The American Curl is a regular looking cat except for the curled-back ears. The body shape is called ‘semi-foreign’ (standard). Appearance is well-balanced. There is the widest range of coat types. The ears curl back in a smooth arc. At birth the ears are straight. At around 2-10 days they begin to curl. Then there is a 16 week stage during which the ears develop the curl. The ears should curl at 90-180 degrees and not touch the head to be show cat standard. Pet quality cats have ears that curl slightly at the very tips of the ears. This is called first degree curl. Second degree curl is an arc from between 45 degrees to 90 degrees. These can be breeding cats but not show cats. Show cats have third degree curl from 90 to 180 degrees. This cat is even-tempered and fairly quiet. The breed was discovered in 1981.
