An American Curl's year is organized around 4.5 square centimeters of cartilage. Everything else is ordinary cat maintenance on a small frame: 2.3-4.5 kg, 190-220 kcal a day, one echo before two years, and a coat that needs a comb once or twice a week. The ear is where owners cause damage, and where problems are easiest to miss because the curl hides the opening.
The year at a glance
Weekly ear checks anchor the calendar. Coat work depends on whether you have the shorthair or the longhair.
| Period | Coat | Weight | Ears and health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-Feb | Short: weekly rub. Long: comb twice weekly | Monthly; small cats hide 200 g under coat | Weekly ear check; annual exam and murmur grade |
| Mar-Apr | Long: daily for 3 weeks through the shed | Every 2 weeks; cut 10% if rising | Ear mites peak with spring; check for coffee-ground debris |
| May-Jun | Short: weekly. Long: twice weekly, ruff and tail | Monthly; 3.5-4 kg is the working target | Flea control; echo if due (12-18 months, then yearly) |
| Jul-Aug | Bath only if greasy; dry ears afterwards | Monthly; heat cuts intake 10% | Swim or bath days: dry the ear fold, not the canal |
| Sep-Oct | Long: daily for 3 weeks in autumn | Every 2 weeks, the gain season | Dental check; nails every 3 weeks |
| Nov-Dec | Short: weekly. Long: twice weekly | Monthly; winter gain of 150-300 g is common | Heating dries air; watch for dry ear flap edges |
Ears: what to do, and what never to do
The curl is cartilage, formed by a dominant gene that bends the ear back 90-180 degrees. It affects the ear only, unlike the Scottish Fold mutation, so a Curl with a stiff gait has an ordinary cause.
Because the fold narrows the visible opening, air moves less and wax sits longer. Check weekly: lift the flap, look at the skin inside the ear leather, and note color, smell, and whether the cat flinches. Wipe the visible outer ear and the fold with a dry soft cloth or a pet ear wipe. No cotton buds in the canal, no plucking ear hair at home, and no alcohol or vinegar mixes on a cat with any discharge.
Handle the ear by the base of the skull, not by the flap. Grabbing the ear leather to move the cat is how hematomas start: a blood vessel in the flap ruptures, the ear swells into a soft pillow within 12-24 hours, and it needs drainage plus a stitch or a drain, then 2-3 weeks in a cone. The whole sequence is preventable by picking the cat up under the chest.
Coat: two variants, one rule
Shorthairs need a rubber brush once a week for five minutes; the coat is close and does not mat. Longhairs need a metal comb twice a week, plus daily for three weeks in spring and three in autumn, working the ruff, the britches, and the tail, where the longhair version tangles first. Both variants need nails every 3 weeks and a bath only when the coat is greasy or soiled, at most every 6-8 weeks.
After any bath, dry the ear fold with a towel and let the cat shake out the canal; do not insert anything to dry it. Longhairs should also have the hair around the ear base trimmed short by a groomer if it holds wax or food.
Weight: small frame, large appetite
Females are 2.3-3.6 kg and males 3.2-4.5 kg, which is a small frame. A 3.5-4 kg adult needs 190-220 kcal a day, split into two meals, on a measured scoop, with treats capped at 10%, about 20 kcal. This is a sociable cat that asks at the table, and it is easy to add 100 kcal a day without noticing, which is 500 g in five weeks.
Weigh monthly and use body condition as the primary check. Ribs under a thin layer, waist visible from above, and a tuck behind the ribs. If the cat is over, cut 15% and add a play session rather than switching to a light formula, which usually just makes the asking louder.
Screening: heart, and the ear history
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy appears at low frequency in the breed and has no DNA test, so echocardiography is the control. Baseline at 12-18 months, then every 12-18 months. Ask for the murmur grade in writing each year: grade 3 or louder, or a resting respiratory rate above 30 breaths a minute on three checks, means an echo within two weeks. Open-mouth breathing, blue gums, or hind legs that drag are emergency signs.
The other screening is a log, not a test. Note every ear event with a date: one episode of head shaking, one course of drops, one mite treatment. Two episodes in six months, or any episode that needed more than 10 days of treatment, is worth an otoscopic exam and a cytology swab rather than another round of the same drops.
Interaction: ten minutes, twice, done properly
One or two sessions of 10 minutes a day plus climbing furniture and a window seat cover the exercise need. It does not need an athletics schedule, but boredom appears as 2 am yowling and pawing at closed doors.
Handling matters more than play here. Teach children to stroke the back and chin, never the ear flaps, and to sit on the floor rather than carry the cat. Skip tight collars that rub the ear base, and keep the cat out of tight gaps in furniture.
Six mistakes that hurt this breed
- Cleaning the ear canal with a cotton bud because the fold looks dirty.
- Folding the ear back to "check the curl", which stresses cartilage and teaches the cat to hate handling.
- Picking the cat up by the scruff or the ear leather.
- Bathing and leaving the ear fold damp.
- Feeding by eye and calling a 4.2 kg female "fluffy".
- Repeating the same ear drops for a third episode without cytology.
What to book, and when
- Weekly ear check with a written note of color, smell and flinching.
- Echocardiogram at 12-18 months, then every 12-18 months, murmur grade recorded.
- Monthly weight and a hands-on body condition score; 15% cut at 6 out of 9.
- Nails every 3 weeks; longhair combing twice weekly plus 6 weeks of daily work a year.
- Any head shaking past 48 hours, discharge, or a soft swelling on the flap: vet within 24 hours.
Frequently asked
How should I clean an American Curl's ears?
Wipe the visible outer ear and the fold with a dry soft cloth or pet ear wipe once a week, and never push a cotton bud into the canal. The curl narrows the opening, so wax sits longer, but the canal clears itself; if you see discharge, smell something sour, or the cat flinches, book a vet visit instead of cleaning deeper.
Do American Curls have cartilage problems like Scottish Folds?
No. The curl gene affects the ear cartilage only, and no breed-wide cartilage or bone disease is linked to it, so a Curl with lameness or a stiff gait needs an ordinary workup. The breed's real risks are ear hematoma from rough handling, low-frequency hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and obesity on a small frame.
How much should an American Curl eat?
A 3.5 to 4 kg adult needs 190 to 220 kcal a day in two measured meals, with treats under 10 percent of that, about 20 kcal. This is a sociable cat that begs at the table, and an extra 100 kcal a day adds roughly 500 g in five weeks, so weigh monthly and score body condition by hand.