Photo above is a seal lynx point,  GC RW Curl EssenceThe Right Hand of the Lord.  (We call him "Handyman")

Welcome to the Curl Essence 
American Curl Cat Website

The American Curl cat is becoming more popular as more people are learning about this unique and special breed of cats. Curl Essence has been an American Curl breeder since 2004.  We began with 3 American Curl kittens from champion lines from a well know American Curl breeder in NY. As we learned more about the CFA Standard for the American Curl, we connected with Grace and Joe Ruga, founders of the breed and incorporated 2 of their queens to improve our lines in our breeding program. Since then, Grace and Joe have been our mentors and good friends.  With their guidance, we have become one of the top AC breeders in the world showing in both CFA and TICA.  Mike was elected Breed Council Secretary for AC breed in CFA in 2014 and Linda was elected to the Breed Committee in TICA in 2017.  We did a major overhaul to the CFA "Breed Presentation" for the American Curl in 2015 which is a power point presentation to train CFA judges on how the breed should be evaluated at cat shows.  When Linda was elected to the 3 person Breed Committee for TICA in 2017, she worked with both Grace and Joe Ruga (the other 2 Breed Committee members) to update the American Curl Standard for TICA.
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​Our About Us page is the short version of how we started as a casual American Curl breeder to one of the top American Curl Breeders in the world actively showing in both CFA and TICA.  

For information regarding our American Curl Cats ...  Contact us by email  at [email protected]
or 
by phone at   951 743 8230 
Below is a slideshow of some of our favorite kitty photos. Hope you enjoy the slideshow.
The American Curl is frequently described as
"The Dog in Cat Fur"...
or
"The Peter Pan of Cats"
Because they never outgrow their playfulness

Curl Essence Tiana in Thailand
We are incredibly proud of Tiana.  Tiana is showing in Thailand.  In her first show as a kitten she got 8th Best and 9th Best Kitten with a class of 57 kittens.
In her 2nd show, now showing as an adult, she got (1) 2nd Best, (3) 3rd Best, and (2) 10th Best.  Please take a minute to check out her awards on our Shows Attending page.

Congrats to Kathleen in Canada

Big CONGRATULATIONS!!! to Kathleen in Canada.  She is showing  Curl Essence Lexie of Curlfolie.  Lexie is a Champion in CCC (Canadian registry).  Lexie was given Best Cat in Show at a 2 day show in Quebec.  Kathleen is also showing a Grand Champion named Curl Essence Sunny of Curlfolie.  After Kathleen had granded Sunny, she asked us for another show/breed.  Kathleen was willing to wait for us to find just the right cat for her.  We decided Lexie would be that girl.  I'm so glad she waited.  Kathleen has done a great job of grooming and showing these cats.
Click the link below to see more photos of Lexie.  Sunny is on our Champion Hall.
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CFA Cattery of Distinction

The purpose of the Cattery of Distinction Award  is to acknowledge Catteries that have reached a certain threshold of Grands.  

Best American Curl Breeder Award 

We are proud to announce that Curl Essence has been awarded the Best American Curl Award for 2016 by Vetery.com.   Vetery.com analyzed top American Curl breeders and cross referenced positive social mention data with top analytics platforms.  Our site "was a clear winner with U.S. pet owners over the last 12 months". For context, Vetary awards breeders with best-in-class online buzz, content, visuals, and most importantly, a strong cause and devotion toward their breed of cats.
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Mike was Breed Council Secretary for the CFA Breed Council from 2015 through 2023. Linda is a member of the CFA Breed Council.  Linda is one of 3 TICA Breed Committee elected to the TICA Breed Committee in 2018.  The TICA Breed Committee and CFA Breed Council Secretary are positions elected by all American Curl breeders in both associations. Grace & Joe Ruga (founders of the breed) and Linda were elected to the Breed Committee by Curl breeders and remain on the committee to this day.