Selkirk rex
The Selkirk Rex began with a curly-coated kitten in a Montana animal shelter in 1987, adopted by a Persian breeder and named Miss DePesto.
Unlike the Cornish and Devon Rex, whose coats are recessive and lack guard hairs, the Selkirk's curl is dominant and the coat is full — a thick, loose, woolly curl often compared to a sheep.
It weighs 3.5 to 7 kilograms, and it is a heavy, cobby, round-headed cat, because it was developed by outcrossing to Persians, Exotics and British Shorthairs. Temperament follows from that too: patient, tolerant, laid-back and undemanding. The outcrossing that gave it substance also gave it the health considerations of those breeds.
- Origin
- Montana, United States, 1987, from a shelter kitten
- Size
- 3.5–7 kg
- Lifespan
- 13–16 years
- Coat
- Thick, loose, woolly curls; dominant gene, full coat with guard hairs
- Temperament
- Patient, tolerant and laid-back
- Health
- Polycystic kidney disease and HCM from Persian and BSH lines
Related: British shorthair · Devon rex · Persian · Cornish rex · German rex
3 selkirk rex photos, newest first
Living with a selkirk rex
Ask for the PKD DNA test and for cardiac screening. Polycystic kidney disease came in with the Persian outcrossing and is definitively testable; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy comes from both Persian and British Shorthair lines and needs an echocardiogram.
Groom gently and not too often. Over-brushing pulls out the curl and leaves the coat frizzy; a weekly comb with a wide-toothed comb is right, and the coat should be allowed to dry naturally after a bath rather than being blown out.
The curl is at its most pronounced in kittens, relaxes in adolescence and returns with maturity. That cycle is normal.
They are placid and sedentary and gain weight easily. Measure food and encourage play.
If the face is markedly flattened from Persian influence, expect tear staining and dental crowding.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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