Selkirk Rex Longhair

The Selkirk Rex is a cat breed with curly fur. The Selkirk Rex is unique among all Rex breeds. In contrast to the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex, the hair is regular length and not partially gone. There are two types of hair: longhair and shorthair. The Selkirk Rex coat is plusher and thicker than the LaPerm coat. The LaPerm gene is a simple dominant, whereas the Selkirk gene (Se) is an incomplete dominant; incompletely dominant allele pairs result in three possible genotypes and phenotypes: heterozygous cats (Sese) may have a fuller coat that is preferred in the show ring, while homozygous cats (SeSe) may have a tighter curl and less coat volume.

Long and short coat lengths have been produced for the breed. It is a huge breed with a strong build, akin to a British Shorthair. The coat is very soft, with a woolly appearance and feel and loose, unstructured curls. The head is spherical, with large rounded eyes, medium-sized ears, and a prominent nose that is half the length of the head. An severe break, such as a Persian, is a disqualifying defect. The breed accepts all colors, including albinism in the pointed, sepia, and mink variants, as well as bicolors, cinnamon, silver/smoke, and chocolate and lilac series. This breed has a highly thick coat and a significant shedding proclivity.