What is American Wirehair?
{{Infobox Catbreed | name=American Wirehair | image=American Wirehair - CFF cat show Heinola 2008-05-04 IMG 8721.JPG | imagecaption=American Wirehair sitting in a cat show | country=United States | ticastd=http://tica.org/public/breeds/aw/intro.php | cfastd=http://www.cfa.org/Portals/0/documents/breeds/standards/american-wh.pdf | acfastd=http://www.acfacats.com/american_wirehair_standard.htm | ccastd=http://www.cca-afc.com/en/BreedStandards/american%20wirehair.pdf | otherstd=FIFe }} The '''American Wirehair''' is a breed of American cat. They are characterized by their curly, hard fur that covers their entire body.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rarest.org/animals/cat-breeds|title=10 Rarest Cat Breeds in the World|last=Goodley|first=Alvin|date=2019-02-18|website=Rarest.org|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref> == History == American Wirehair is a natural mutation of the [[American Shorthair]].<ref name=cca>{{cite web|title=Canadian Cat Association breed standard: American Wirehair|publisher=Canadian Cat Association|url=http://www.cca-afc.com/en/BreedStandards/american%20wirehair.pdf|accessdate=October 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207173922/http://www.cca-afc.com/en/BreedStandards/american%20wirehair.pdf|archive-date=2011-12-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> It first occurred as a random mutation among five litters of kittens born to a pair of barn cats in Vernon, upstate New York, in 1966.<ref name=kings>{{cite book|last=Geyer|first=Georgie Anne|title=When Cats Reigned Like Kings: On the Trail of the Sacred Cats|page=[https://archive.org/details/whencatsreignedl00geor/page/174 174]|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7407-4697-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/whencatsreignedl00geor/page/174}}</ref> The red-and-white male had a dense coat, and the cats' owner called local breeder Joan Ocea to see him. She bought the kitten, along with one of his normal litters of cats, for $50 and started a breeding program. As the population grew, cats were expo