Introduction
The American Wirehair is a cat breed resulting from a spontaneous mutation in the 1960s. The coat, which is not only springy, dense, and resilient, but has a coarseness to it, distinguishes the Wirehair from all other breeds.
The American Wirehair is characteristically a people oriented cat with an interest in its surroundings and is always looking for a way to amuse itself and its owner.
Physical Characteristics
The American Wirehair's body is medium to large in size. The females are usually smaller than males, but should not appear frail or dainty. Females should not be penalized because of size difference. The body should be slightly longer than it is tall and well knit and powerful, showing good depth of chest.
The American Wirehair's Coat is springy, tight, medium shorthair in length. Individual hairs are crimped, hooked or bent, including hair within the ears. The overall appearance or wiring of each hair and the density and resilience of the coat are more important than the coarseness, though the coat must feel at least slightly rough when brushed with the hand against the lay of the coat. The density of the wired coat leads to ringlet formation rather than waves.
The American Wirehair's head is broad, with cheeks developed in males, set on a well-muscled neck. The head's underlying bone structure is round with prominent cheekbones and a strong, well developed chin. The nose in profile shows a gentle concave curve. The muzzle is well developed with a slight whisker break.
The ears are medium sized and slightly rounded at tips. They are set wide apart and slightly off the top of the head, but not unduly open at the base. The eyes are large, almost round, bright, and clear. They are set well apart and the color should conform to the requirements associated with the cat's coat color.
The neck is medium short and denoting strength, but in proportion to the body. The legs are medium in length and boning in proportion to the body. Feet are rounded and compact with five toes in front and four in back. The tail is in proportion to the body, tapering from rump to a rounded tip, neither blunt nor pointed.
History
The first wirehair cat appeared as a random cat mutation among a litter of six born to two barn cats. This single red and white male had odd wiry fur. The owner of the cats called a local breeder of Rex cats to take a look at the kitten. She bought the kitten for $50, along with one of his normal coated female littermates, to start a breeding program.
Breeding between the two produced wirehaired kittens, many of which were sold off to other interested breeders. As the population grew, cats were exported to Canada and Germany. The breed did well, and in 1978 they were accepted for Championship competition.