A rare American cat with a springy, crinkly wire coat, as calm and friendly as the American Shorthair.
In 1966 a red-and-white male kitten was born on a farm in New York State with a strange coat: stiff and crinkly, like steel wool. Every American Wirehair goes back to him. Under that special coat is a sturdy, muscular cat, built like the American Shorthair. It is friendly, playful and quiet, and stays curious into old age. It is one of the rarest breeds in the world.
Likes to be with its people and bonds closely, but is not pushy.
Some like a lap, others prefer the cushion next to you.
Loves toys and games all its life.
Moderately active: it likes to play and climb, then settles down again.
Quiet. It shows what it wants with a look rather than loud meows.
Clever and happy to learn tricks and games.
Usually friendly to visitors, sometimes a little shy at first.
Patient with children who are gentle and calm with it.
Usually gets on with a friendly dog.
Usually fine with other cats if they get used to each other slowly.
A working day alone is usually fine, but not long hours every day. A second cat helps.
Happy in a flat with toys and places to climb. It enjoys a safe balcony or garden.
Its wire coat makes the American Wirehair good for people with allergies.
No. Allergies come from proteins in saliva and skin flakes, not from the kind of coat. Nobody can promise this cat is safe for someone with an allergy.
The wire coat is a rex coat, just like the Cornish Rex and the Devon Rex.
No. The wire hairs are built differently from rex hairs. And the wire gene is dominant, while the Cornish and Devon rex genes are not.
The American Wirehair began with one kitten with an odd coat, on a farm in New York State. Breeders crossed him with American Shorthairs, so the breed looks a lot like that shorthair. The American registry CFA recognised it quickly. Still it has stayed rare, and in Europe you hardly ever see one: the European federation FIFe and Britain's GCCF do not recognise it.
A red-and-white male kitten with a stiff, crinkly coat is born in a litter of barn cats in New York State.
A local Rex breeder buys the kitten, Adam, for 50 dollars, together with a sister with a normal coat.
Adam and his sister have kittens with a wire coat. That shows the wire gene is dominant.
The American registry CFA accepts the American Wirehair for registration.
Breeders cross the wirehairs with American Shorthairs, so the small breed gets enough different cats.
At CFA the American Wirehair may now compete for championship titles.
Researchers find that the wire coat is not caused by the Selkirk Rex curl gene. Which gene it is, nobody knows yet.
Of the 41 breeds in CFA, the American Wirehair is the rarest.
Medium to large, sturdy and muscular, built like the American Shorthair. Males are bigger than females. What makes it special is its coat.
The same breed, but with a straight coat: thick, dense and of medium length, with a little crimp at the tail and in the ears, and still curly whiskers.
Recognition: CFA shows it in a class of its own, with the same points.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Tortie(f)
Brown classic tabby(n 22)
Silver classic tabby(ns 22)
Black and white(n 03)
Red and white(d 03)
Calico(f 03)WCF wants green eyes only in silver cats.
WCF allows any amount of white, from a little white to nearly all white.
Chocolate, lilac and points point to a cross with another breed; CFA, WCF and LOOF do not accept them. WCF and LOOF also refuse cinnamon and fawn, in any combination.
The very first wirehair kitten was bought for 50 dollars, together with his sister.
The wire gene is dominant: about half the kittens of a wirehair parent get the crinkly coat.
At a CFA show the coat is worth 45 of 100 points, far more than in most breeds.
The coat feels like that of a wire-haired terrier: springy and coarse, not soft. That is where the name comes from.
In 2017 the American Wirehair was the rarest of all 41 breeds in CFA, with the fewest new kittens registered.
An American Wirehair often lives about 12 to 16 years, though no study has measured it. There are no big health studies of this rare breed; what follows comes from breed guides and vets.
The heart muscle thickens, so the heart pumps less well. It turns up now and then, in some lines, as in the American Shorthair it is crossed with. How often is not known.
How it is found: There is no DNA test for this breed. A heart scan of both parents is the usual check.
Small cysts grow in the kidneys and slowly damage them. A few European sources name it in this breed, mainly in lines with some Persian blood. How common it is, nobody knows.
How it is found: A PKD1 DNA test of the parents.
Some cats have sensitive, itchy skin, mostly on the neck and belly. Light-coloured cats can get sunburnt. It is usually mild.
How it is found: There is no test. Check the skin now and then and see a vet for red patches or a lot of scratching.
Little work: a soft brush once a week with a rubber or soft-bristle brush. Do not brush hard or often, because that can damage the crimp. Check the ears now and then too.
Short play sessions with a wand toy or ball, and places to climb. Without play it easily gets too heavy.
It easily gets too fat. Measure its meals and let it work for them with a puzzle feeder.
The American Wirehair is not hypoallergenic; the kind of coat does not decide whether you react. If you are allergic, spend time with one of these cats first.
Light-coloured cats can get sunburnt. Give it a shady spot if it likes to lie outside or on a sunny windowsill.
Checked on 23 October 2026
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