The Selkirk Rex is a relatively young breed, born from a natural genetic mutation. Unusual cats in curly coats were born quite often, but they would end up in the hands of owners who failed to notice their uniqueness and distinctiveness. The same fate could have befallen the Selkirk—a completely new gene, forming a curly coat, could have once again slipped into obscurity. But a fortunate twist of fate changed everything!
Breed History
The history of the Selkirk Rex began with an ordinary domestic cat. In 1987, a cat with unremarkable blue-cream-and-white fur and straight whiskers was brought to the "For Pet's Sake" shelter (Sheridan, Montana, USA). The poor thing had been caught in a trap and lost one of her paws; she was also pregnant. In July of that same year, the cat gave birth to a litter of five kittens. Among them was a blue-cream-and-white female kitten, who stood out from her littermates with an extraordinary, curly coat and wavy whiskers.
One of the shelter workers brought the unusual kitten to her friend, Jeri Newman, who bred Persian cats and had always been fascinated by genetics and mutations. Jeri named this cat Miss DePesto of Noface. And it was she, little DePesto, who would later become the founding mother of all Selkirk Rex cats in existence today.
When Miss DePesto was fourteen months old, Jeri Newman bred her with a black Persian cat, Photo Finish of Deekay, and eagerly awaited the result. On July 4, 1988, Miss DePesto gave birth to six kittens, three of which had curly fur, just like their mother! These were: a black-and-white curly shorthair male (Noface Oskar Kowalski), a black curly shorthair female (Noface Sheel), a tortoiseshell curly shorthair female, plus two black shorthair males and one black longhair female with ordinary straight fur, whose names history did not preserve.
The results of this first mating made it clear that they were dealing with a dominant gene—meaning, to get curly kittens, only one parent needed to have the curl. This was surprising, because all previously registered mutations for curly coats were recessive. Breeds like the Devon Rex, Cornish Rex, and German Rex had completely different inheritance patterns for their curls!
Jeri Newman continued observing and working with Miss DePesto with great attention. However, all kittens from the subsequent five litters born to this cat had ordinary fur. Not a single curly kitten was obtained from Miss DePesto again. This only confirmed Jeri's theory about the unusual and unique nature of the new mutant gene. It was a sensation!
A Curly Charm
The fact that the first breeder of Selkirks had felinological experience was a tremendous stroke of luck! Many breeds had to languish in obscurity for a long time before catching the eye of strict judges and curious geneticists… The Selkirks were simply lucky! The breeding of this breed was intelligent and fruitful from the very start. Jeri understood immediately that she held in her hands a rare gift of nature, one that must be preserved and passed on to future generations. Jeri Newman herself also gave this unique breed its name. She did not want to name the curly charmers after their place of origin, following the same principle used for other curly breeds. Jeri wanted to keep something personal in the name, yet she was afraid of seeming immodest. In the end, a solution was found: Jeri gave the new breed the name of her beloved stepfather—"Selkirk"—to which, following the tradition for all curly-coated cat breeds, the word "Rex" was added.
This was followed by years of selective breeding, searching for people willing to work with the new mutation, hopes and setbacks, joys and disappointments, faith in success and depression… However, the moment came when, thanks to Jeri Newman's work, a healthy, original creature began to emerge, one that could already claim the right to be called a breed. A pleasant temperament, unique appearance, reasonably sound health, a variety of colors, and the existence of both short-haired and long-haired varieties attracted more and more people to the new breed.
Breeders wanted not only to preserve the original mutation of the curly coat but also to create a fundamentally new type of Rex—completely distinct from the extremely elegant Cornish and the cute alien-like Devon. They aimed for a cozy, "plush-toy" look, with a sweet facial expression and a plush, "sheep-like" coat. And they succeeded!
The Selkirk Rex was recognized for the Champion class in 1994 by TICA, and a little later by CFA, WCF, and other organizations.
Alla Shishkina (Kemmerling),
cattery «from Sham» & «Curly Charm»
