Selkirk rex cat

Selkirk rex cat is an inquisitive angel in curled fur. The sprain of this cat’s soft hair is a result of a mutation.

Nature

Selkirk rex cat is gentle and calm cats, with a truly angelic character, they can lie on their owner’s lap for hours and purr. They are very contact and love the company of people.

Perfect for someone who does not like cat climbing curtains and furniture and destroying flowers. “Skirting” cats – there is nothing like stable ground under their paws, and even better a soft sofa.

They resemble British cats, but they are bolder than them, they welcome guests, they sniff and watch carefully. They are interested in surroundings and new products. These cats tolerate the company of other animals well, they like to play with children.

Selkirk rex cat. Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

• not suitable for allergy sufferers – its fur is denser than that of other rexes, it may be allergic
• he doesn’t like to be alone long, he needs a human presence to live

Advantages

• easy care
• He likes to play very much
• great for families with children
• a good companion for an elderly person
• extremely gentle, never shows aggression
• very friendly, also towards strangers
• clings to people, although he does not always like to spend time on his guardian’s lap
• a lot and eagerly purrs
• floor cat, it has less destructive tendencies, certainly will not climb curtains

Selkirk rex cat. Health

Healthy breed. There are no known congenital genetic defects associated with race.

Care

Care for both long-haired and short-haired Selkirk rex is not bothersome – just weekly combing the cat’s hair with a brush or comb for curly hair. These cats love combing.

You can bathe them from time to time. Before bathing, comb the coat, use cat shampoo and conditioner for easy combing. Gently wipe with a towel without rubbing your hair. Leave to dry themselves. Combing wet hair straightens the curls, but they curl again after a few days.

Selkirk rex cat. History

The breed appeared in the USA in 1987. She first spotted the first cat of unusual appearance, with sheep’s fur, in the nearby animal shelter in Bozeman (Montana) Jeri Newman, a Persian cat breeder. In the litter of 6 domestic kittens, only one female looked different. This cat got the name Miss DePesto No Face and her representatives of all Selkirk Rex cats come from her. Jeri Newman crossed her with a black Persian cat. Six kittens were born in the litter, of which three were also covered with twisted fur.

Exotic, Persian and British cats took part in shaping the breed. The curly hair gene is the dominant gene, both kittens with curly hair and straight hair can be born in the litter. Both can be short and long haired.

It remains to give the new breed a name. Selkirk comes from the stepfather’s name Jeri Newman. Rex – because hair twisting is the result of a genetic mutation, similar to other rexes.

Some breeding organizations distinguish between two Selkirk Rex breeds: short-haired and long-haired.

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Selkirk rex – Shorthair and Somali cats – III cat. By FIFe

• Origin: United States
• Character: exceptionally calm and kind, very gentle, friendly, balanced
• Size: quite large, adult females smaller than males
• Weight: 4-5 kg
• General appearance: strong, medium build, stocky, muscular and angular body
• Head: round, with a short mouth; expressive and full cheeks give a “puppet” look
• Ears: Medium-sized, protruding, set wide apart, wider at the base
• Eyes: round, large, wide apart; allowed any color, but should harmonize with the color of the coat
• Nose: clearly defined
• Body: massive, stocky, well built, muscled, of medium length; paws strong build, medium length
• Tail: proportional to the body, medium length
• Coat: short or half-long, soft, silky, fluffy, with an individual curl or straight hair; most strongly twisted on the legs, neck, tail and stomach; the coat is arranged in tufts and curls; characteristic collar around the neck
• Ointment: all colors allowed
• Activity: active but balanced
• Resistance/susceptibility to diseases: resistant
• Lifespan: 15-18 years

Interesting facts

Male and sterile female cats have the strongest twisted fur.

Kittens are born with twisted fur and twisted mustaches. They look correct for the breed after around 8-10 months of age. Fully ripen about 2 years of age.

Until the end of 2015 it was possible to combine Selkirk rex cats with Persian, exotic cats (until 2010) and with British cats. Since 2016, Selkirk rex cat can only have parents of their race as parents.

Currently bred Selkirk rex look like British or Persian – depending on which cat breeds (British or Persian) were used in the breeding program. Currently, the tendency is that the cats will be closer to the British cat standard than the Persian cat, i.e. they will have a strong build and not as flattened muzzle as Persians.

Compared to LaPerm, Selkirk rex has a more plush and dense fur. They are also different in the type of genetic mutation.