Selkirk rex

The Selkirk Rex is an American breed of medium to large-sized curly-haired cats whose “fur coats” resemble those of a sheep or poodle.

Characteristics of Selkirk rex

Country of origin	USA
Wool type	Shorthair, longhair
Height	23-28 cm
Weight	4-8 kg
Age	12 to 15 years old

Selkirk rex Characteristics

Basic moments

Unlike representatives of other Rex breeds, Selkirks inherit wavy coats in an autosomal dominant manner. This means that for the birth of curly-haired offspring, it is enough that only one of the parents is the carrier of the mutating gene.
The breed is bred in two types: short-haired and long-haired.
The Selkirk Rex has a rather thick, abundantly shedding coat, so it is undesirable for allergy sufferers to have such pets.
When settling a cat of this breed in an apartment, be prepared for the fact that a small but powerful enough “motor” will settle in your living space – the Selkirk Rex purrs often, a lot and quite loudly.
The structure and quality of a cat’s coat stabilizes only by the age of 2 years. Prior to this, the density of the “fur coats” can change, as well as the structure of the curls.
Grooming a Selkirk Rex is a must, so if you need a pet that you can afford to be lazy with for months, look for another breed.
With a rather docile character, curly cats are not without curiosity, pushing them to explore all sorts of hidden places. So look for more secure storage for cat treats than a wall cabinet in the kitchen.

The Selkirk Rex is a plump, big-eyed “bear cub” that looks like it hasn’t been completely dry after a heavy rain. The inner world of this charming creature is no less beautiful than the outer appearance: the Selkirk Rex is good-natured, playful and extremely sociable. This fluffy big man will not turn the apartment upside down and certainly will not release his claws if he is “gotten” by too hot hugs. After all, the main thing for the Selkirk Rex is world peace and good relations with those whom he considers his master.

History of the Selkirk Rex breed

The Selkirk Rex genus is very young, since its representatives took shape in a closed breed only by 2015. The ancestor of this fluffy clan was a baby born from a mongrel shelter cat in 1987, in Montana. Soon the breeder Jerry Newman found out about the “wrong” kitten and took the animal to her. The pet was nicknamed Miss De Pesto – in honor of the heroine of the popular TV series Moonlight.

The breeder crossed her curly cat with a black Persian, becoming the owner of six kittens, of which half inherited their mother’s rex coat. Having established that the gene for wavy hair has an autosomal dominant type of inheritance, and the probability of having offspring with rex hair is 1: 2, Newman resorted to outcrossing. As a result, until 2015, the Selkirk Rex was mated either with the British , or with the American Shorthair cats , or with the Exotics , periodically adding blood to them from the Persians and the Himalayas .

Fun fact: the Selkirk Rex is the only cat breed so far named after a specific person. Faced with the choice of how to baptize her wards for subsequent registration in the stud books, Jerry Newman settled on the name of her stepfather – Selkirk.

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Selkirk Rex breed standard

Outwardly, the breed has little in common with representatives of other rex families, if you do not focus on its coat. In particular, the Selkirks are much more corpulent than the Cornish and Devons and more reminiscent of the British with their plump cheeks and round, perpetually surprised eyes. By constitution, representatives of this cat clan are close to the cobby type, due to which they look like some sort of teddy bears. Some long-haired Selkirk Rex look like Persians – representatives of such lines are a little less common, but they also have their fans among breeders.

It is also worth noting that since the breed was bred by outcrossing (crossing with unrelated varieties of cats), a fair number of straight-haired kittens, called Selkirk Straights, were born. These are animals that have the type of constitution that corresponds to the standard and are sometimes allowed for breeding. Moreover, when mating a flat-haired and curly Selkirk, curly kittens are born an order of magnitude more than with classic outcrossing.

Head

The Selkirk Rex has a developed round skull and prominent cheeks. The muzzle is moderately wide, gravitating in shape to a rectangle, with voluminous vibrissae pads. The upper lip, the most prominent part of the chin and the tip of the nose are in line. When viewed from the side of the head, the stop is clearly visible. The nasal dorsum lies below eye level. Vibrissae and eyebrow hairs have a curly structure.

Eyes

Basic requirements for the eyes of the animal: large, rounded, widely spaced. CFA allows copper to yellow irises. Green and blue tones are acceptable for white and colorpoint cats. For snow-white individuals, heterochromia of the iris is also acceptable.

Ears

The medium sized and very wide set ears should fit into the rounded contours of the head of the Selkirk Rex. The fur inside the ears is curly.

