Welcome to 
       The American Curl  Standard   Website

​Purpose for this Site
This site has been started to provide a means of communication for Curl enthusiasts around the world, to provide a platform for breeders to ask questions pertaining to the American Curl and to explain the CFA, TICA, ACFA, and FIFE Standards with illustrations depicting the different features of the American Curl cat.  Direct comments and questions to the CFA Breed Council Secretary at enoc105@gmail.com.
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The information on this site compares the CFA,  TICA, ACFA and FIFE  Standards for the American Curl with notations of differences
The American Curl Standard for CFA, TICA ACFA and FIFE standards differ slightly, however, the differences are all very minor.  Basically, it shouldn't matter what part of the world the American Curl is being shown in, the cats should look the same.  The goal for creating this site is to unify the various "looks" for the American Curl around the world... That is, to eliminate the concepts of a Western US look vs. an Eastern,  US look, vs. a European look or an Asian look.   The American Curl is one breed.  With the use of the internet to assist in communications, AC breeders should be able to come together to agree on the characteristics for the breed around the world.  It should be noted that when this breed was originally founded,  the standards for the major associations were virtually the same.  Through the years, slight changes have been made to the standard for the different associations. This site compares the standards as approved by CFA, TICA,  ACFA and FIFE with notations on similarities and differences.  Comments are welcome for improvements or clarification of material presented on this website. 
Goals for this website are...
  • To educate readers on various aspects of the Curl Standards and to compare the differences between the 4 associations
  • To explain terminology used in the Curl Standards
  • To add clarity and definition to the approved Curl Standards. 
  • To provide a reference point grounded in the origins of the breed for young and future breeders so they understand the responsibilities as well as the goals of breed which are to always have the healthiest cat in the show hall and the most attractive cat in the show hall that best meets the approved standard for the breed.  
  • To assist new Curl breeders to determine which cats should be used in a breeding program and which should go to a companion home.
  • To assist Curl breeders to critique a competition quality cat according to it's compatibility to the show standard.
  • To educate new breeders on show etiquette.
What TheAmericanCurlStandard.com IS NOT ...
  • It is NOT a forum to complain about judging, shows, or other breeders
  • It is NOT a format to redesign the American Curl from that described in the current APPROVED standards
  • It is NOT a format to re-write the CFA, TICA, ACFA, or FIFE Standards
 
This site has not been established to promote any particular breeding program or specific cats.  It has been created by the CFA Breed Council Secretary for the benefit of American Curl breeders around the world and also as a reference for judges evaluating the American Curl.  We realize that without the "hands-on" experience of handling a Curl, a number of features specific to the AC can be difficult to describe verbally.  We will try to incorporate on the various pages on this site videos which we hope you will find helpful.   Cats used for demonstration or illustration will be referred to in terminology that will refer to the CAT ONLY and specific features on the cat and not to the cattery or breeder. Any reference or use of a particular cat is to demonstrate a specific feature.  Our intent is not to call attention to any one cattery or specific cat... either when demonstrating a positive or a negative feature.

Special  Appreciation
​We would like extend a special thank you to both Grace Ruga for her participation in providing training and videos for this site, and to Chanan Photography for providing many of the photos used for illustrations on this site.

Thank you...   Without your help this site would not be possible.

​NOTE: The video previously on this home page showing Grace Ruga (founder of the breed) demonstrating how to expect a Curl to be evaluated by a judge in a show has been moved to 'Evaluating a Curl'.

Disclaimer
​We need to add a small disclaimer regarding the videos on this site that we did with Grace.  Grace originally agreed to participate in helping us create this site to share her incomparable knowledge of the various features of this breed with the rest of the world.  Absolutely no one (and I do mean NO ONE) has the same level of intricate knowledge of the detail of the American Curl cat as both Joe and Grace Ruga.  We have had the privilege of spending time with the Rugas and being trained by them.  It was obvious that the great majority of the world would never be able to benefit from their knowledge and experience with this breed on a personal level so we convinced Grace to come over to our house for photos and videos so we could document some of our discussions for those people who will never have the privilege of meeting Grace or Joe  personally.
​It soon became apparent to everyone in the room that we had to just let Grace talk from her heart  rather than from a script or notes.  You will hear us interrupting her or restarting a video... these videos were shot without any particular preparation.  Also, the cats all needed groomed.  We had no idea which cats Grace would want to use.   Several breeders contributed cats for the videos.  We brought what we had not knowing which cats Grace would want to use until she got to the house and we started this process. 
​It would be nice to think if we could do this again, it would be better planned out... but I wouldn't count on it.  When Grace starts talking about the American Curl, all concept of time seems to disappear until your stomach starts growling. And as much as you may start with a particular topic in mind, the discussions go where they go.... It was all good information so we decided to use the videos in their raw form rather than to try to redo them or edit them. Anyone who has spent much time with Grace would tell you that every time you get together with Grace, even if you discuss the same thing you did last time you were together, she always seems to be able to add something new that you didn't cover before.  It would be a pity not to make her knowledge of the breed available to the rest of the world.  That's really why we originally decided to create this website.​  We hope you find the information helpful.

© 2017 ​This Website  is created and owned by Michael  and Linda Bull of Curl Essence American Curls.   Photographs provided by Chanan Photography are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced in any way without written permission from Chanan Photography.