The first LaPerm kitten, named Curly, was born in Oregon in 1982.
Curly appeared on a farm owned by Linda and Richard Koehl in The Dalles, Oregon. She was born hairless, later developed a curly coat, and passed the unusual coat trait to some of her descendants. The family initially did not recognize the cats as belonging to a distinct breed, but visitors and cat breeders eventually drew attention to their appearance.
The LaPerm’s curls result from a dominant genetic mutation. Coat texture and length can vary, and kittens may be born with little hair before developing waves or curls. The breed’s name refers to the appearance of the coat, which can resemble a permanent wave.
LaPerms were later presented to cat organizations, and the breed gained formal recognition through the 1990s and 2000s. Curly’s birth is therefore the key date in the breed’s documented origin story.