One of the newest breeds, this naturally curly cat originated
from a housecat, Miss DePesto of Noface, found in a
shelter in Montana. Given to Persian breeder, Jeri
Newman of Montana, who bred her to PhotoFinish of
Deekay, a black Persian. "Pest" produced
three curly kittens out of six – proving that
unlike the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex, Pest's
mutation was dominant. Because the gene is dominant,
curly kittens can be born in the same litter with
straight haired kittens.
The Selkirk Rex is
being developed as a large, heavy boned cat rather
like the British Shorthair in conformation. The head
is round with no flat planes. The curl is plush and
loosely curled, showing up more dramatically on the
longhair. Selkirks are healthy and sturdy. They are
an incredibly patient, loving, and tolerant cats.
From the moment of birth, curly kittens can be
distinguished from their straight haired littermates
by their curly whiskers. The whiskers are brittle
and may break as they grow longer. The whiskers and
hair do not change as the cat grows older; if they
are curly at birth, they are curly as an adult. Even
if the coat later shows less curl, the cat has the
curly gene and retains the curly whiskers.
A mature male or
spayed female will have the best coat. In the best
examples, the curling is strongest on the flanks,
tummy and around the neck, with some curl on the
back. The back of a Selkirk has the least amount of
curl.
Selkirk Rexes come
in two coat lengths: short and long. Each length has
a separate division within the judging process. The
care of the two different lengths of coats is
similar to that of either a short or longhair coat.
Brushing in either case should not be as frequent if
the curly coat is to be maintained. Shampoos that do
not coat the hair but leave the cat feeling silky
and clean are the best to allow the hairs to curl.
This breed is not
for the uptight organized pet owner. These cats'
humans must be prepared to take all kinds of hair
jokes such as: "The cat with the bad hair
day." "Why don't you groom your cat,"
or "This cat is our dip and dry variety."
Such comments lead to the hidden secret: they make
you laugh. Although they may not always win the
beauty pageant, they always win the title of Miss
Congeniality.
Selkirk Rex owners
are consistently stopped by people with anxious
hands wanting to pet and feel this soft, plush pet.
The fortunate humans are those who can take these
live teddy cats home for cuddles and hugs.
Pricing on Selkirk
Rex usually depends on type, applicable markings and
bloodlines distinguished by Grand Champion (GC),
National, National Breed and/or Regional winning
parentage (NW, BW, RW) or of Distinguished Merit
parentage (DM). The DM title is achieved by the dam
(mother) having produced five CFA grand
champion/premier (alter) or DM offspring, or sire
(father) having produced fifteen CFA grand
champion/premier or DM offspring. Usually breeders
make kittens available between twelve and sixteen
weeks of age. After twelve weeks, kittens have had
their basic inoculations and developed the physical
and social stability needed for a new environment,
showing, or being transported by air. Keeping such a
rare treasure indoors, neutering or spaying and
providing acceptable surfaces (e.g. scratching
posts) for the natural behavior of scratching (CFA
disapproves of declawing or tendonectomy surgery)
are essential elements for maintaining a healthy,
long and joyful life.
Personality Characteristics & Funny Quirks
OUR SELKIRK REXES:
~ Love to run
around a room and chase each other
~ Make funny
noises when they play
~ Like to lay
in sinks
~ Fetch toys
with their mouth
~ Purrrr more
than most other kitties
~ Can jump up
to 5 feet high to catch a toy
~ Will lay in
our laps for hours
~ Give lots
of kisses
~ Use their
paws to play tag
~ Make cooing
sounds when being affectionate
~ Love
playing with feather toys
~ Prefer to
drink water out of a human cup
~ Sleep on
our beds at night
~ Like
getting their puffy muzzles rubbed
GENERAL:
the Selkirk Rex is the result of a dominant, spontaneous
mutation that causes each hair (guard, down and awn) to have a
gentle curl giving the coat a soft feel. This is a medium to
large cat with heavy boning that gives the cat surprising
weight and an impression of power. Females may be less massive
than males but not dainty in appearance. The Selkirk Rex is an
active cat with a sweet and endearing personality. Balance and
substance are the essence of the breed, where all parts come
together in harmonious whole with neither too much nor too
little consideration given to any one feature.