Frame

Selkirk Rexes can be of medium build or grow to larger sizes. The body of the animal is not too long, close to a rectangular type in shape.

limbs

The legs of the representatives of the breed are strong, strong, of normal or large size. Paws are massive, round.

Tail

The tail is in harmony with the body of the cat. It is thickened at the base, with a rounded tip.

Wool

The “fur coats” of the shorthaired Selkirk Rex have a plush texture with a pronounced curl. The coat grows thick, there are practically no areas with sparse hair and bald patches. Mandatory characteristic: as far as possible behind the body, chaotically twisted curls. As for the shape of the “curls”, it is not wavy, but rather lumpy.

Representatives of the long-haired variety are distinguished by richer “fur coats”, which, although soft, no longer look as plush as those of relatives. The coat of the long-haired Selkirk Rex also lags behind the body, but has a finer texture, both in appearance and to the touch. The curls are arranged randomly and form clumping or annular clusters.

It is not difficult to distinguish a shorthaired Rex from a longhaired Rex. In the first, the length of the hair on the tail, collar zone and body is the same. Woolen balls are compactly located along the tail. The long-haired cat has a more lush, compared to the rest of the body, collar. In addition, his tail is covered with long feather-like hair.

Important: the degree of waviness of the coat of the Selkirk Rex is a variable value, depending on the state of health of the animal, climatic conditions and seasonality. All thoroughbred kittens are born in “sheep’s clothes”, but then they lose them to be covered with curls again by 8-10 months.

Color

The breed standard allows registration of all types of colors, including bicolor and point varieties, as well as sepia and solid white.

Possible vices

When breeding and at shows, individuals are rejected that have an overly refined oriental or squat cobby type, making animals copies of their ancestors who participated in pedigree outcrossing.

The nature of the Selkirk Rex

Selkirk Rex are good-natured, what to look for. They are sociable, easily fit into any feline team, without trying to take the place of a big boss in it, do not unleash wars with other pets and are always sincerely glad to any person in the apartment. Breeders of the breed claim that two Selkirks with similar characters simply do not exist: each representative of the breed is an independent person with his own set of habits and “tools” that allow him to achieve the master’s favor.

Unlike their British relatives, Selkirk Rex love tactile contact. They are ready to wallow on the owner’s lap for hours, and on occasion they will certainly try to climb onto his back, where they will pretend to be a fur collar hanging from their shoulders. Along the way, the cat will make a contented rumbling purr, signaling that the mustachioed scoundrel is infinitely pleased with his own antics.

The Selkirk Rex is alien to frank pestering, at the same time, cats also do not consider it necessary to strike at the hypertrophied independence. From short-haired exotics , the breed inherited a love for outdoor games and all kinds of teasers. Moreover, often Selkirks are ready to play even with those objects that frighten the rest of their relatives to the point of impossibility. For example, many breeders note the passion of the wards for working vacuum cleaners.

The descendants of Miss De Pesto are not timid cats: they do not get hysterical from harsh sounds and do not move under the sofa when strangers appear in the house. Moreover, cats have a certain curiosity that pushes them to make new acquaintances and establish friendly contacts with any two-legged creatures that come into view. Selkirk Rex are not impudent and behave quite correctly in everyday life. The maximum that representatives of the breed are capable of is harmless pranks, such as stealing food and unbridled curiosity. Quiet wrecking in the form of scratching furniture, as well as causeless grievances – all this is completely not about them.

Education and training

Selkirk Rexes are cats with a calm temperament, without great ambitions, so it is easier to deal with them than with other representatives of the mustachioed brethren. The main thing is to “catch” the mood of the pet – when the cat is set to play, he is more willing to learn new things. Various tricks of the Selkirk Rex are also on the shoulder. For example, on the Internet it is easy to find videos in which Selkirks perform small master’s “errands”: close the door with their paw, ring the bell to call the family for dinner. Like all cats, curly dogs will have to be rewarded and praised for good work, but this is the usual set of incentives in such cases.

Always build on your pet’s innate talents. If you notice that the Selkirk Rex likes to carry balls and candy wrappers in his teeth, try teaching him how to fetch objects. And vice versa – if the ward is not inclined to such entertainment, you should come up with another trick for him. For example, Yu. Kuklachev recommends connecting so-called fishing rods to the process, which are a thin rod to which a cat’s favorite toy is tied. By swinging this tool in the presence of an animal, you stimulate it to various actions, since all Selkirk Rex love chasing a moving object. It is with the help of a fishing rod that it is easiest to work out tricks such as jumping on a chair, running in a circle, and even somersault elements.

