The LaPerm's coat looks high-maintenance and behaves the opposite way. Those loose waves and corkscrew ringlets hold their shape with almost no help, shed lightly, and resist the tight matting that plagues many long coats — the one rule is gentleness, because rough brushing breaks curls instead of tidying them.
The Basics First
Work with the curl, never against it. Start by lifting and separating the ringlets with your fingers, checking the spots where friction builds — behind the ears, under the collar line and where the front legs meet the chest. Then pass a wide-toothed comb or soft brush through slowly, a section at a time. The coat will look briefly fluffed and slightly wild; within the hour the curls re-form on their own, which is the LaPerm's party trick and a sign you have not overworked it.
Bathing is occasional, not scheduled. A LaPerm coat can feel a little greasy at the roots if oils build up over months, and a mild bath restores the light, springy texture — but frequent washing strips that same texture away. Judge by feel rather than the calendar: if the curls still separate cleanly and smell neutral, the brush alone is doing its job.
A Workable Routine
One unhurried session a week covers a LaPerm:
- Separate curls gently by hand before any tool touches the coat
- Comb slowly through small sections, easing out tangles rather than tugging
- Pay extra attention behind the ears and under the front legs
- Check ears, eyes and nail tips while the cat is calm and handled
- Let the coat settle naturally afterwards — no blow-drying the curls straight
Kittens and newly adopted LaPerms may go through a patchy stage where the coat looks uneven; that is normal for the breed and not a grooming failure. Keep the same weekly rhythm through it and the adult curl pattern establishes itself without intervention.
Keeping It Going
Because the technique is counterintuitive — less force, fewer baths, no straightening — it is exactly the kind of knowledge that gets lost when a cat changes hands. A short written note in the profile, saying how this particular LaPerm likes to be combed and when the last bath was, saves the next owner from well-meant mistakes like daily brushing or heavy conditioners that weigh the curls down. That is the handover Transferrable Profiles in KinsLe is designed for — the profile moves on with its history, records and curl-care routines preserved, so the cat's next chapter starts from knowledge rather than guesswork.