshes the curl and does not damage it. It is inadvisable
to use a blow drier; simply towel off and air dry.
This type
of fur is not unique to this
breed of cat or cats generally. It is found for example on rabbits, hamsters
and horses. Return to contents
LaPerm
Cat -
Baron - © Helmi Flick
Occurrence
There
are numerous reported and unreported incidences of curly haired cats
around the world. They are less usual than straight haired coats so
stand out. This sometimes generates interest but not always and I am
sure that there are thousands of feral cats in the world with curly
hair
minding their own business without man's interference.
Here are
some examples from Sarah Hartwell's website:
- 1930
- Prussian Rex - East Prussia
- 1930
- Karakul Cat - USA
- 1946
- German Rex - Germany?
- 1991
(recognized) - Russian Rex - Russia
- 1950
- Italian Rex - Italy
- 1953
- Ohio Rex - USA
- 1959
- California Rex (Marcel Cat) - USA
- 1959
- Oregon Rex - USA
- 1969
- Dutch Rex - Netherlands
- 1979
- German Rex - Near Essen - Germany
- 1972
- Victoria Rex - London - England
- 1981
and 200 - Canary Islands Rex - Canary Islands......there are more.
Return to contents
LaPerm
Cat -
Tyler - © Helmi Flick
Coat
Types
The
coat can be short or long haired. All colors are accepted (by CFA).
This means any color/pattern can be found on a LaPerm. This is widest
possible range of course. Sometimes males have curlier coats than
females, apparently.
As
you can see from the pictures, the coat is not dense but "springy,
light and airy" (CFA standard). The coat will naturally have a messy
roughed up look (something that is fashionable for humans in 2008). A
shorthaired LaPerm coat results in a plumeless tail.
All coat colors that are genetically possible are
accepted by TICA and the CFA.
Sources (coat):
- Messybeast
- Wikipedia (genes)
- Jerrie Wolfe of Arohanui LaPerm Cats
- CFA (coats)
Return to contents
History
| Date |
Event |
| 1982 |
Breed started - Curly was born |
| 1990s |
Development of breed in earnest to
establish the breed and the breed starts being shown. |
| 1995 |
Recognised by TICA - new breed class |
| 2000 |
CFA accept the breed in Miscellaneous class
and LaPerm Society of America affiliated to CFA |
| 2001 |
Recognised by ACFA in Miscellaneous class |
| 2002 |
LaPerm cat imported in to UK from USA for first
time |
| 2003 |
TICA accept the breed for Championship
Status |
| 2003 |
Recognised by WCF (World Cat Federation) |
2004
|
Preliminary recognition by GCCF
|
| 2005 |
CFA accept the breed for Provisional class |
| 2007 |
First TICA shorthair champion - Arohauni BC
Marcus Mocha Dandi |
| 2008 |
CFA grant Championship Status |
Return to contents
Breeders & Breeding
The cat
registries sensibly control, in a general sense, the breeding
of
registered cats in order to ensure the wellbeing of both the cat and
the breed. The CFA and TICA only allow out-crossing (mating with
another
breed) with domestic long and short hairs (moggies in the UK). From
2015 the CFA have stipulated that no outcrosssing take place and LaPerm
be bred with LaPerm. It would be sensible to check the breeding
policies of the major registries if this area interests you.
LaPerm breeders may also
(rarely) breed Skookums.
Jerrie Wolfe, of Arohauni LaPerms says, "those
who truly care about developing this breed as a breed, only breed
LaPerms and do not mix them with Abys and
Somalis. Crossing LaPerms with other
purebreds is an invention of European breeders,specifically started in
the UK. TICA and CFA have turned down these types
of crosses several times now."
Anthony Nichols, the chair of the LaPerm Cat Club, a long-standing
LaPerm breeder and friend of the breed founder says disagrees with
Jerrie and says this about the LaPerm:
"The outcrossing of LaPerms with other pedigree breeds was well
established in the USA before the breed was ever exported to Europe.
CFA officially approved an outcrossing programme using Ocicats
(including Ocicat x Abyssinian hybrids). The offspring of these cats
became key lines in the breeding programme and are behind many LaPerm
lines.
The first country outside the USA where a significant LaPerm breeding
programme was established was New Zeland and it was here that an
outcross programme using Asian group cats was trialled and proved
succesful. Later on in the breed's history when LaPerms were imported
to the UK and other European countries the registries required
registration policies outlining which outcross breeds were permitted in
LaPerm pedigrees and at which generations. The cats imported to
establish the breed in Europe came from the USA and New Zealand so many
of them had cats of the approved pedigree outcrosses used in these
countries in their pedigrees.
Therefore these pedigree outcrosses were necessarily approved. The GCCF
is the registry in which the original rex breeds were developed so
there is the benefit of experience and a wealth of knowledge about how
to develop rex breeds through the use of outcrossing to other breeds.
The LaPerm Cat Club sees the use of outcrossing wisely with the
approved breeds as very beneficial. In addition, UK law defines a
pedigree animal as an animal with at least a three-generation recorded
pedigree. There are similar laws through Europe.
The practise in the USA of outcrossing to cats of no known ancestry,
therefore has difficult legal implications when applied to Europe. In
TICA a LaPerm show cat must have a three generation pedigree of only
LaPerms (i.e. All parents, grandparents and great grandparents) but can
have any breed in the fourth or subsequent generations. In CFA a LaPerm
show cat can have any cat of unknown origins as a parent (until 2015),
and (for LaPerms registered before a cut off date) can have an Ocicat
parent and Abyssinian ancestors preceding the Ocicat. In the GCCF
LaPerms on the full register must have a three generation pedigree of
only LaPerms (i.e. All parents, grandparents and great grandparents)
and can have only approved outcross breeds in the fourth or subsequent
generations. LaPerms with outcrosses at a lower generational level are
placed on the supplementary register; both can be shown.
The organisation with the largest number of LaPerm registrations is the
GCCF Approved outcrosses for LaPerm breeding are the Ocicat,
Aby/Somali, Asian group and Tonkinese. American breeders have stopped
using the pedigree outcrosses because they were approved for a limited
time period, but the LaPerm Society of America would like limited
appropriate pedigree outcrosses to be approved again, not only for the
genetic health benefits but also to enable them to work on breed
programmes with LaPerm breeders in other countries. American breeders
are already importing LaPerms to the USA form the UK."
Here's
a list of breeders selected only from the top Internet sites as
listed by Google in the first
3 pages:
Arohanui
Laperms
Located in USA and owned and managed by Jerrie & Ernie Wolfe.
LaPerm.com
Low
Traffic rank but came out top on a Google search
Aswani
PageRank
and low traffic rank but can't see readily where they are
located - somewhere in the UK.
Quite a few breeders do not make it clear where they are, which I find
strange. Breed Somalis and Abyssinians too.
Return to contents
Sources:
- LPSA
- Jerrie
Wolfe Arohanui LaPerms - A special thanks to Jerrie who
kindly pointed out some errors and made corrections, to whom I am
indebted.
- Wikipedia
- CFA
- Webshots
- Iams
- breedlist
- TICA
- Messybeast
- Breeders
Laperm
Cat to Devon Rex
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