| Country of Origin: | United States |
| Colors: | All coat colours, patterns and colour combinations (including white markings) |
| Average Size: | Weight: 6 – 16 lbs ( 2.7 – 7.2 kg) Length: Medium to Large |
| Life Span: | 10 – 15 years |
| Coat: | Rex (Short/Long) |
| Personality: | It revels and shines when it is surrounded by people, and hates to be left alone. |
| Characteristics: | Energy: Active Talkative: Little Kid Friendly: Yes Allergic: No |
Even though there are many Rex cat breeds, the Selkirk Rex is quite distinctive from them all. The hair length of these cats is quite normal, unlike the one seen on Devon Rex and Cornish Rex. There are shorthair and longhair Selkirk Rex cats. The genes of this cat breed act like incomplete dominant.
The Selkirk cats origin from Montana, USA. They date since 1987, when a kitten with unusual coat was born in a litter of a cat that got rescued by Jeri Newman. He named the kitten Miss De Pesto and she was the founder of the breed. Later on, this cat was mated with a Persian male and the result were there Selkirk Rex kittens.
This cat breed can have cats with short and long coat. This cat breed is large and solidly built, and is very similar to British Shorthair. The fur of these cats is very soft and silky, with a woolly look and unstructured curls. The head is round; the eyes are big and round. Selkirk Rex cats have medium sized ears.
Some of the cat breeds that have been used as outcrosses during the development of the Selkirk Rex are – British Shorthair, Exotics, Himalayans, Persians and American Shorthair. Today, American Shorthair is not used any more in outcrosses. The Selkirk Rex was accepted by the ICA in 1992, by the ACFA in 1998, and by CFA in 2000.
Selkirk Rex cats are accepted in all colors which includes sepia, lilac, chocolate, smoke, albinism, bicolour, etc. The Selkirk Rex’s have dense coat, and they shed a lot. Because of this, this cat breed is definitely not recommended for people who suffer from allergies and who might be allergic to cats.
These cats are very reserved, but have a very cuddly nature the same as Persian cats. They are also very active and playful.
As for now, there are no known health problems that are specific to this cat breed. Some of them have a tendency towards excessive greasiness of the coat, which means that regular bathing is necessary. Some health problems can be inherited from outcross breeds though, such as for example hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and polycystic kidney disease.
