Selkirk Rex

Selkirk Rex - cats that lead their story from a kitten named Miss de Pesto. She was born in 1987 in Montana with a stray white-blue cat. According to eyewitnesses, he was distinguished by "very unusual" wool. The distinctive characteristics of Miss de Pesto were curly vibrissae and hair on the ears, growing with wrinkles. Jerry Newman, a Persian breeder, suggested that the kitten showed a new mutation based on the same gene as other Rex cats. He crossed Miss de Pesto with a black Persian, and three of the litter kittens turned out to be curly. For the first time the breed was recognized by the international association TICA. ^[2]

White Selkirk Rex

The gene of curly hair in Selkirk Rex is dominant, so straight-haired descendants born from curly parents do not carry the gene of curly hair. Curly kittens from such descendants can be born under one condition: the second partner must be curly. Now cats with straight hair are gradually excluded from breeding. Homozygous selkirki - inherit the curl gene from both parents. When mating a homozygous Selkirka with a straight-hair partner, absolutely all kittens will be born curly. At the moment, the breed is recognized by ACF , WCF , CFA , TICA , ACFA .

The standard of this breed in versions of different cat federations may differ markedly. This is due to the fact that cats appeared as a result of spontaneous mutation, and with further breeding, cats of different types appeared, although they had the same gene in themselves.

Below for comparison are presented the standards of the Selkirk Rex breed of two felinological federations.

Breed Standard by WCF Federation Version ^[3]

Body: Medium to large cat, muscular and compact. The chest, shoulders and back are wide and massive. The neck is gentle and strong. Legs of medium length, powerful, on thick and round paws. The tail is of medium length, thick with a rounded tip.

Head : round, massive, wide skull with a strong chin. The nose is short, wide, straight. Profile with a noticeable transition. The cheeks are full and well defined.

Ears : Medium size, broad at base, set wide apart, with easily rounded ends.

Eyes: large and round, set wide apart. Eye color in harmony with color.

Wool:

CS - short, plush, double with a great undercoat and pronounced waves.

LH - medium length, soft, with an excellent undercoat and loose curls. Particularly pronounced curls on the collar and pants. All colors are allowed

Breed Standard for the CFA Federation Version ^[4]

General description : The Selkirk Rex breed is the result of a spontaneous dominant mutation. Covers, guard hairs and undercoat slightly curly and soft to the touch. The cat is medium to large in size with a powerful, strong bone structure, radiating physical strength. Cats are somewhat smaller than cats, but not graceful. Selkirk Rex is a very affectionate and attractive cat with a well-balanced and balanced character.

Head : Round, wide skull with pronounced cheeks. The head is round without flat areas. Muzzle: medium width, rounded, mustache pads are well developed and give the muzzle a slightly rectangular appearance. The length of the muzzle is half its width. The profile is noticeable muzzle, as well as the bending of the cheeks. The chin, the tip of the nose and upper lip are in line. In profile, noticeable stop. The nose is somewhat bent, the back of the nose is below the eye line. The chin is strong, well developed, in proportion to the head. Mustache and eyebrows curly.

Ears : Medium size, wide at the base, set wide apart. Should fit into the round contour of the head. The hair inside the ears is winding.

Eyes : Large, round, set wide. Color: from yellow to copper, green, blue (for van, colorpoints and white). White animals can also be controversial. Eye color should be in harmony with coat color.

Body : Medium to large in size, harmonious, rectangular, but not long. Shoulders and hips are approximately equal in width.

Legs : Medium to large. Strong, in proportion to the body. Paws: Large, round and powerful.

Tail : Medium length, in proportion to the body, thick at the base, rounded at the end.

Wool : Two variations - long and short. Differences between variations are especially noticeable at the tail and collar. KSH variation: the hair on the tail is the same length as the body (about 1-2 cm), the curls on the tail are “plush”, they lie compactly along the length of the tail. Wool on the collar of the same length as the body. LH variation: the curls of the hair on the tail "like feathers" do not fit the skin. The hair of the collar is longer than the hair in the body, it “frames” the muzzle. The waviness of the fur varies with the climate, the season and the hormonal state of the animal, in particular in cats. Kittens are born with curly hair. Curls then disappear, but then appear by 8-10 months. Coat develops to the age of two. KSH variation: The texture of the wool is soft, plush, dense with noticeable curls. Density: the coat is thick, without “bald patches” or places with thin, sparse coat. Wool "behind" the body, should not give the impression of a thin or tight fit. Curls: randomly curled wool forms separate curls. The shape of the curls looks more like lumps than formed "waves." Despite the fact that the shape of the curls depends on the length of the coat, the sex of the animal, the age, all wool must show the effect of the gene of the rex. Assumptions are made for young animals and kittens. LH variation: The texture of the wool is soft, dense with noticeable curls. In appearance, it does not create a feeling of plush, like in KS. Should not be thin. Wool "lags behind" the body, looks and feels thinner than plush, but should not fit snugly. Curls: randomly curled wool forms separate curls. The shape of the curls looks more like lumps, rings, than formed "waves". Despite the fact that the shape of the curls depends on the length of the coat, the sex of the animal, the age, all wool must show the effect of the gene of the rex. Especially curls should be noticeable around the neck, tail and abdomen. Assumptions are made for young animals and kittens.

Features and Character

Selkirk Rex has a calm, discreet character, patient, obedient, friendly. Likes to play. Needs constant attention of the owner, gets along well with children, finds a common language with other cats, as well as dogs. Gentle, affectionate, pleasant to talk to. Easily adapts to life in a regular apartment. Do not freeze. Life expectancy is 15-20 years.

During the period of formation of the breed, she had several names, which then became obsolete and remained in the past. Options for the name of the breed were: Selkirk Rex, Cat-sheep, Celtic. ^[five]

At the moment, only the name Selkirk Rex is assigned to these cats.

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