Selkirk Rex: features, choices and rules of care

Selkirk Rex is a rather young breed of cats, it has an extraordinary and memorable appearance. Its main difference from other rex breeds consists in the structural composition of the animal's hair, which includes three types of hair: straight, wavy and curly. Due to such heterogeneity, the pet's fur coat looks like a young sheep's fur and is considered to be the hallmark of the Selkirk Rex breed.

Homeland Selkirk Rex are the United States, more precisely, the state of Montana. The history of the breed goes back to 1987, when an ordinary stray cat was born in one of the private feline shelters, soon giving birth to five babies. This event would have remained unremarkable everyday fact, if not the appearance of one of the kittens. The attention of the staff of the institution was attracted by the unusual hair of the newborn, randomly curled not only on the surface of the body, but also in the ears. Moreover, the mustache of the baby also represented a small curl, ridiculous sticking out in different directions.

The kitten was shown to an experienced Persian cat breeder felinologist Jerry Newman, who took him to his nursery. An unusual creation turned out to be a girl who received the name Miss De Pesto (full Miss De Pesto of Noface), and at the age of 14 months she was tied with a luxurious black Persian. As a result of crossing, six babies were born, three of whom inherited the dominant maternal gene, born curly.

In fairness it should be noted that the subsequent litters of Miss De Pesto did not bring any more Rex, which makes it possible to assess the appearance of curly cats as a result of an accidental natural mutation. The breed owes its unusual name to the Selkirk mountain ranges, near which the mother Miss De Pesto was chosen, and the term Rex, which means curly hair.

As a result of further selection work, Newman managed to get both long-haired and short-haired offspring of a wide variety of colors and shades. A little later, in the early 90s of the last century, the breeder-felinologist began to make a description of the breed standard, taking as one of the sons of Miss De Pesto as the standard. Such a choice was due to the fact that the descendant possessed more noble forms of the body in comparison with the maternal ones, and in outlines resembled a Persian.

After another couple of years, the Selkirk Rex were singled out in a separate breed, and with the permission of experts from the TICA association, they were allowed to take part in official exhibitions. Recognition and success came pretty quickly, and by 1994, representatives of this remarkable breed won the first champion title at an international exhibition. To date Selkirk Rex is one of the most popular feline breeds, and is officially recognized by such authoritative organizations as ACFA, WCF, ACF and CFA.

The formation of the rock occurred fairly quickly. In addition to the Persians, representatives of exotic, British and American shorthair breeds, who transferred their best qualities to the Selkirk Rex, took an active part in her development. Today, cats of this breed are characterized as animals with strong and strong bones, above average growth. Male representatives traditionally outnumber females in physical parameters and often reach a weight of 7 kg, while the average weight of cats is 3-4 kg.

The animals have a round, without flattened areas, head with well-defined lines of cheeks. The muzzle is rather round, not too wide, and its length is 1/2 of its width. If you look at the Selkirk Rex in profile, you can see that the upper sponge, nose and chin are aligned. The nose itself has a slightly curved shape, and its back is slightly below the eye line.

A characteristic feature of the breed are wide-set ears, harmoniously fitting into the rounded outlines of the head. The hair in the ears curls well, while the eyebrows and vibrissae are also curly. The animals have round expressive eyes that perfectly harmonize in color with the coat color. Most often they are amber, copper, green and blue.

Selkirk Rex have impeccable constitution: rectangular body of medium length, thick and short neck, matching thighs and shoulders in width, and strong legs proportional to the body. The tail, distinguished by its medium size and regular shapes, has a rounded tip and thickens at its base. Wool cover can be both elongated and short, and the intensity of curls varies depending on the season of the year and the age of the cat.

In short-haired representatives of the breed the fur coat is moderately wavy and resembles a plush toy, while the long-haired individuals can boast luxurious curls most pronounced on the pants, neck, abdomen and breast.

Moreover, the intensity of the formation of curls varies from birth to two years of age. So, newborn kittens can be quite curly, but during the first two months the wool is almost completely straightened and in appearance it is not much different from the hair of Selkirk straights - straight-haired kittens. And only after 8-10 months, the curls re-curl again, after which the young animal acquires the appearance of a true rex.

According to the standard, any colors and designs are allowed, but preference is still given to pure saturated colors. Often you can see spotted Selkirk Rexes, as well as two-colored cats and albinos such as Mink and Sepia.

Among the most common shades are dominated by red, cream tabby, purple, chocolate, smoky and even silver. Polychrome coloring options, such as black-and-white, red and white and smoky-white, look very nice. The eyes and the tip of the nose are usually harmoniously combined with each other and with the color of the coat of the animal, which gives the pet's appearance even greater aesthetics and attractiveness.

Selkirk Rex has absorbed the character traits of several breeds involved in breeding work. So, from the British Shorthair, they inherited the degree and ease, from the Persians - affection, and from the exotics - mischief and playfulness up to extreme old age. Cats quickly get used to households, and get along well with children and other pets.

A special feature of the Selkirk is the need for constant contact with the person, which is why it is not recommended to leave them alone for a long time. And if the owner lives in the apartment alone and much of the time is missing, then when choosing a pet, it is better for him to stay on a different breed, since due to a lack of communication, Selkirk Rex can easily become depressed.

Representatives of the breed are very sensitive to the mood of the owner and his family members, and adult animals who have lived in the house for several years feel the physical pain of a person well. Selkirk is sure to fit and start “consoling” the household in need, and in the event of illness it will simply fall on the sore spot and try to alleviate the suffering.

Another positive feature of the Rex character is the fact that individuals of both sexes are very sociable: they are happy to communicate with guests, even if they see them for the first time in their lives. Cats are happy to climb up on their hands to strangers, and allow them to stroke themselves and wag.

