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Selkirk Rex Cat

Selkirk Rex Cat
Selkirk Rex Cat

Origin

This breed is one of three breeds of Rex cats. The word "Rex" is a name that has through usage come to refer to the hair/fur of the cat (or for example a rabbit) that is different to the normal.

The Selkirk Rex cat differs from the Cornish and Devon in that the mutated gene that creates the wavy fur is a dominant gene.

This cat breed commenced in 1987 in Montana, America (by Jeri Newman). One kitten of the litter of a rescue cat had the mutated gene (and therefore the wavy coat caused by this gene) and she was housed by a Persian cat breeder and named Miss DePesto. Miss DePesto is the founding cat of this breed. Jeri says that the name "Selkirk" came from the mountain range in Wyoming. Selkirk is 60 miles south of Edinburgh in Scotland so that is probably the origin of the name of the Selkirk Mountains!

selkirk rex cat
Selkirk Rex Cat

Appearance

No need to go into a long description thanks to Helmi's photographs; except to add that unlike the other 2 Rexs the hair is of normal length (and therefore more noticeably curly - see photo) and all of the fur exists! (meaning all three coats are in place). Skip to details of the Devon Rex to see what I mean.

The breed has been developed into a solid and largish size breed with a round head with medium or long hair. The face is a little like a traditional Persian, rounded with a short muzzle. This is because in development is has been out crossed with American Shorthairs, Persians, Himalayans, Exotics, and British Shorthairs (BSH). The breed is accepted by the TICA and CFA. All colors are acceptable for the coat.

Behavior

Bearing in mind the development of this breed (crossings with Persian and BSH) the Selkirk Rex cat has a nice temperament. She is laid back after the BSH and loving and cuddly like the Persian, with a touch of the playfulness of the Exotic Shorthair. I mean, just look at the pictures on this page and you can sense the character.
selkirk rex cat
Selkirk Rex Cat
They tell me "laid back" and patient, friendly etc.

Notable Fact

This relates to the coat. Unlike for the Devon and Cornish Rexs this breed has fur that sheds as expected. As a result, for those who are allergic to cats this breed is unsuitable.

It would seem that some breeds may have been developed too far (Modern Siamese for example, on occasions) causing health problems. That is not the case with this breed, but it does depend on the breeder as to the health of the cat. However, there are no outstanding health issues.

Note though that the Persian (from which this cat was developed) has a propensity to Polycystic Kidney Disease (the health of Persian cats is discussed more here ). This should be taken into consideration by the breeder and screened out. The British Shorthair has a propensity to suffer from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Once again this needs to be taken into account.

The availability to purchase of Selkirks is quite limited.

Sources: