Selkirk Rex

The Selkirk Rex began with one curly kitten in a Montana shelter litter in 1987, fostered by a breeder who recognised something worth keeping. That cat, Miss DePesto, was bred to a Persian, and the curly kittens that followed proved the mutation was dominant, unlike the Cornish and Devon Rex curls, which are recessive and produce quite different coats. It is the reason a Selkirk looks nothing like the other rex breeds. Where a Cornish Rex is a fine, close-lying wave over a whippet frame, a Selkirk is a heavy, cobby cat in a loose, woolly, slightly chaotic curl.

The curl itself behaves unpredictably, and prospective owners should know this in advance. Kittens are born curly, straighten out almost entirely within the first six months, and then curl again as they mature, with the adult coat usually settled somewhere between eighteen months and two years. Humidity, hormones, season and neutering all shift the look. Longhaired Selkirks carry a full, tousled curl; shorthairs look plush and rumpled rather than ringleted. Whiskers curl too, and they break easily, a Selkirk with short, broken whiskers is normal, not neglected.

Underneath the coat is a big cat. Selkirks are heavy-boned and muscular, with a round head, full cheeks and a broad chest, and a mature male can reach 7 kg without being fat. They take a full three years to reach adult size and substance, which is longer than most breeds and worth remembering when a growing cat looks awkward at eighteen months.

Temperament is the breed's real achievement. Selkirks inherited the calm of the British Shorthair and the placidity of the Persian, then added a playfulness of their own that persists well into adulthood. They are patient with handling to an unusual degree, tolerant of children who have not yet learned to be gentle, easygoing with dogs, and disinclined to sulk. They are affectionate without being clingy, a Selkirk will settle beside you rather than on your keyboard, and will accept being left alone during the day better than most affectionate breeds.

They are also quiet. Vocalisation is minimal and soft, and the energy level is moderate: interested in a wand toy twice a day, content to nap between sessions. This combination, sociable, undemanding, quiet, tolerant, is what makes the Selkirk one of the few genuinely low-friction pedigree cats for a busy household.

Grooming is the price. The coat is a full double coat with a dense undercoat, and the curl traps dead hair rather than releasing it. Combing two or three times a week is the minimum, and the technique matters: use a wide-tooth comb and work gently in sections, because brushing vigorously or with a slicker straightens the curl and can leave the cat looking frizzy for weeks. Never blow-dry a Selkirk straight after a bath; let the coat air-dry to preserve the curl pattern. Longhaired cats need attention behind the ears, in the armpits and around the britches, where mats form first.

The health conversation is the part people skip, and it is the most important part. Because the breed was developed by outcrossing to Persians, Exotics and British Shorthairs, it inherited those breeds' risks. Polycystic kidney disease came in through the Persian line and has a straightforward DNA test, a responsible breeder tests and will show you the results. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy came in through the British Shorthair line and needs cardiologist scanning of the parents, not a stethoscope. Some Selkirks show a slightly shortened muzzle from Persian ancestry and can have mild tear staining or breathing noise; choose the kittens with the more open faces. These are all manageable questions, and a breeder who cannot answer them is the wrong breeder.

Be careful, too, about the claim that a curly coat is hypoallergenic. It is not. Selkirks have a full double coat, they shed a normal amount, and the curl simply holds the loose hair against the body until you comb it out. If anything, an unbrushed Selkirk deposits more allergen into a room in one session than a shorthaired cat does gradually.

What you end up with, if the sourcing is right, is a large, soft, ridiculous-looking cat that tolerates nearly everything, plays like a kitten at eight, and asks for a comb three times a week. For a family, that is a very good trade.