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Getting a Cat or Kitten
17 min read
| Family-friendly: | 4/5 |
| Playfulness: | 4/5 |
| Intelligence: | 4/5 |
| Tendency to Vocalise: | 2/5 |
| Likes Other Pets: | 4/5 |
| Grooming needs: | 5/5 |
| Shedding: | 4/5 |
Selkirk Rex
The Selkirk Rex is a medium to large sized cat, built on distinctly chunky lines, with a powerful, muscular body, short muzzle, short legs and rounded head. Their large eyes and soft, ruffled fur give them a deeply attractive expression.
The Selkirk Rex comes in a long or short haired variety and the degree of curl in the coat varies with age, gender, climate and season, but the overall appearance is always that of a plush, soft, luxurious cat.
Selkirk’s come in all colours and coat patterns, and long coats will have a plumed tail and significant ruff around the neck and chest.
Lifespan
10 - 15 years
Weight
4.5 - 7kg
Colours
Selkirks come in all colours and coat patterns.
The need-to-know
- Great for first-time cat owners
- Enjoys playing games and is active at home
- Playful and curious cat
- Sociable and dependent cat
- Slightly talkative cat
- Average build cat breed
- Requires grooming every day
- A bit of both indoor and outdoor space
- Great family cat
- Can be left alone all day
- Needs a calm environment
Generally healthy breed
The Selkirk Rex cat breed can suffer from:
- Hypotrichosis which is a condition where areas of fur do not grow and this can result in skin infections (particularly yeast infections) due to the lack of oil which is normally produced by the hair in order to maintain healthy skin.
- Polycystic kidney disease which is an inherited condition where cysts form in the kidneys. This affects kidney function and can eventually lead to kidney failure. However, it is worth noting that the risk of developing this disease in this breed is lower than in other cat breeds that are prone to the problem.
Testing available:
- DNA testing for polycystic kidney disease which tests whether a cat has the potential to be affected by this condition,
Personality
The Selkirk Rex is described as being mellow, and their nature certainly fits with their adorable, soft, teddy-bear appearance. Loyal and devoted to family and generally affable with visitors, the Selkirk makes a pleasant and not too demanding house-cat. They are, beneath the fluffy coat, an active and playful cat, so will enjoy some play, but won’t tear your home down if you are busy.
The breed originates from a blue tortoiseshell and white feral cat found in Montana in 1987. She produced a litter which had an unusually curly coated kitten, this kitten was adopted by Persian cat breeder Jeri Newman and named DePesto as she was a very attention seeking ‘pester cat’! By breeding from her and researching her mother, Newman discovered that DePesto and her mother were carriers of a new, dominant gene that caused a curly coat. This was not the same gene that caused the curled coats of either the Cornish Rex or the Devon Rex. DePesto was mated with a black Persian cat and produced a litter of six, three of whom were curly coated!
Selkirk Rex’s are named for the Selkirk Mountain range in the North West of the US/South West Canada.
Friendly and sociable, adorable and teddy-bear like, the Selkirk is not well equipped for outdoor life and does present a theft risk. Use a built-in cat run or fully secured garden to offer your Selkirk some outdoor time and fresh air, with total safety. They’ll enjoy some branches to climb and some platforms in choice sunny spots.
Whilst the Selkirk Rex is quite a relaxed cat, they’ll still benefit from some climbing trees and games with ‘things on strings’, however this is not a wildly demanding cat and your presence and your lap for cuddles will suffice much of the time. They don’t cope well with being left entirely alone for long periods but are sociable with other cats as long as you are at home for reasonable amounts of time.
Every cat is unique and each has their own particular likes, dislikes, and needs when it comes to food. However, cats are carnivores and every cat must obtain 41 different and specific nutrients from their food. The proportion of these nutrients will vary depending on age, lifestyle and overall health, so it's not surprising that a growing, energetic kitten needs a different balance of nutrients in her diet than a less active senior cat. Other considerations to bear in mind are feeding the right quantity of food to maintain 'ideal body condition' in accordance with feeding guidelines and catering to individual preference regarding wet or dry food recipes.
Both the long and shorter coated Selkirk Rex’s will require grooming on a daily basis. Their coat is a little too fluffy for them to efficiently groom by themselves. A quick brush through once a day, and a more dedicated groom each week for the longer coated variety will keep them in top fluffy condition. A greasy coat is a sign your cat is not self-grooming at all and this may indicate poor health.
As with all cats, regular vaccination and parasite control is recommended.
The Selkirk Rex is a great family cat, relaxed and cuddly for much of the time, up for some fun and games if they are on offer. This is a ‘low chaos’ cat, suitable for most people as long as you are home for some of the day and each night so that they have company most of the time. They are often a bit too teddy-bear like and soft for very young children to truly understand that they are living beings who need space and respect but they are great with older children and teens.
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