HEAD:
Skull: round, broad and full-cheeked in both males and
females. Skull structure to be smooth and round to the touch
from the stop to the back of the head as well as across the
breadth of the forehead and between the ears. Muzzle: the
muzzle is medium width. The underlying bone structure is
rounded with well-padded whisker pads to give the impression
of squareness. The length is equal to 1/2 the width. Profile
shows a muzzle, clearly visible beyond the curve of the cheek.
The tip of the chin lines up with the tip of the nose and the upper lip in
the same vertical plane. Profile reveals a nose stop. The nose
has a downward slant with a convex curve and is set below the
eye line. Chin: firm and well-developed, balanced in
proportion to the rest of the head and should be neither
receding, protruding, nor excessively massive. Either level or
scissors bite is considered correct (level bite - top and
bottom front teeth meet evenly. Scissors bite - inside edge of
top front teeth touch outside edge of lower front teeth).
Ears: medium in size, broad at the base, tapering, set well
apart. Should fit into (without distorting) the rounded
contour of the head. Furnishings, if present, are curly. Eyes:
large, rounded, set well apart. The eyes should not appear
almond or oval-shaped. The outside corner is set very slightly
higher than the inner corner, giving a sweet open expression
to the face.
BODY: Torso: medium
to large and well-balanced. The substantial muscular torso is
more rectangular than square, but not long. Back is straight
with a slight rise to the hindquarters. Shoulders and hip
should appear to be the same width. Legs: medium to long.
Substantial boning. Should be in proportion to the body. Feet:
large, round, and firm. Toes: five in front, four behind.
Tail: medium length, proportionate to body. Heavy at base,
neither blunt nor pointed at tip.
COAT: Coat length:
two lengths - short and long. The differences in coat length
are most obviously seen on the tail and ruff. On the
shorthairs the tail hair is the same length as the coat
(approximately 1"-2") and tail curls are plush and
lie compactly around the tail. The ruff is the same length as
the coat fur. On the longhairs, the tail curls are plumy and
stand out away from the tail. The ruff hairs are also longer
and frame the face.
SHORTHAIR - Texture:
the coat texture is soft, plushy, full and obviously curly.
Density: the coat is dense and full with no bald or thinly
covered areas of the body. The coat stands out from the body
and should not appear flat or close-lying. Curl: this is a
random, unstructured coat, arranged in loose, individual
curls. The curls appear to be in "clumps" rather
than as an all over wave. Although curl varies by hair length,
sex and age in an individual, the entire coat should show the
effect of the rex gene. Curliness may be evident more around
the neck, on the tail and the belly. Allowance should be made
for less curl on younger adults and kittens.
LONGHAIR - Texture:
the coat texture is soft, full, and obviously curly. It does
not feel or appear to be as plush as the shorthair coat,
however, should not appear to be thin. Density: the coat is
dense and full with no bald or thinly covered areas of the
body. The coat may stand out from the body but may appear and
feel less than plush, but not close-lying. Curl: this is a
random, unstructured coat, arranged in loose, individual
curls. The curls appear to be in "clumps" or
"ringlets" rather than as an all over wave. Although
curl varies by hair length, sex and age in an individual,
entire coat should show the effect of the rex gene. Curliness
may be evident more around the neck, on the tail and the
belly. Allowance should be made for less curl on younger
adults and kittens.
PENALIZE: Excessive
cobbiness or sleek oriental appearance.
DISQUALIFY: Extreme
nose break, lack of visible muzzle, malocclusion, tail kinks,
crossed eyes, obvious physical deformities, including
polydactl feet, no evidence of curl.
POINT SCORE:
Head (33)
11...Skull
11...Muzzle & chin
11...Ears & eyes
Body (33)
15...Torso
13...Legs & feet
5...Tail
Coat (33)
33...Texture, curl, & density
Color (1)
1...Including eye color
ALLOWABLE
OUTCROSSES: British Shorthair, Persian, or Exotic. Kittens
born on or after January 1, 2010 may have only Selkirk Rex or
British Shorthair parents. Kittens born on or after January 1,
2015 may have only Selkirk Rex parents. Sheepish Curls Cattery WILL
NOT sell a breeder kitten to a home where Munchin or other
designer varieties are being bred for fear that our kitten
will produce unauthorized designer breeds.
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