Not every day does a new cat breed come along, which is as fascinating and captivating to the onlooker as the Selkirk Rex cat. With their curly coats and curly whiskers framing a feline that wants to be cuddled, by their very nature and look, the Selkirk Rex has definitely made its mark on the UK Cat Fancy. Within the pages of Our Cats you will have seen the breed mentioned more often over the last 12 months with show wins and a general increase in their popularity so we thought we'd give those of you who are still a little unfamiliar with the breed a quick catch up on the curlies’ progression so far.
Still a very new breed into the UK having been first introduced in 2002 by the 3 foundation breeders, Lisa Peterson (Trueblu), Linda Davison (Toreska) and Angela Mann (Kresant). These foundation cats were siblings bred in Austria at the home of Christiana and Karl Aichner from their Dam Db Gr Ch Serenitie Betty Boop of Courtlycats (Dilute Tortie & White SH Selkirk) X Sire RW SGC Conan Von Ebenthal of Courtlycats (Blue BSH). All three imports were quickly producing kittens to further the breed in the UK using the permitted outcrosses, British Shorthair, Persian and Exotic.
(Left - Count Basie. Middle - Call Me Madam, Right - Cookies n Cream)The bred had originated from the US in 1987 and is a naturally occurring mutation found in one stray cat. The popularity of the new curly cat in the US soon took off with their Championship status introduction to TICA and CFA. With the other Rex breeds at the time been distinctly more foreign in type this was the first large stocky cat to carry the Rex coat legitimately and that would appeal to those breeders and cat fanciers that enjoyed the more 'cuddlier' look of a cat.
The Selkirk Rex is the result of a dominant gene that causes each hair (guard, down and awe) to have a gentle wave or curl, giving the coat a soft feel. The coat occurs in both longhaired and shorthaired varieties. The curliness of the coat is variable according to age, climate, time of year and hormones, particularly in the female. Kittens are curly at birth but may lose their curl and develop a curly coat again at about 8-10 months of age. The coat continues to develop until about 2 years of age. It’s also common for curly kittens to also drop their cost entirely to later grow them back fully.
The Standard of Points for GCCF can be found on the Selkirk Rex Cat Club Web site, but to give you a quick overview of the cat type these are the main points to look for: The Selkirk has a similar head type to the British Shorthair except for slightly curved top of the head. The muzzle is of medium width with well-padded whisker pads giving a rectangular look. The nose is short, broad and straight with a downward slant. The nose break is neither too pronounced nor too shallow. The ears are medium sized, broad at the base and may be tufted at the tips, set well apart on the broad head. The eyes are large, round and well-opened, set wide apart. The body is cobby in type with a level back and may have a slight rise to the heavy hindquarters a little longer than what you would expect in a British Shorthair. Legs of medium length and substantially boned and the paws round. The tail is thick, medium length. The coat is the Selkirks’ main feature, it is thick and dense it stands out from the body. It is a random, unstructured coat arranged in loose individual curls giving an overall soft and plush feel. Ideally the entire coat should show the effect of the Rex gene but curliness may be most evident on the neck, belly and tail, Shorthaired or Longhaired in length.
