In 1982, Linda and Richard Koehl's farm cat Speedy gave birth to a bald kitten whose coat grew soft and curly. The kitten was named Curly and grew up to produce her own kittens. Her first litter contained five similarly curled hair males. The Koehls did not neuter any of these males and they mated with all the females in the farm colony. After some time, a colony of unusual curly coated cats was present on the farm. These were found to be genetically unique and not related to any other curly coated breeds. This group of healthy, robust farm cats provided a good foundation for a breed that remains one of the cat fancy's most hardy.

LaPerms are cats of moderate build, they retain a natural look and are not bred to any extremes. They have lean, athletic bodies with long legs and a 'wedge-shaped' head with medium to large ears set to follow the lines of the head. They have beautiful expressive almond shaped eyes. Their most stroking feature is their light airy coats which are springy, standing away from the curls and ringlets. Even their whiskers are curled into loops. The coat texture is soft and inviting. There are both long and short haired versions of the breed. Longhairs have a ringletted ruff and plumed tail, while shorthairs have fuzzy waves all over and tails like bottle brushes. The coat is low-maintenance and low-shedding, requiring little grooming. They come in a vast range of different colours and patterns and no two are ever the same.

LaPerms are very affectionate and sociable. They do not like to be lonely and require human or feline company. They are lap lovers and love nothing more than curling up purring on their owner's lap while they watch TV or check emails. They are gentle cats, who remain active, kittenish and playful long into adulthood.