The felines, which have been referred to as "cats in sheep's clothing," have made a splash on the internet in recent days, but according to Mother Nature Network, Poodle Cats, officially known as Selkirk Rex, have been around since 1987.
Last year, scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna confirmed that the cats had formed a genetically distinct line, and declared them a unique breed.
The signature of the Selkirk Rex is, obviously, its absurdly curly hair; even their whiskers curl at the ends. Since this curliness is a dominant gene, the Poodle Cat can be cross-bred with other cats and still produce offspring with the same poodle-like look, according to the Daily Mail.
The International Cat Association reports that the first curly cat was born in 1987 in Montana. There she garnered the attention of Jeri Newman, a breeder of Persian cats, who cross-bred her with a black Persian male. The majority of their kittens were born with curly fur, leading Newman to conclude that the gene was dominant.
Besides being a genetic anomaly, Poodle Cats are also becoming more and more popular as pets and are downright hilarious to look at:
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