You can teach the Selkirk Rex to speak on command. Like all other exercises, this lesson must be done before meals, teasing the kitty with a treat, but not giving it away. As soon as the cat makes a distinct “Meow!”, she is given a delicacy. Weaning from the habit of demanding a reward after each successfully completed exercise is also necessary smoothly and when the number has been worked out, as they say, to automatism. For example, treat your pet twice, and after the third trick, just caress him.

The Selkirk Rex should be handled no more than once or twice a day. The best option is five-minute lessons that do not have time to exhaust the cat and bother her. If you notice that the time for classes has not yet come out, but the cat is clearly not eager to obey, it is better to leave the animal alone and let it restore psychological balance. Forced work is not for the Selkirk Rex, for all their natural good nature and complaisance.

Maintenance and care

Selkirk Rex spends most of his life in an apartment, where he should have his own secluded corner with a soft bed, favorite toys, bowls for water and food, a tray and a supply of scratching posts.

Hygiene and hair care

На протяжении жизни густота «шубок» селкирк-рексов меняется. Например, в летний зной шерсть заметно редеет, а зимой становится гуще и плотнее. На качество покрова влияют и гормональные изменения организма. В частности, у стерилизованной кошки «манто» будет богаче, чем у животного, регулярно приносящего потомство. Зрелые особи мужского пола тоже имеют более фактурную внешность за счет обильной шерсти.

The hair of the Selkirk Rex is fluffy and thin, so it quickly falls into unkempt clumps, especially in representatives of the long-haired variety. To prevent this from happening, Selkirks need to be combed at least 1-2 times a week. Usually, a classic rare comb is enough to work out the hair on the back and collar. The underarm area and the area behind the ears are best smoothed out with more delicate accessories. The cats themselves do not get high from the procedure for unraveling the tangles, so keep a sense of proportion: the pet will not approve of daily executions and will try to hide.

With thorough combing, Selkirk Rex curls usually straighten out, so if it is important for you that your pet maintains a wavy Rex coat 24 hours a day, add the final touch – moisten your palms with water and walk them over the combed cat’s “fur coat”, passing the strands through your fist and forming large curls. It is possible and necessary to bathe the Selkirk Rex, the breed perceives water procedures calmly and relaxed. By the way, after washing, animal hair looks especially impressive. True, it is better not to dry it with a hairdryer if you do not want to change the structure of the hair and straighten the cat’s curls.

Make sure that in the ear funnel of the ward does not accumulate too much wax, blocking the ear canal. The fact is that the inside of the ears of the Selkirk Rex is also covered with woolen curls, which make it difficult to ventilate the organ of hearing and stimulate the increased production of sulfuric secretions. So if discharge and dirt have formed in the ear, buy any hygiene drops (Bars, Beaphar, Pchelodar) and use according to the instructions that come with it. American breeders also recommend paying increased attention to the hygiene of the pet’s oral cavity, so it is better to purchase toothpaste for cats and a brush of the right size in advance.

Feeding

The Selkirk Rex is not a foodie and is easy to feed. Of course, the breed, like all cats, appreciates delicious delicacies, but it is not necessary to develop a separate nutrition system for its representatives. The choice will have to be made only at the very beginning, having decided what is more suitable for your pet: industrial “drying” or natural food.

Dry food is recommended to be purchased at least super-premium. Moreover, it is not required to look for a special variety marked “for Selkirk Rex”. Take any “drying”, focused on medium and large cats. A natural menu should be based on animal protein – beef, rabbit, turkey, offal. Be careful with chicken fillet – most individuals eat it willingly, but in some pets, such food provokes allergic reactions. Chicken intolerance is individual and not a breed trait, so if your Selkirk devours a chicken leg without any health consequences, there is no reason to deny him this pleasure.

Cat meat is given raw, but either pre-frozen or slightly scalded with boiling water. Boiled sea fish (fillet), vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, beets, cucumbers), low-fat dairy products – all this should also be present on the cat’s menu. Be sure to sow in a tray and germinate oats or wheat for the Selkirk Rex, the sprouts of which will provide the animal with a complex of vitamins.

Health and disease of the Selkirk Rex

The life expectancy of Selkirk Rex is 15-20 years. As for genetic ailments, their cats were provided with crossing with Persians , British and Exotics . By inheritance from ancestors to the breed can pass:

polycystic kidney disease;
hip dysplasia;
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Fortunately, in recent years, it is possible to acquire a pet with hereditary diseases less and less: serious nurseries do not save on medical tests and do not sell defective kittens.

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