Cats of Selkirk Rex breed: description, nature, care

If you like curly cats, then you will love the Selkirk Rex with a chic wavy fur. Streaming curls gave these cats mother nature itself. Sometimes Selkirk-reks are called cats in sheep's clothing. The breed is not only charming externally, but also conquers hearts with its marvelous character.

History of the breed

The breed of cats Selkirk-Rex is quite young - they broke into the world of animal lovers just 14 years ago. Of course, the representatives of this breed are still rare, but Selkirk rex can already be found all over the world.

In July 1987, at the most ordinary smooth - haired three-colored cat , an amazing creature appeared on the light - a curly white-cream-blue cat named Miss dePesto. Her brothers and sisters were quite ordinary kittens. Owner of a rare specimen was the breeder of Persian cats, Jerry Newman.

Newman realized that Miss DePesto's curly hair was unique, and decided to find out if she was inherited. To do this, the owner crossed the cat with a black Persian cat, the champion of the breed. So in July 1988, six kittens were born, three of whom inherited the motherly curly fur.

This distribution showed that the curly gene is dominant, which means that for the appearance of original kittens it is enough that one of the parents has them. It also meant that in ordinary smooth-haired kittens born from this pair, the desired gene is missing and their offspring will never be curly. One of the curly-haired kittens was long-haired, which meant that Miss dePesto herself had a recessive long-haired gene.

One of the kittens born in this litter, Oskar Kowalski, is the second ancestor of the breed, his name is found in the pedigrees of many Selkirks. The children Miss dePesto and Oscar also had a color-color point, that is, dePesto also had a gene responsible for this coloration. It is the genetic wealth of Miss dePesto that determines the variety of colors, textures and lengths of wool of modern cats of the Selkirk Rex breed. The photos show that all cats have an interesting appearance.

Its name is "Selkirk" the breed received in honor of the mountains in the north of the US state of Montana. The word "rex" shows that the breed has curly hair (similar to the Devon Rex, Cornish rex).

For the development of the breed line, the first representatives of the Selkirk rex crossed with Persian cats, exotics, British and American shorthair cats. Since the breed is still young, in order to improve it, interbreeding is practiced until now. In 2000, the CFA recognized the Selkirk Rex breed.

Description

Cats of this breed have a rounded skull, full cheeks and pads of vibrissae. Ears conical in shape, medium in size, widely spaced and wide at the base. The eyes are big and round, that a cat's face will come to a surprised and curious expression.

The size of the trunk is large or medium, the back is straight, slightly raised from the rear, and the torso is muscular. The tail is thick at the base, of medium length.

Of course, the main distinguishing feature of the Selkirk Rex breed is soft curly hair. Curly all three types of fur - awn, undercoat and cover coat. Curls are most noticeable on the tail and neck. Even the vibrissae curl, which gives the muzzle a mischievous and dashing expression.

Selkirk can be either long-haired or short-haired. The difference between them is very clear. In short-haired cats, wool is of medium length. It is soft, velvety, with waves all over the body. Long-haired Selkirks possess long hanging curly hair. Both types are very dense.

There are no restrictions on colors - sekalki can be any color, including color-point. How does the Selkirk Rex look like? The photos show that these are charming animals.

Character

Of course, the first thing that attracts attention in Selkirk Rex is curly hair. But for the owners of great importance and the nature of the animal. Selkirk are excellent companions, they are contact, quickly attached to people, friendly, but unobtrusive.

Selkirk loyal to children and other animals. But because of the sociability of the cats, loneliness is hard to bear. Selkirk remain the kittens the whole life and adore to play. They will tirelessly drive a candy wrapper or a toy mouse. And the favorite game will be the one in which the host will take part.

Care

For short-haired cats care minimal - weekly combing and bathing is necessary if necessary. But long-haired representatives need to pay more attention - comb out a good comb at least twice a week and bathe once a month. These measures are necessary to prevent the formation of coils.

Spread

Selkirk-reks are still quite rare, and breeders are reluctant to part with the carriers of rare genes, even pet-class. But gradually the breed becomes more and more widespread. If you want to buy a kitten of Selkirk-Rex, then you will have to get on the waiting list for six months or a year. If the sex and color of the animal is important, waiting may be delayed. It is easier to buy a kitten with ordinary straight hair, but possessing an excellent character of Selkirk.

In conclusion, it should be noted that many mistakenly believe that Selkirks are hypoallergenic. The gene, usually causing allergy in humans, is contained in the saliva of the animal and is transferred to the hair when licking. Therefore, if you have an allergy to cats, then it will manifest itself in the Selkirk rex.