Selkirk Rex

Unlike some cat breeds, where the origins have been lost in the mists of time, the appearance of the first Selkirk Rex is well documented. “Miss DePesto” was one of a litter of six kittens born in Sheridan, Montana in 1987 – the only one among her siblings to have a curly coat. Her mother was a tortie and white domestic longhair with a wavy undercoat. She was handed to a shelter who then contacted Persian breeder, Jeri Newman, who was known to have an interest in genetics. Miss DePesto was a Blue Tortie and White shorthair with thick, gently curled hair on her neck, legs, tummy, and tail, with straight hair down her back. Jeri Newman subsequently mated Miss DePesto to her black Persian male, Ch Photofinish of Deekay, in order to improve head type, boning and hair length to improve the curl. The resulting litter arrived on 4 July 1988 and included three curly coated kittens, and three straight coated kittens, indicating that Miss DePesto’s curly coat was the result of a dominant gene. One of the kittens from this litter was a black and white male called NoFace Oscar Kowalski. Oscar was subsequently mated to Persian, Exotic Shorthairs and British Shorthairs producing the foundation cats for the breed, which is called after the family name of Jeri Newman’s stepfather. The breed was initially accepted by TICA in 1992 and by CFA in 2000. Selkirk Rex first arrived in the UK in 2002 from Austria and the breed was granted Preliminary recognition in 2004. The Selkirk Rex Cat Club was formed in 2006, and Selkirk Rex was granted Championship status with GCCF in June 2009.

The gene that determines the Selkirk Rex breed causes each hair to have a gentle curl or wave giving the coat a soft feel. The breed is medium to large with heavy boning that gives the cat surprising weight and an impression of power. Females tend to be smaller than males but not dainty in appearance. The coat occurs in both long and short haired versions, and the curliness of the coat varies depending on age, gender, climate, time of the year and hormones, particularly in the female. The longhair coat is semi long and gives a tousled, unstructured look to their coat, with the curls most prominent on their flanks and underside with a curly ruff around their neck. The curls on the tail are plumy and stand out away from the tail. In the shorthair, the coat length is fairly uniform over the entire body, dense and plush in texture with curls; the ruff and tail fur being a similar length to the rest of the coat, with tail curls that are plush and lie compactly around the tail. They are sometimes likened to a teddy bear. Kittens are obviously curly at birth but may lose their coat and begin to develop a curly coat again at about 8-10 months of age. The coat continues to develop until the cat is about two years of age. All colours and patterns are allowable as is any eye colour.

Similar in type to the British Shorthair, the Selkirk Rex has a round, broad head with full cheeks; the ears are medium sized and broad at the base, set well apart on the broad head and may have curly internal furnishings. The forehead should be rounded and the eyes large and round. In profile the nose, which should be short, broad and straight, can appear to have a convex curve, and the medium width muzzle has well-padded whisker pads, giving a rectangular impression that should be clearly visible beyond the cheeks. The whiskers are curly or broken. The chin should be firm and well developed. The body should be cobby in type with a level back and a slight rise to the hindquarters, broad across the shoulders and rump. Legs are medium length and well boned and the paws round and firm. The tail should be medium length thicker at the base with a rounded tip.

With an endearing temperament, Selkirk Rex make wonderful family pets. Developed from British Shorthairs, Persians and Exotics, their genetic background is reflected in their personality traits – affectionate, patient, playful, alert and intelligent, they will be tolerant with respectful children and other family pets, including dogs. They love human company and enjoy a cuddle.

The Selkirk Rex is fairly high maintenance as far as its coat is concerned (especially the longhair variety), as they do shed and they need daily grooming with a wide toothed comb to remove loose hair and ensure the coat doesn’t become tangled, but care has to be taken not to over groom or that will reduce the curl. Some cats (in common with all Rex breeds) may be prone to a greasy coat and will require the occasional bath. They should have a slightly unkempt appearance, but should never be allowed to mat. Ears should be regularly cleaned once a week. It has been said that Selkirk Rex are hypoallergenic, but this is not correct. The average weight is between 9 and 16 pounds, and life expectancy is around 15 years.

Some Selkirk Rex may have a tendency towards excessive greasiness of the coat, requiring increased frequency of bathing.  Other health problems may be inherited from the outcross breeds used, including Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) from Persians and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) from British Shorthairs.  Responsible breeders screen their breeding cats for these conditions to minimise their impact on the breed. In the UK all Selkirk Rex registered with the GCCF for breeding are genetically tested for Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) or are from two genetically tested parents.