{"id":1742,"date":"2021-04-25T19:30:46","date_gmt":"2021-04-25T17:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlinecatworld.com\/?p=1742"},"modified":"2022-03-07T20:05:37","modified_gmt":"2022-03-07T19:05:37","slug":"selkirk-rex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlinecatworld.com\/selkirk-rex\/","title":{"rendered":"The Selkirk Rex: a big cat that is invisibly muscled"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Selkirk Rex is a rather big cat with a curly coat. The cat is quite muscular but this is not always easy to see because of the special coat of this cat. The cat is very relaxed, loves to cuddle and is very playful. Are you curious how the cat gets these special characteristics? You can read it here!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The origin: an outsider in the nest<\/h2>\n

The Selkirk Rex is one of the newest natural breeds. The cat is descended from Miss DePesto, a domestic cat from a shelter in Montana. Miss DePesto was a special cat as both the siblings of Miss DePesto and the mother cat were normally hairy. Miss DePesto had a curly coat which gave this cat a special appearance. The cat was given from the shelter to Jeri Newman, a breeder of Persen in Montana. Jeri wanted to know if the resulting gene was dominant or recessive. She crossed Miss DePesto with a black Persian.<\/p>\n

In the litter from this cross three out of six kittens had a curly coat. So the mutation which takes care of the curly coat is dominant. This in contrast to the Devon and Conrish Rex where this mutation is not dominant. Further crossbreeds with Persen and other short-haired breeds eventually resulted in two different types of Selkirk Rex. A short-haired and a long-haired variety.<\/p>\n

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The character: a real teddy bear<\/h2>\n

The Selkirk Rex is a very patient cat that gives a lot of love.<\/strong> The character traits of this cat come from the different crossbreeds. The Selkirk Rex has just like the British Shorthair a very relaxed posture, the cat is just like the Persian a real cuddly bear and just like the exotic Shorthair the cat stays playful for a very long time. Partly because the cat is playful for so long and also quite active, it is wise to get enough toys and for example a climbing pole in the house.<\/p>\n

Because of the relaxed attitude of this cat and the fact that the cat loves to cuddle, this is the perfect cat if you are looking for a cuddle buddy. The cat accepts humans very much and enjoys human contact very much. It also gets along well with other cats and dogs.<\/p>\n

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\"Infographic<\/p>\n

Appearance: a large cat with a curly coat<\/h2>\n

The Selkirk Rex is a very big and sturdy cat. The cat has a curly coat which looks best when the cat is an adult. Because the cat is so big and firm the cat looks very strong. A Selkirk Rex usually weighs between 3 and 5 kilos. It is worth noting that males are a bit bigger and heavier than females. The fact that the females are less big doesn’t make them less elegant.<\/p>\n

The body of the Selkirk Rex is medium to large in size and is nicely balanced. The cat is quite muscular but this is not always easy to see because of the curly coat. Furthermore the body is in the shape of a rectangle but not very long. The back of the cat is straight but runs a bit upwards towards the hind legs. The shoulders and hips don’t differ in width so these lines are nice and straight. The legs of the Selkirk Rex are quite big and also quite firm, also because of the thick bones. In spite of the fact that the legs are so big and firm, they are nicely in proportion to the rest of the body. This is because the Selkirk Rex is in general also a rather big cat. The legs of the cat are also quite big and round in shape. The cat has five toes on the front legs and four toes on the back legs. The tail is normally of large size and is quite firm on the base. The tail is a bit tapered but not blunt or pointed at the end.<\/p>\n

The Selkirk Rex has a round head that is quite wide. The cat has very full cheeks in both males and females. The snout is normal in width and looks square because of the bone structure and the whisker pads. The snout is clearly visible behind the curve of the cheeks. The nose of the cat is rather small and runs oblique downwards. The nose is just below the line of the eyes. Furthermore the chin of this cat is strong and well developed. The chin should not be extremely large and should be nicely in proportion to the rest of the body. This has to do with the rules for showing and exhibiting.\u00a0 The ears have a normal size and are quite wide at the base. Furthermore, the hours are pointed and they are very far apart. The eyes of the Selkirk Rex are quite big, round and stand quite far apart from each other. There is more than an eye width in between.<\/p>\n

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The coat of the Selkirk Rex<\/h2>\n

The Selkirk Rex has a curly coat and comes in two different lengths. There is both a short-haired and a long-haired variant of the Selkirk Rex. The difference between the two is best seen at the tail and the collar of the cat. The length of the short hairs on the tail is the same as with the rest of the coat. In addition, the curls are close to the tail. Also the collar of the short-haired variant is as long as the rest of the coat. With the long hair this is not the case. Both the length on the tail and the collar is longer than the rest of the coat. Moreover, the tail is very fluffy and the curls are not close to the tail but off the tail.<\/p>\n

The structure of the short-haired coat is quite soft. The coat feels nice and fluffy. Furthermore the cat is well covered with the coat and there are no bald spots or spots with a thin covering. The coat is away from the body. So this also means that the curls don’t go with the flow of the body, but rather away from the body. This gives a somewhat wild appearance. The curls themselves are random and individual. This means that the curls occur in bunches rather than in a very wavy movement. How much the hair is curled depends on several factors. You can think of the length of the hair, the sex but also the age of the cat. The coat of a Selkirk Rex is generally at its best when it is well grown up. The curls are especially noticeable at the neck, the tail and the belly. In young cats and kittens the curls can be less present.<\/p>\n

The structure of the long-haired coat is also soft and fluffy. This coat is only slightly less thick than the short-haired coat. This just does not mean that the coat is thin. The hairs are just longer so the coat structure is a bit less dense. Because of this the coat feels a bit less thick and firm. Also with the long-haired coat the coat is a little bit off the body. The curl is random again and occurs in a kind of bushes and rings. At the neck, tail and belly the coat is longer and the curl can be seen a lot better.<\/p>\n

The coat of the Selkirk Rex comes in many colours and patterns. The Selkirk Kirk, for example, can be found in many colours and patterns:<\/p>\n