Poodle Cat A New Breed Caused By Gene Mutation, ‘A Cat In Sheep's Clothing’

The poodle cat is now a breed of its own, nine generations after it first appeared, according to researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. The poodle cat, officially known as Selkirk Rex, is a distinct curly haired cat breed caused by a gene mutation.

Their thick, curly coats have earned them the nickname "cats in sheep's clothing," The Daily Mail reports.

A breeder of Persian cats, Jeri Newman, adopted a kitten born to a feral cat in Montana in 1987, and named her "Miss DePesto" after the curly-haired character in the American television show "Moonlighting," reports Mother Nature Network.

Miss DePesto's curls were the result of a spontaneous gene mutation that only affected her out of the litter, The Daily Mail reports.

Now, 25 years and nine generations of curly furred cats later, researchers have confirmed that the cats are a genetically distinct breed, Yahoo! reports.

Sometimes called "a cat in sheep's clothing," the Selkirk Rex's signature fur is caused by a genetic mutation. The curly hair is a dominant trait, so the cats can be crossbred to maintain genetic diversity while still retaining the signature fur. 

According to The Daily Mail, the Selkirk Rex also has long-haired varieties and in a wide range of colors.

The cats in sheep's clothing are not suitable for people with allergies as they frequently shed their coat.

The study, titled "Selkirk Rex: morphological and genetic characterization of a new cat breed," explains the phenomenon: "Rexoid, curly hair mutations have been selected to develop new domestic cat breeds. The Selkirk Rex [or poodle cat] is the most recently established curly-coated cat breed originating from a spontaneous mutation that was discovered in the United States in 1987. Unlike the earlier and well-established Cornish and Devon Rex breeds with curly-coat mutations, the Selkirk Rex mutation is suggested as autosomal dominant and has a different curl phenotype."