However, in order for a cat and a cat to grow up as described above, you need to constantly deal with them. From the first days of the appearance of the kitten in the house, it is recommended to give him as much time as possible, to play and talk with him, and also to get him more bright interesting toys. In most cases, cats who grew up in constant attention and care, become very friendly and open animals, and throughout their life delight the owners with their affection and sociability.

Moreover, selkirk Rex is one of the most well-trained cat breeds that is easy to train.. Animals are well tolerated hygienic procedures, allowing the owner to regularly comb the wool and cut their claws. Another advantage of the Selkirk is their immunity to sharp frightening sounds: cats are indifferent to the sound of a working vacuum cleaner, they are not afraid of door bells and salute volleys. The only behavioral disadvantage of Selkirk Rex is their omnivorous and insatiable.

The animal sweeps away all the food available to it, so in order to avoid overfeeding and the development of obesity, it is recommended to strictly dose the portions.

Having decided to purchase a kitten of the Selkirk Rex breed, it is necessary to take into account that the content of "woolen" cats is contraindicated for people suffering from allergic manifestations. In the presence of such a disease is better to opt for pets with less rich hair, not prone to strong molting. If there are no allergies in the house, then selkirk will be an excellent choice and will please the owners with its presence for many years.

After the documents have been checked, it is necessary to visually inspect the kitten. In this case, special attention should be paid to the fatness of the baby, as well as the state of wool. So, on the body of the kitten should not be observed tumors, bald spots and ulcers, and the fur should be clean and slightly wavy. The nose, ears and eyes must be completely clean and free from traces of discharge. The teeth of a healthy kitten have a pure white color and are located exactly, while the gums should be a pale pink color without sores and seals.

The next criterion for choosing a Selkirk is physical activity and behavior. A healthy kitten is very curious and fearless: he will run up to the new owner with interest and even try to start a game with him. If the baby is sluggish and indecisive, and also has gait disturbances - it is better to refuse to buy such an animal, as the indicated signs indicate the presence of obvious or hidden pathologies and developmental abnormalities.

So, the diet of the pet must include raw fish, meat, boiled cereals, liver, offal, fruits and vegetables. It is recommended to feed Selkirk in small portions 6-8 times a day. Putting food into the cup at once for the whole day is prohibited.

Cat at one time will eat the entire daily portion and will ask for supplements. The same applies to feeding with dry food: just as much food should be poured into a cup as the animal relies on for one meal. A prerequisite for this is the continuous availability of clean drinking water. Besides, Selkirks should not be accustomed to feeding from the table, since cats of this breed are prone to gluttony, and with a “double” diet they gain weight very quickly.

Another important point when buying Selkirk Rex is its price. It should immediately be noted that the real pedigree cats of this breed can not cost less than five thousand rubles, and representatives of famous kennels born from champions of prestigious cat shows, cost 20 and even 25 thousand rubles. On the territory of our country, Selkirk Rex nurseries are located in cities such as Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Orel, Bryansk and Samara.

Cats of the Selkirk Rex breed need regular care, and they do not require any special conditions for creating themselves. The main guarantee of proper cultivation is a balanced diet and hygiene procedures.

Feeding Selkirk Rex is not much different from feeding other kittens and there are two types. In the first case, the animal is fed exclusively balanced quality food, in the second - natural food. The latter type of food is more complex and laborious, as it requires the independent calculation of the required amount of nutrients needed by the kitten at a given age, as well as the selection of vitamin complexes and mineral supplements. In addition, raw meat needs heat treatment with boiling water, and soups and porridges should be cooked every day.

The short-haired Selkirk Rex, like the Selkirk Straight, requires minimal care, which consists in bathing the animal as it becomes soiled and rubbing the ears with a wet tampon. With the long-haired representatives of the breed, the situation is somewhat more complicated. These animals are recommended to comb 1-2 times a week and often bathe. Wash should be used only special shampoos that facilitate the combing of wool after drying.

When using soap or conventional means there is a risk of formation of tangles, which will later have to be cut off. Therefore, if the choice fell on the long-haired Selkirk Rex, then together with the kitten It is necessary to purchase a comb with long teeth, brushes for undercoat, furmer for removing old wool, scissors with blunt tips for removing tangles, suede cloth for wiping wool and a spray gun for spraying the fur.

Bathing pet should be in the water temperature of 38.3 degrees. To carry out the procedure, the animal is gently taken by the scruff and doused from the shower, trying to keep water from falling on the head. In order to avoid accidental water flowing into the auricles, it is recommended to pre-plug it with cotton wool. After the cat's hair is evenly moistened, it is washed with a soft sponge dipped in a previously diluted shampoo.

Then the animal is rinsed from the shower and wrapped in a soft towel. Face recommended to wipe with a damp sponge. Ears are cleaned weekly with a cotton pad moistened with oil, petroleum jelly or liquid paraffin. Nails should be trimmed as they grow, and brushing should be done every 7 days.

Selkirk Rex is a healthy breed and has no genetic afflictions. However, the British Shorthairs involved in creating the breed gave the Selkirk to the Rex a rather weak heart, and from the Persians they got not very strong buds. Because of this, cats of this breed may suffer from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and polycystic kidney disease.

The third rather vulnerable organ is the eyes, which is why Selkirk often suffer from conjunctivitis. At the same time, purulent discharge must be removed with a swab dipped in a neutral antiseptic. The use of tea leaves and chamomile infusion is permissible only with a dark color; light cats are not treated with the indicated means. In general, cats of the Selkirk Rex breed are considered to be strong animals, have excellent immunity and live quietly for more than two decades.

Description breed Selkirk Rex, see the next video.