Selkirk Rex Breed Profile

A new breed arrived in Britain in 2002!
The curly coated Selkirk Rex is a medium to large cat with heavy boning and cobby type, similar in shape to a British Shorthair. They have a random, unstructured coat, thick and dense covering the entire body from the time they are born and arranged in loose individual curls giving an overall soft and plush feel. They occur in both short and long haired versions, and all colours are acceptable. They are uniquely different to any other breed and quite distinct from Devon and Cornish Rexes and LaPerms.	Left to right: Ch. Courtlycats Cookies n Cream, GrCh Courtlycats Call Me Madam, GrCh Serenitie Bety Boop of Courtlycats

Origins of the breed........

Trueblu Anns Owaing;yndwr at 8 weeks old (2nd from the left) Curly Shorthair (photo by Robert Fox)

The Selkirk Rex is the result of a natural mutation which appeared in 1987 in Wyoming, USA and the breed owes its origin to one cat - Miss DePesto. The originator of the breed was Jeri Newman of Montana, a Persian breeder with an interest in genetics. She was offered the unusual cat by an animal shelter, and when mated to a Persian Miss DePesto was found to be a new mutation of a completely dominant nature, meaning only one curly Selkirk parent is needed to produce curly kittens. In fact at least one parent must be a Selkirk as this breed can not be created artificially. Jerri named her new breed after the Selkirk Mountains in Canada just north of where they originated, and also because that was her step father's last name.

And What's Been Happening Over Here?

A lot has been happening in the UK with the Selkirk Rex breed due to the hard work and dedication of a small number of breeders many of whom are members of the Southern British Shorthair Cat Club!