La Perm
Fast Facts

All colors, all shades and patterns are accepted:

Solid Colors: Black, Red, Cream, Blue, White, chocolate, lavender, cinnamon and fawn

Tabby Patterns: Classic tabby, Mackerel tabby, Spotted tabby, Ticked tabby and Patched Tabby Lynx Point Pattern, Bi-Color and Pointed patterns

Check all breeds of cat Breed standards in your country

There are two varieties of the La Perm, semi-longhaired and Shorthaired cats.

Semi-Longhair: The coat is light, springy and airy. Texture of the hair can either be a soft curl, wavy, or tight ringlets, but all remain soft and bouncy and the hair stands away from the body. Both male and females can present with a ruff on the neck at maturity. There are seasonal variations in the length and fullness of the coat. It's important that the coat be free of matting, so it should not be too heavy or thick. The whiskers and the hair inside the ears may also be curly. The tail is furnished with curly hair.

Shorthair: This variety of La Perm has a coat that is wavy on the belly and back and the hair is short to medium-long. It has a moderate undercoat and here too the hair is light, airy and springy. The texture may be a little harder than those varieties with longhair. The tail is like a bottlebrush.

Note: Kittens can be born hairless, or with wavy or straight hair. At about 2 weeks, some kittens go totally bald, but the hair does grow back and is always curly. Coats can range from a soft curl to tight ringlets.

Body: La Perm have medium or moderate sized bodies that are fairly muscular and medium boned. They are surprisingly heavy for their size and as with most breeds the males are heavier than the females. The tail is slender and long, tapering from the base to the tip and is in proportion to the body.

Legs: The legs are medium long and in proportion to the body. The forelegs are shorter than the hind legs. Whilst the legs are fairly muscular they are fine-boned. Paws are rounded.

Head: The head is triangular in shape (i.e. modified wedge-shape), with gentle contours and rounded skull. They have high cheeks, moderately long nose, broad muzzle and a strong, firm chin. Jowls are seen in adult males.

Eyes: Large, almond-shaped (when relaxed) and round (when alert), expressive eyes that are moderately spaced. Eyes are slightly slanted towards the base of the ear. There is no relationship between the color of the eyes and the coat color.

Ears: Medium to large ears that are broad at the base, flared with rounded tips. Ears are furnished with curly hair inside and out and lynx tips are preferred.

Cat Breeders describe the La Perm as intelligent, inquisitive, gregarious and mischievous. Extrovert cats that are people-orientated. Whilst very active, with excellent hunting skills, they can be gentle, affectionate, companion cats. They enjoy a warm lap too.

Extremely demanding, seek human company and beg for attention. They do have soft voices.

These curly-coated cats do apparently have an affinity to water and playing in the rain!

Their coats need to be brushed at least once to twice a week. For complete cat care you may want to visit our cat care tips.