These Curly Cats Are Taking Over The Internet After All Descended From One Shelter Kitty

A snapshot of an orange kitten with curly hair took across the Internet last week. The photo was captioned, “I’ve never seen a cat with curls till today.” Well, neither have the majority of us, but the curly hair on the kitty isn’t a ruse, and here’s why.

The Selkirk rex is most likely the breed of the cat who went viral last week, and its origins may be traced back to a strange rescue cat named Miss DePesto.

In 1987, Miss DePesto was born in a Montana shelter. Her four siblings all had straight coats, but the kitten stuck out because she had strangely curly fur. Jeri Newman, a local Persian breeder, adopted her.

She crossed the cat with a black Persian, and the result was a litter of six curly-haired kittens. The Selkirk rex was formed when Newman realized that curly hair was a dominating genetic characteristic.

People started sharing photos of cats with curly hair, usually known as Selkirk Rex

Its origins can be traced to one peculiar rescue cat named Miss DePesto

The curly kitty was born in a Montana shelter in 1987 and has four straight-haired siblings.

Her curly fur was a strong genetic characteristic, thus she was adopted by a breeder.